1
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So S, Asakawa M, Sawa H. Distinct functions of three Wnt proteins control mirror-symmetric organogenesis in the C. elegans gonad. eLife 2024; 13:e103035. [PMID: 39485276 PMCID: PMC11620738 DOI: 10.7554/elife.103035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2024] [Accepted: 10/30/2024] [Indexed: 11/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Organogenesis requires the proper production of diverse cell types and their positioning/migration. However, the coordination of these processes during development remains poorly understood. The gonad in C. elegans exhibits a mirror-symmetric structure guided by the migration of distal tip cells (DTCs), which result from asymmetric divisions of somatic gonadal precursors (SGPs; Z1 and Z4). We found that the polarity of Z1 and Z4, which possess mirror-symmetric orientation, is controlled by the redundant functions of the LIN-17/Frizzled receptor and three Wnt proteins (CWN-1, CWN-2, and EGL-20) with distinct functions. In lin-17 mutants, CWN-2 promotes normal polarity in both Z1 and Z4, while CWN-1 promotes reverse and normal polarity in Z1 and Z4, respectively. In contrast, EGL-20 inhibits the polarization of both Z1 and Z4. In lin-17 egl-20 cwn-2 triple mutants with a polarity reversal of Z1, DTCs from Z1 frequently miss-migrate to the posterior side. Our further analysis demonstrates that the mis-positioning of DTCs in the gonad due to the polarity reversal of Z1 leads to mis-migration. Similar mis-migration was also observed in cki-1(RNAi) animals producing ectopic DTCs. These results highlight the role of Wnt signaling in coordinating the production and migration of DTCs to establish a mirror-symmetric organ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhei So
- Multicellular Organization Laboratory, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS)MishimaJapan
| | - Masayo Asakawa
- Multicellular Organization Laboratory, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS)MishimaJapan
| | - Hitoshi Sawa
- Multicellular Organization Laboratory, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS)MishimaJapan
- Department of Genetics, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)MishimaJapan
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2
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Hall AE, Klompstra D, Nance J. C. elegans Afadin is required for epidermal morphogenesis and functionally interfaces with the cadherin-catenin complex and RhoGAP PAC-1/ARHGAP21. Dev Biol 2024; 511:12-25. [PMID: 38556137 PMCID: PMC11088504 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2024.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
During epithelial morphogenesis, the apical junctions connecting cells must remodel as cells change shape and make new connections with their neighbors. In the C. elegans embryo, new apical junctions form when epidermal cells migrate and seal with one another to encase the embryo in skin ('ventral enclosure'), and junctions remodel when epidermal cells change shape to squeeze the embryo into a worm shape ('elongation'). The junctional cadherin-catenin complex (CCC), which links epithelial cells to each other and to cortical actomyosin, is essential for C. elegans epidermal morphogenesis. RNAi genetic enhancement screens have identified several genes encoding proteins that interact with the CCC to promote epidermal morphogenesis, including the scaffolding protein Afadin (AFD-1), whose depletion alone results in only minor morphogenesis defects. Here, by creating a null mutation in afd-1, we show that afd-1 provides a significant contribution to ventral enclosure and elongation on its own. Unexpectedly, we find that afd-1 mutant phenotypes are strongly modified by diet, revealing a previously unappreciated parental nutritional input to morphogenesis. We identify functional interactions between AFD-1 and the CCC by demonstrating that E-cadherin is required for the polarized distribution of AFD-1 to cell contact sites in early embryos. Finally, we show that afd-1 promotes the enrichment of polarity regulator, and CCC-interacting protein, PAC-1/ARHGAP21 to cell contact sites, and we identify genetic interactions suggesting that afd-1 and pac-1 regulate epidermal morphogenesis at least in part through parallel mechanisms. Our findings reveal that C. elegans AFD-1 makes a significant contribution to epidermal morphogenesis and functionally interfaces with core and associated CCC proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison E Hall
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Regis University, Biology Department, Denver, CO, 80221, USA.
| | - Diana Klompstra
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Jeremy Nance
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA; University of Wisconsin - Madison, Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology and Center for Quantitative Cell Imaging, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
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3
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Barton LJ, Roa-de la Cruz L, Lehmann R, Lin B. The journey of a generation: advances and promises in the study of primordial germ cell migration. Development 2024; 151:dev201102. [PMID: 38607588 PMCID: PMC11165723 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
The germline provides the genetic and non-genetic information that passes from one generation to the next. Given this important role in species propagation, egg and sperm precursors, called primordial germ cells (PGCs), are one of the first cell types specified during embryogenesis. In fact, PGCs form well before the bipotential somatic gonad is specified. This common feature of germline development necessitates that PGCs migrate through many tissues to reach the somatic gonad. During their journey, PGCs must respond to select environmental cues while ignoring others in a dynamically developing embryo. The complex multi-tissue, combinatorial nature of PGC migration is an excellent model for understanding how cells navigate complex environments in vivo. Here, we discuss recent findings on the migratory path, the somatic cells that shepherd PGCs, the guidance cues somatic cells provide, and the PGC response to these cues to reach the gonad and establish the germline pool for future generations. We end by discussing the fate of wayward PGCs that fail to reach the gonad in diverse species. Collectively, this field is poised to yield important insights into emerging reproductive technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lacy J. Barton
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Lorena Roa-de la Cruz
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Ruth Lehmann
- Whitehead Institute and Department of Biology, MIT, 455 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Benjamin Lin
- Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
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4
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Cebul ER, Marivin A, Wexler LR, Perrat PN, Bénard CY, Garcia-Marcos M, Heiman MG. SAX-7/L1CAM acts with the adherens junction proteins MAGI-1, HMR-1/Cadherin, and AFD-1/Afadin to promote glial-mediated dendrite extension. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.11.575259. [PMID: 38260503 PMCID: PMC10802611 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.11.575259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Adherens junctions (AJs) are a fundamental organizing structure for multicellular life. Although AJs are studied mainly in epithelia, their core function - stabilizing cell contacts by coupling adhesion molecules to the cytoskeleton - is important in diverse tissues. We find that two C. elegans sensory neurons, URX and BAG, require conserved AJ proteins for dendrite morphogenesis. We previously showed that URX and BAG dendrites attach to the embryonic nose via the adhesion molecule SAX-7/L1CAM, acting both in neurons and glia, and then extend by stretch during embryo elongation. Here, we find that a PDZ-binding motif (PB) in the SAX-7 cytoplasmic tail acts with other interaction motifs to promote dendrite extension. Using pull-down assays, we find that the SAX-7 PB binds the multi-PDZ scaffolding protein MAGI-1, which bridges it to the cadherin-catenin complex protein HMP-2/β-catenin. Using cell-specific rescue and depletion, we find that both MAGI-1 and HMR-1/Cadherin act in glia to non-autonomously promote dendrite extension. Double mutant analysis indicates that each protein can act independently of SAX-7, suggesting a multivalent adhesion complex. The SAX-7 PB motif also binds AFD-1/Afadin, loss of which further enhances sax-7 BAG dendrite defects. As MAGI-1, HMR-1, and AFD-1 are all found in epithelial AJs, we propose that an AJ-like complex in glia promotes dendrite extension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R. Cebul
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School and Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Present address: Section on Sensory Cell Development and Function, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Arthur Marivin
- Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Leland R. Wexler
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School and Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Paola N. Perrat
- Department of Biological Sciences, CERMO-FC Research Center, Universite du Québec à Montréal, Montreál, QC, Canada
| | - Claire Y. Bénard
- Department of Biological Sciences, CERMO-FC Research Center, Universite du Québec à Montréal, Montreál, QC, Canada
| | - Mikel Garcia-Marcos
- Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
- Department of Biology, College of Arts & Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Maxwell G. Heiman
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School and Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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5
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Agbakwuru D, Wetzel SA. The Biological Significance of Trogocytosis. Results Probl Cell Differ 2024; 73:87-129. [PMID: 39242376 PMCID: PMC11784324 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-62036-2_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
Trogocytosis is the intercellular transfer of membrane and membrane-associated proteins between cells. Trogocytosis is an underappreciated phenomenon that has historically routinely been dismissed as an artefact. With a greater understanding of the process and the implications it has on biological systems, trogocytosis has the potential to become a paradigm changer. The presence on a cell of molecules they don't endogenously express can alter the biological activity of the cell and could also lead to the acquisition of new functions. To better appreciate this phenomenon, it is important to understand how these intercellular membrane exchanges influence the function and activity of the donor and the recipient cells. In this chapter, we will examine how the molecules acquired by trogocytosis influence the biology of a variety of systems including mammalian fertilization, treatment of hemolytic disease of the newborn, viral and parasitic infections, cancer immunotherapy, and immune modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Agbakwuru
- Center for Environmental Health Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Scott A Wetzel
- Center for Environmental Health Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA.
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA.
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6
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Zhang N, Häring M, Wolf F, Großhans J, Kong D. Dynamics and functions of E-cadherin complexes in epithelial cell and tissue morphogenesis. MARINE LIFE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 5:585-601. [PMID: 38045551 PMCID: PMC10689684 DOI: 10.1007/s42995-023-00206-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Cell-cell adhesion is at the center of structure and dynamics of epithelial tissue. E-cadherin-catenin complexes mediate Ca2+-dependent trans-homodimerization and constitute the kernel of adherens junctions. Beyond the basic function of cell-cell adhesion, recent progress sheds light the dynamics and interwind interactions of individual E-cadherin-catenin complex with E-cadherin superclusters, contractile actomyosin and mechanics of the cortex and adhesion. The nanoscale architecture of E-cadherin complexes together with cis-interactions and interactions with cortical actomyosin adjust to junctional tension and mechano-transduction by reinforcement or weakening of specific features of the interactions. Although post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation and glycosylation have been implicated, their role for specific aspects of in E-cadherin function has remained unclear. Here, we provide an overview of the E-cadherin complex in epithelial cell and tissue morphogenesis focusing on nanoscale architectures by super-resolution approaches and post-translational modifications from recent, in particular in vivo, studies. Furthermore, we review the computational modelling in E-cadherin complexes and highlight how computational modelling has contributed to a deeper understanding of the E-cadherin complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Zhang
- Department of Biology, Philipps University, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Häring
- Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks (CIDBN), Georg August University Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Fred Wolf
- Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks (CIDBN), Georg August University Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jörg Großhans
- Department of Biology, Philipps University, 35043 Marburg, Germany
- Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks (CIDBN), Georg August University Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Deqing Kong
- Department of Biology, Philipps University, 35043 Marburg, Germany
- Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks (CIDBN), Georg August University Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
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7
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Hall AE, Klompstra D, Nance J. C. elegans Afadin is required for epidermal morphogenesis and functionally interfaces with the cadherin-catenin complex and RhoGAP PAC-1/ARHGAP21. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.28.551013. [PMID: 37546884 PMCID: PMC10402129 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.28.551013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
During epithelial morphogenesis, the apical junctions connecting cells must remodel as cells change shape and make new connections with their neighbors. In the C. elegans embryo, new apical junctions form when epidermal cells migrate and seal with one another to encase the embryo in skin ('ventral enclosure'), and junctions remodel when epidermal cells change shape to squeeze the embryo into a worm shape ('elongation'). The junctional cadherin-catenin complex (CCC), which links epithelial cells to each other and to cortical actomyosin, is essential for C. elegans epidermal morphogenesis. RNAi genetic enhancement screens have identified several proteins that interact with the CCC to promote epidermal morphogenesis, including the scaffolding protein Afadin (AFD-1), whose depletion alone results in only minor morphogenesis defects. Here, by creating a null mutation in afd-1 , we show that afd-1 provides a significant contribution to ventral enclosure and elongation on its own. Unexpectedly, we find that afd-1 mutant phenotypes are strongly modified by diet, revealing a previously unappreciated maternal nutritional input to morphogenesis. We identify functional interactions between AFD-1 and the CCC by demonstrating that E-cadherin is required for the polarized distribution of AFD-1 to cell contact sites in early embryos. Finally, we show that afd-1 promotes the enrichment of polarity regulator and CCC-interacting protein PAC-1/ARHGAP21 to cell contact sites, and identify genetic interactions suggesting that afd-1 and pac-1 regulate epidermal morphogenesis at least in part through parallel mechanisms. Our findings reveal that C. elegans AFD-1 makes a significant contribution to epidermal morphogenesis and functionally interfaces with core and associated CCC proteins.
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8
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Serre JM, Slabodnick MM, Goldstein B, Hardin J. SRGP-1/srGAP and AFD-1/afadin stabilize HMP-1/⍺-catenin at rosettes to seal internalization sites following gastrulation in C. elegans. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010507. [PMID: 36867663 PMCID: PMC10016700 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A hallmark of gastrulation is the establishment of germ layers by internalization of cells initially on the exterior. In C. elegans the end of gastrulation is marked by the closure of the ventral cleft, a structure formed as cells internalize during gastrulation, and the subsequent rearrangement of adjacent neuroblasts that remain on the surface. We found that a nonsense allele of srgp-1/srGAP leads to 10-15% cleft closure failure. Deletion of the SRGP-1/srGAP C-terminal domain led to a comparable rate of cleft closure failure, whereas deletion of the N-terminal F-BAR region resulted in milder defects. Loss of the SRGP-1/srGAP C-terminus or F-BAR domain results in defects in rosette formation and defective clustering of HMP-1/⍺-catenin in surface cells during cleft closure. A mutant form of HMP-1/⍺-catenin with an open M domain can suppress cleft closure defects in srgp-1 mutant backgrounds, suggesting that this mutation acts as a gain-of-function allele. Since SRGP-1 binding to HMP-1/⍺-catenin is not favored in this case, we sought another HMP-1 interactor that might be recruited when HMP-1/⍺-catenin is constitutively open. A good candidate is AFD-1/afadin, which genetically interacts with cadherin-based adhesion later during embryonic elongation. AFD-1/afadin is prominently expressed at the vertex of neuroblast rosettes in wildtype, and depletion of AFD-1/afadin increases cleft closure defects in srgp-1/srGAP and hmp-1R551/554A/⍺-catenin backgrounds. We propose that SRGP-1/srGAP promotes nascent junction formation in rosettes; as junctions mature and sustain higher levels of tension, the M domain of HMP-1/⍺-catenin opens, allowing maturing junctions to transition from recruitment of SRGP-1/srGAP to AFD-1/afadin. Our work identifies new roles for ⍺-catenin interactors during a process crucial to metazoan development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel M. Serre
- Program in Genetics University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Mark M. Slabodnick
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Knox University, Galesburg, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Bob Goldstein
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jeff Hardin
- Program in Genetics University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
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9
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Abstract
Since the proposal of the differential adhesion hypothesis, scientists have been fascinated by how cell adhesion mediates cellular self-organization to form spatial patterns during development. The search for molecular tool kits with homophilic binding specificity resulted in a diverse repertoire of adhesion molecules. Recent understanding of the dominant role of cortical tension over adhesion binding redirects the focus of differential adhesion studies to the signaling function of adhesion proteins to regulate actomyosin contractility. The broader framework of differential interfacial tension encompasses both adhesion and nonadhesion molecules, sharing the common function of modulating interfacial tension during cell sorting to generate diverse tissue patterns. Robust adhesion-based patterning requires close coordination between morphogen signaling, cell fate decisions, and changes in adhesion. Current advances in bridging theoretical and experimental approaches present exciting opportunities to understand molecular, cellular, and tissue dynamics during adhesion-based tissue patterning across multiple time and length scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony Y-C Tsai
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA;
| | - Rikki M Garner
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Sean G Megason
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
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10
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Schwartz AZA, Tsyba N, Abdu Y, Patel MR, Nance J. Independent regulation of mitochondrial DNA quantity and quality in Caenorhabditis elegans primordial germ cells. eLife 2022; 11:e80396. [PMID: 36200990 PMCID: PMC9536838 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria harbor an independent genome, called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which contains essential metabolic genes. Although mtDNA mutations occur at high frequency, they are inherited infrequently, indicating that germline mechanisms limit their accumulation. To determine how germline mtDNA is regulated, we examined the control of mtDNA quantity and quality in C. elegans primordial germ cells (PGCs). We show that PGCs combine strategies to generate a low point in mtDNA number by segregating mitochondria into lobe-like protrusions that are cannibalized by adjacent cells, and by concurrently eliminating mitochondria through autophagy, reducing overall mtDNA content twofold. As PGCs exit quiescence and divide, mtDNAs replicate to maintain a set point of ~200 mtDNAs per germline stem cell. Whereas cannibalism and autophagy eliminate mtDNAs stochastically, we show that the kinase PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1), operating independently of Parkin and autophagy, preferentially reduces the fraction of mutant mtDNAs. Thus, PGCs employ parallel mechanisms to control both the quantity and quality of the founding population of germline mtDNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron ZA Schwartz
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU Grossman School of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU Grossman School of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
| | - Nikita Tsyba
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUnited States
| | - Yusuff Abdu
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU Grossman School of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU Grossman School of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
| | - Maulik R Patel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUnited States
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of MedicineNashvilleUnited States
- Diabetes Research and Training Center, Vanderbilt University School of MedicineNashvilleUnited States
| | - Jeremy Nance
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU Grossman School of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU Grossman School of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
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11
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From primordial germ cells to spermatids in Caenorhabditis elegans. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 127:110-120. [PMID: 34930663 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Development of a syncytial germline for gamete formation requires complex regulation of cytokinesis and cytoplasmic remodeling. Recently, several uncovered cellular events have been investigated in the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) germline. In these cellular processes, the factors involved in contractility are highly conserved with those of mitosis and meiosis. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms are far more complicated than previously thought, likely due to the single syncytial germline structure. In this review, we highlight how the proteins involved in contractility ensure faithful cell division in different cellular contexts and how they contribute to maintaining intercellular bridge stability. In addition, we discuss the current understanding of the cellular events of cytokinesis and cytoplasmic remodeling during the development of the C. elegans germline, including progenitor germ cells, germ cells, and spermatocytes. Comparisons are made with relevant systems in Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) and other animal models.
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12
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Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) form early in embryo development and are crucial precursors to functioning gamete cells. Considerable research has focussed on identifying the transcriptional characteristics and signalling pathway requirements that confer PGC specification and development, enabling the derivation of PGC-like cells (PGCLCs) in vitro using specific signalling cocktails. However, full maturation to germ cells still relies on co-culture with supporting cell types, implicating an additional requirement for cellular- and tissue-level regulation. Here, we discuss the experimental evidence that highlights the nature of intercellular interactions between PGCs and neighbouring cell populations during mouse PGC development. We posit that the role that tissue interactions play on PGCs is not limited solely to signalling-based induction but extends to coordination of development by robust regulation of the proportions and position of the cells and tissues within the embryo, which is crucial for functional germ cell maturation. Such tissue co-development provides a dynamic, contextual niche for PGC development. We argue that there is evidence for a clear role for inter-tissue dependence of mouse PGCs, with potential implications for generating mammalian PGCLCs in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Cooke
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK.,Abcam Plc, Discovery Drive, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0AX, UK.,The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, Somers Town, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Naomi Moris
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, Somers Town, London, NW1 1AT, UK
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13
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The Multiple Roles of Trogocytosis in Immunity, the Nervous System, and Development. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:1601565. [PMID: 34604381 PMCID: PMC8483919 DOI: 10.1155/2021/1601565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Trogocytosis is a general biological process that involves one cell physically taking small parts of the membrane and other components from another cell. In trogocytosis, one cell seems to take little “bites” from another cell resulting in multiple outcomes from these cell-cell interactions. Trogocytosis was first described in protozoan parasites, which by taking pieces of host cells, kill them and cause tissue damage. Now, it is known that this process is also performed by cells of the immune system with important consequences such as cell communication and activation, elimination of microbial pathogens, and even control of cancer cells. More recently, trogocytosis has also been reported to occur in cells of the central nervous system and in various cells during development. Some of the molecules involved in phagocytosis also participate in trogocytosis. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate trogocytosis are still a mystery. Elucidating these mechanisms is becoming a research area of much interest. For example, why neutrophils can engage trogocytosis to kill Trichomonas vaginalis parasites, but neutrophils use phagocytosis to eliminate already death parasites? Thus, trogocytosis is a significant process in normal physiology that multiple cells from different organisms use in various scenarios of health and disease. In this review, we present the basic principles known on the process of trogocytosis and discuss the importance in this process to host-pathogen interactions and to normal functions in the immune and nervous systems.
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14
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Pulgar E, Schwayer C, Guerrero N, López L, Márquez S, Härtel S, Soto R, Heisenberg CP, Concha ML. Apical contacts stemming from incomplete delamination guide progenitor cell allocation through a dragging mechanism. eLife 2021; 10:66483. [PMID: 34448451 PMCID: PMC8460252 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The developmental strategies used by progenitor cells to allow a safe journey from their induction place towards the site of terminal differentiation are still poorly understood. Here, we uncovered a mechanism of progenitor cell allocation that stems from an incomplete process of epithelial delamination that allows progenitors to coordinate their movement with adjacent extra-embryonic tissues. Progenitors of the zebrafish laterality organ originate from the superficial epithelial enveloping layer by an apical constriction process of cell delamination. During this process, progenitors retain long-lasting apical contacts that enable the epithelial layer to pull a subset of progenitors on their way to the vegetal pole. The remaining delaminated cells follow the movement of apically attached progenitors by a protrusion-dependent cell-cell contact mechanism, avoiding sequestration by the adjacent endoderm, ensuring their collective fate and allocation at the site of differentiation. Thus, we reveal that incomplete delamination serves as a cellular platform for coordinated tissue movements during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Pulgar
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cornelia Schwayer
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Néstor Guerrero
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Santiago, Chile
| | - Loreto López
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Santiago, Chile
| | - Susana Márquez
- Physics Department, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Steffen Härtel
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Santiago, Chile.,National Center for Health Information Systems, CENS, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Soto
- Physics Department, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Miguel L Concha
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Santiago, Chile.,Center for Geroscience, Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile
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15
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Belew MD, Chien E, Wong M, Michael WM. A global chromatin compaction pathway that represses germline gene expression during starvation. J Cell Biol 2021; 220:212349. [PMID: 34128967 PMCID: PMC8210574 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202009197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
While much is known about how transcription is controlled at individual genes, comparatively little is known about how cells regulate gene expression on a genome-wide level. Here, we identify a molecular pathway in the C. elegans germline that controls transcription globally in response to nutritional stress. We report that when embryos hatch into L1 larvae, they sense the nutritional status of their environment, and if food is unavailable, they repress gene expression via a global chromatin compaction (GCC) pathway. GCC is triggered by the energy-sensing kinase AMPK and is mediated by a novel mechanism that involves the topoisomerase II/condensin II axis acting upstream of heterochromatin assembly. When the GCC pathway is inactivated, then transcription persists during starvation. These results define a new mode of whole-genome control of transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mezmur D Belew
- Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Emilie Chien
- Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Matthew Wong
- Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - W Matthew Michael
- Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
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16
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Mohd-Shaharuddin N, Lim YAL, Ngui R, Nathan S. Expression of Ascaris lumbricoides putative virulence-associated genes when infecting a human host. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:176. [PMID: 33757548 PMCID: PMC7985925 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04680-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ascaris lumbricoides is the most common causative agent of soil-transmitted helminth infections worldwide, with an estimated 450 million people infected with this nematode globally. It is suggested that helminths are capable of evading and manipulating the host immune system through the release of a spectrum of worm proteins which underpins their long-term survival in the host. We hypothesise that the worm overexpresses these proteins when infecting adults compared to children to cirvumvent the more robust defence mechanisms of adults. However, little is known about the parasite's genes and encoded proteins involved during A. lumbricoides infection. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the expression profile of putative virulence-associated genes during an active infection of adults and children. METHODS In this study, quantitative PCR was performed to evaluate the expression profile of putative virulence-associated genes in A. lumbricoides isolated from infected children and adults. The study was initiated by collecting adult worms expelled from adults and children following anthelminthic treatment. High-quality RNA was successfully extracted from each of six adult worms expelled by three adults and three children, respectively. Eleven putative homologues of helminth virulence-associated genes reported in previous studies were selected, primers were designed and specific amplicons of A. lumbricoides genes were noted. The expression profiles of these putative virulence-associated genes in A. lumbricoides from infected adults were compared to those in A. lumbricoides from infected children. RESULTS The putative virulence-associated genes VENOM, CADHERIN and PEBP were significantly upregulated at 166-fold, 13-fold and fivefold, respectively, in adults compared to children. Conversely, the transcription of ABA-1 (fourfold), CATH-L (threefold) and INTEGRIN (twofold) was significantly suppressed in A. lumbricoides from infected adults. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of the expression profile of the putative virulence-associated genes, we propose that the encoded proteins have potential roles in evasion mechanisms, which could guide the development of therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yvonne Ai Lian Lim
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Romano Ngui
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Sheila Nathan
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
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17
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Xiong R, Sugioka K. Improved 3D cellular morphometry of Caenorhabditis elegans embryos using a refractive index matching medium. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0238955. [PMID: 32997668 PMCID: PMC7526913 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell shape change is one of the driving forces of animal morphogenesis, and the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans has played a significant role in analyzing the underlying mechanisms involved. The analysis of cell shape change requires quantification of cellular shape descriptors, a method known as cellular morphometry. However, standard C. elegans live imaging methods limit the capability of cellular morphometry in 3D, as spherical aberrations generated by samples and the surrounding medium misalign optical paths. Here, we report a 3D live imaging method for C. elegans embryos that minimized spherical aberrations caused by refractive index (RI) mismatch. We determined the composition of a refractive index matching medium (RIMM) for C. elegans live imaging. The 3D live imaging with the RIMM resulted in a higher signal intensity in the deeper cell layers. We also found that the obtained images improved the 3D cell segmentation quality. Furthermore, our 3D cellular morphometry and 2D cell shape simulation indicated that the germ cell precursor P4 had exceptionally high cortical tension. Our results demonstrate that the RIMM is a cost-effective solution to improve the 3D cellular morphometry of C. elegans. The application of this method should facilitate understanding of C. elegans morphogenesis from the perspective of cell shape changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rain Xiong
- Life Sciences Institute, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kenji Sugioka
- Life Sciences Institute, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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18
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Maniscalco C, Hall AE, Nance J. An interphase contractile ring reshapes primordial germ cells to allow bulk cytoplasmic remodeling. J Cell Biol 2020; 219:132628. [PMID: 31819975 PMCID: PMC7041695 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201906185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Some cells discard undesired inherited components in bulk by forming large compartments that are subsequently eliminated. Caenorhabditis elegans primordial germ cells (PGCs) jettison mitochondria and cytoplasm by forming a large lobe that is cannibalized by intestinal cells. Although PGCs are nonmitotic, we find that lobe formation is driven by constriction of a contractile ring and requires the RhoGEF ECT-2, a RhoA activator also essential for cytokinesis. Whereas centralspindlin activates ECT-2 to promote cytokinetic contractile ring formation, we show that the ECT-2 regulator NOP-1, but not centralspindlin, is essential for PGC lobe formation. We propose that lobe contractile ring formation is locally inhibited by the PGC nucleus, which migrates to one side of the cell before the cytokinetic ring assembles on the opposite cortex. Our findings reveal how components of the cytokinetic contractile ring are reemployed during interphase to create compartments used for cellular remodeling, and they reveal differences in the spatial cues that dictate where the contractile ring will form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea Maniscalco
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Allison E Hall
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Jeremy Nance
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY.,Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
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19
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Gordon KL, Zussman JW, Li X, Miller C, Sherwood DR. Stem cell niche exit in C. elegans via orientation and segregation of daughter cells by a cryptic cell outside the niche. eLife 2020; 9:e56383. [PMID: 32692313 PMCID: PMC7467730 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem cells reside in and rely upon their niche to maintain stemness but must balance self-renewal with the production of daughters that leave the niche to differentiate. We discovered a mechanism of stem cell niche exit in the canonical C. elegans distal tip cell (DTC) germ stem cell niche mediated by previously unobserved, thin, membranous protrusions of the adjacent somatic gonad cell pair (Sh1). A disproportionate number of germ cell divisions were observed at the DTC-Sh1 interface. Stem-like and differentiating cell fates segregated across this boundary. Spindles polarized, pairs of daughter cells oriented between the DTC and Sh1, and Sh1 grew over the Sh1-facing daughter. Impeding Sh1 growth by RNAi to cofilin and Arp2/3 perturbed the DTC-Sh1 interface, reduced germ cell proliferation, and shifted a differentiation marker. Because Sh1 membrane protrusions eluded detection for decades, it is possible that similar structures actively regulate niche exit in other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kacy L Gordon
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillUnited States
| | - Jay W Zussman
- Department of Biology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillUnited States
| | - Camille Miller
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillUnited States
| | - David R Sherwood
- Department of Biology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Regeneration Next, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
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20
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Abstract
Trogocytosis is part of an emerging, exciting theme of cell-cell interactions both within and between species, and it is relevant to host-pathogen interactions in many different contexts. Trogocytosis is a process in which one cell physically extracts and ingests "bites" of cellular material from another cell. It was first described in eukaryotic microbes, where it was uncovered as a mechanism by which amoebae kill cells. Trogocytosis is potentially a fundamental form of eukaryotic cell-cell interaction, since it also occurs in multicellular organisms, where it has functions in the immune system, in the central nervous system, and during development. There are numerous scenarios in which trogocytosis occurs and an ever-evolving list of functions associated with this process. Many aspects of trogocytosis are relevant to microbial pathogenesis. It was recently discovered that immune cells perform trogocytosis to kill Trichomonas vaginalis parasites. Additionally, through trogocytosis, Entamoeba histolytica acquires and displays human cell membrane proteins, enabling immune evasion. Intracellular bacteria seem to exploit host cell trogocytosis, since they can use it to spread from cell to cell. Thus, a picture is emerging in which trogocytosis plays critical roles in normal physiology, infection, and disease.
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21
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Goldstein B, Nance J. Caenorhabditis elegans Gastrulation: A Model for Understanding How Cells Polarize, Change Shape, and Journey Toward the Center of an Embryo. Genetics 2020; 214:265-277. [PMID: 32029580 PMCID: PMC7017025 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.300240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastrulation is fundamental to the development of multicellular animals. Along with neurulation, gastrulation is one of the major processes of morphogenesis in which cells or whole tissues move from the surface of an embryo to its interior. Cell internalization mechanisms that have been discovered to date in Caenorhabditis elegans gastrulation bear some similarity to internalization mechanisms of other systems including Drosophila, Xenopus, and mouse, suggesting that ancient and conserved mechanisms internalize cells in diverse organisms. C. elegans gastrulation occurs at an early stage, beginning when the embryo is composed of just 26 cells, suggesting some promise for connecting the rich array of developmental mechanisms that establish polarity and pattern in embryos to the force-producing mechanisms that change cell shapes and move cells interiorly. Here, we review our current understanding of C. elegans gastrulation mechanisms. We address how cells determine which direction is the interior and polarize with respect to that direction, how cells change shape by apical constriction and internalize, and how the embryo specifies which cells will internalize and when. We summarize future prospects for using this system to discover some of the general principles by which animal cells change shape and internalize during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Goldstein
- Department of Biology and
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599 and
| | - Jeremy Nance
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and
- Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York 10016
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22
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Niche Cell Wrapping Ensures Primordial Germ Cell Quiescence and Protection from Intercellular Cannibalism. Curr Biol 2020; 30:708-714.e4. [PMID: 32008902 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Niche cells often wrap membrane extensions around stem cell surfaces. Niche wrapping has been proposed to retain stem cells in defined positions and affect signaling [e.g., 1, 2]. To test these hypotheses and uncover additional functions of wrapping, we investigated niche wrapping of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the C. elegans embryonic gonad primordium. The gonad primordium contains two PGCs that are wrapped individually by two somatic gonad precursor cells (SGPs). SGPs are known to promote PGC survival during embryogenesis and exit from quiescence after hatching, although how they do so is unknown [3]. Here, we identify two distinct functions of SGP wrapping that are critical for PGC quiescence and survival. First, niche cell wrapping templates a laminin-based basement membrane around the gonad primordium. Laminin and the basement membrane receptor dystroglycan function to maintain niche cell wrapping, which is critical for normal gonad development. We find that laminin also preserves PGC quiescence during embryogenesis. Exit from quiescence following laminin depletion requires glp-1/Notch and is accompanied by inappropriate activation of the GLP-1 target sygl-1 in PGCs. Independent of basement membrane, SGP wrapping performs a second, crucial function to ensure PGC survival. Endodermal cells normally engulf and degrade large lobes extended by the PGCs [4]. When SGPs are absent, we show that endodermal cells can inappropriately engulf and cannibalize the PGC cell body. Our findings demonstrate how niche cell wrapping protects germ cells by manipulating their signaling environment and by shielding germ cells from unwanted cellular interactions that can compromise their survival.
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23
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Nance J, Frøkjær-Jensen C. The Caenorhabditis elegans Transgenic Toolbox. Genetics 2019; 212:959-990. [PMID: 31405997 PMCID: PMC6707460 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.301506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The power of any genetic model organism is derived, in part, from the ease with which gene expression can be manipulated. The short generation time and invariant developmental lineage have made Caenorhabditis elegans very useful for understanding, e.g., developmental programs, basic cell biology, neurobiology, and aging. Over the last decade, the C. elegans transgenic toolbox has expanded considerably, with the addition of a variety of methods to control expression and modify genes with unprecedented resolution. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of transgenic methods in C. elegans, with an emphasis on recent advances in transposon-mediated transgenesis, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, conditional gene and protein inactivation, and bipartite systems for temporal and spatial control of expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Nance
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York 10016
| | - Christian Frøkjær-Jensen
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE), KAUST Environmental Epigenetics Program (KEEP), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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24
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Nowotschin S, Hadjantonakis AK, Campbell K. The endoderm: a divergent cell lineage with many commonalities. Development 2019; 146:146/11/dev150920. [PMID: 31160415 PMCID: PMC6589075 DOI: 10.1242/dev.150920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The endoderm is a progenitor tissue that, in humans, gives rise to the majority of internal organs. Over the past few decades, genetic studies have identified many of the upstream signals specifying endoderm identity in different model systems, revealing them to be divergent from invertebrates to vertebrates. However, more recent studies of the cell behaviours driving endodermal morphogenesis have revealed a surprising number of shared features, including cells undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs), collective cell migration, and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transitions (METs). In this Review, we highlight how cross-organismal studies of endoderm morphogenesis provide a useful perspective that can move our understanding of this fascinating tissue forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Nowotschin
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kyra Campbell
- Bateson Centre, Firth Court, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK .,Department of Biomedical Science, Firth Court, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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25
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Gordon KL, Payne SG, Linden-High LM, Pani AM, Goldstein B, Hubbard EJA, Sherwood DR. Ectopic Germ Cells Can Induce Niche-like Enwrapment by Neighboring Body Wall Muscle. Curr Biol 2019; 29:823-833.e5. [PMID: 30799241 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Niche cell enwrapment of stem cells and their differentiating progeny is common and provides a specialized signaling and protective environment. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying enwrapment behavior has important basic and clinical significance in not only understanding how niches are formed and maintained but also how they can be engineered and how they are misregulated in human pathologies, such as cancer. Previous work in C. elegans found that, when germ cells, which are enwrapped by somatic gonadal niche cells, are freed into the body cavity, they embed into other tissues. We investigated this phenomenon using live-cell imaging and discovered that ectopic germ cells preferentially induce body-wall muscle to extend cellular processes that enwrap the germ cells, the extent of which was strikingly similar to the distal tip cell (DTC)-germ stem cell niche. Enwrapment was specific for escaped germ cells, and genetic analysis revealed it did not depend on pathways that control cell death and engulfment or muscle arm extension. Instead, using a large-scale RNAi screen and GFP knockin strains, we discovered that the enwrapping behavior of muscle relied upon the same suite of cell-cell adhesion molecules that functioned in the endogenous niche: the C. elegans E-cadherin HMR-1, its intracellular associates α-catenin (HMP-1) and β-catenin (HMP-2), and the L1CAM protein SAX-7. This ectopic niche-like behavior resembles the seed-and-soil model of cancer metastasis and offers a new model to understand factors regulating ectopic niche formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kacy L Gordon
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Sara G Payne
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | - Ariel M Pani
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Bob Goldstein
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - E Jane Albert Hubbard
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Departments of Cell Biology and Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - David R Sherwood
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Regeneration Next, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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26
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Non-junctional E-Cadherin Clusters Regulate the Actomyosin Cortex in the C. elegans Zygote. Curr Biol 2017; 27:103-112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2016] [Revised: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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27
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Krishna S, Overholtzer M. Germ Cells Get by with a Little Cannibalistic Help from Their Friends. Dev Cell 2016; 39:631-633. [PMID: 27997820 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
During development, primordial germ cells (PGCs) navigate a complex journey to generate the germline. In a recent paper in Nature Cell Biology, Nance and colleagues (Abdu et al., 2016) have discovered an unexpected step along the way: PGCs get cut in half by endodermal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shefali Krishna
- Cell Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Michael Overholtzer
- Cell Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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28
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Developmentally programmed germ cell remodelling by endodermal cell cannibalism. Nat Cell Biol 2016; 18:1302-1310. [PMID: 27842058 PMCID: PMC5129868 DOI: 10.1038/ncb3439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) in many species associate intimately with endodermal cells, but the significance of such interactions is largely unexplored. Here, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans PGCs form lobes that are removed and digested by endodermal cells, dramatically altering PGC size and mitochondrial content. We demonstrate that endodermal cells do not scavenge lobes PGCs shed, but rather, actively remove lobes from the cell body. CED-10 (Rac)-induced actin, DYN-1 (dynamin) and LST-4 (SNX9) transiently surround lobe necks and are required within endodermal cells for lobe scission, suggesting that scission occurs through a mechanism resembling vesicle endocytosis. These findings reveal an unexpected role for endoderm in altering the contents of embryonic PGCs, and define a form of developmentally programmed cell remodelling involving intercellular cannibalism. Active roles for engulfing cells have been proposed in several neuronal remodelling events, suggesting that intercellular cannibalism may be a more widespread method used to shape cells than previously thought.
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29
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Izaguirre MF, Casco VH. E-cadherin roles in animal biology: A perspective on thyroid hormone-influence. Cell Commun Signal 2016; 14:27. [PMID: 27814736 PMCID: PMC5097364 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-016-0150-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The establishment, remodeling and maintenance of tissular architecture during animal development, and even across juvenile to adult life, are deeply regulated by a delicate interplay of extracellular signals, cell membrane receptors and intracellular signal messengers. It is well known that cell adhesion molecules (cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix) play a critical role in these processes. Particularly, adherens junctions (AJs) mediated by E-cadherin and catenins determine cell-cell contact survival and epithelia function. Consequently, this review seeks to encompass the complex and prolific knowledge about E-cadherin roles during physiological and pathological states, particularly focusing on the influence exerted by the thyroid hormone (TH).
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Affiliation(s)
- María Fernanda Izaguirre
- Laboratorio de Microscopia Aplicada a Estudios Moleculares y Celulares, Facultad de Ingeniería (Bioingeniería-Bioinformática), Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, Ruta 11, Km 10, Oro Verde, Entre Ríos, Argentina
| | - Victor Hugo Casco
- Laboratorio de Microscopia Aplicada a Estudios Moleculares y Celulares, Facultad de Ingeniería (Bioingeniería-Bioinformática), Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, Ruta 11, Km 10, Oro Verde, Entre Ríos, Argentina.
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30
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Marston DJ, Higgins CD, Peters KA, Cupp TD, Dickinson DJ, Pani AM, Moore RP, Cox AH, Kiehart DP, Goldstein B. MRCK-1 Drives Apical Constriction in C. elegans by Linking Developmental Patterning to Force Generation. Curr Biol 2016; 26:2079-89. [PMID: 27451898 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Apical constriction is a change in cell shape that drives key morphogenetic events including gastrulation and neural tube formation. Apical force-producing actomyosin networks drive apical constriction by contracting while connected to cell-cell junctions. The mechanisms by which developmental patterning regulates these actomyosin networks and associated junctions with spatial precision are not fully understood. Here we identify a myosin light-chain kinase MRCK-1 as a key regulator of C. elegans gastrulation that integrates spatial and developmental patterning information. We show that MRCK-1 is required for activation of contractile actomyosin dynamics and elevated cortical tension in the apical cell cortex of endoderm precursor cells. MRCK-1 is apically localized by active Cdc42 at the external, cell-cell contact-free surfaces of apically constricting cells, downstream of cell fate determination mechanisms. We establish that the junctional components α-catenin, β-catenin, and cadherin become highly enriched at the apical junctions of apically constricting cells and that MRCK-1 and myosin activity are required in vivo for this enrichment. Taken together, our results define mechanisms that position a myosin activator to a specific cell surface where it both locally increases cortical tension and locally enriches junctional components to facilitate apical constriction. These results reveal crucial links that can tie spatial information to local force generation to drive morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Marston
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
| | - Christopher D Higgins
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kimberly A Peters
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Timothy D Cupp
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Daniel J Dickinson
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Ariel M Pani
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Regan P Moore
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Amanda H Cox
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | - Bob Goldstein
- Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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Asan A, Raiders SA, Priess JR. Morphogenesis of the C. elegans Intestine Involves Axon Guidance Genes. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1005950. [PMID: 27035721 PMCID: PMC4817974 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic and molecular studies have provided considerable insight into how various tissue progenitors are specified in early embryogenesis, but much less is known about how those progenitors create three-dimensional tissues and organs. The C. elegans intestine provides a simple system for studying how a single progenitor, the E blastomere, builds an epithelial tube of 20 cells. As the E descendants divide, they form a primordium that transitions between different shapes over time. We used cell contours, traced from confocal optical z-stacks, to build a 3D graphic reconstruction of intestine development. The reconstruction revealed several new aspects of morphogenesis that extend and clarify previous observations. The first 8 E descendants form a plane of four right cells and four left cells; the plane arises through oriented cell divisions and VANG-1/Van Gogh-dependent repositioning of any non-planar cells. LIN-12/Notch signaling affects the left cells in the E8 primordium, and initiates later asymmetry in cell packing. The next few stages involve cell repositioning and intercalation events that shuttle cells to their final positions, like shifting blocks in a Rubik’s cube. Repositioning involves breaking and replacing specific adhesive contacts, and some of these events involve EFN-4/Ephrin, MAB-20/semaphorin-2a, and SAX-3/Robo. Once cells in the primordium align along a common axis and in the correct order, cells at the anterior end rotate clockwise around the axis of the intestine. The anterior rotation appears to align segments of the developing lumen into a continuous structure, and requires the secreted ligand UNC-6/netrin, the receptor UNC-40/DCC, and an interacting protein called MADD-2. Previous studies showed that rotation requires a second round of LIN-12/Notch signaling in cells on the right side of the primordium, and we show that MADD-2-GFP appears to be downregulated in those cells. This report uses the intestine of the nematode C. elegans as a model system to address how progenitor cells form a three-dimensional organ. The fully formed intestine is a cylindrical tube of only 20 epithelial cells, and all of these cells are descendants of a single cell, the E blastomere. The E descendants form a primordium that changes shape over time as different E descendants divide and move. Cells in the primordium must continually adhere to each other during these movements to maintain the integrity of the primordium. Here, we generated a 3D graphic reconstruction of the developing intestine in order to analyze these events. We found that the cell movements are highly reproducible, suggesting that they are programmed by asymmetric gene expression in the primordium. In particular, we found that the conserved receptor LIN-12/Notch appears to modulate left-right adhesion in the primordium, leading to the asymmetric packing of cells. One of the most remarkable events in intestinal morphogenesis is the circumferential rotation of a subset of cells. We found that rotation appears to have a role in aligning the developing lumen of the intestine, and involves a conserved, UNC-6/netrin signaling pathway that is best known for its roles in the guided growth of neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alparsan Asan
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Stephan A. Raiders
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - James R. Priess
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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32
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Powell K. Jeremy Nance: Charting gastrulation's gyrations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 212:128-9. [PMID: 26783297 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.2122pi] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Nance surveys the cell movements that orchestrate early embryogenesis.
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Atwell K, Qin Z, Gavaghan D, Kugler H, Hubbard EJA, Osborne JM. Mechano-logical model of C. elegans germ line suggests feedback on the cell cycle. Development 2015; 142:3902-11. [PMID: 26428008 PMCID: PMC4712881 DOI: 10.1242/dev.126359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans germ line is an outstanding model system in which to study the control of cell division and differentiation. Although many of the molecules that regulate germ cell proliferation and fate decisions have been identified, how these signals interact with cellular dynamics and physical forces within the gonad remains poorly understood. We therefore developed a dynamic, 3D in silico model of the C. elegans germ line, incorporating both the mechanical interactions between cells and the decision-making processes within cells. Our model successfully reproduces key features of the germ line during development and adulthood, including a reasonable ovulation rate, correct sperm count, and appropriate organization of the germ line into stably maintained zones. The model highlights a previously overlooked way in which germ cell pressure may influence gonadogenesis, and also predicts that adult germ cells might be subject to mechanical feedback on the cell cycle akin to contact inhibition. We provide experimental data consistent with the latter hypothesis. Finally, we present cell trajectories and ancestry recorded over the course of a simulation. The novel approaches and software described here link mechanics and cellular decision-making, and are applicable to modeling other developmental and stem cell systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Atwell
- Computational Biology Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QD, UK Biological Computation Group, Computational Science Laboratory, Microsoft Research Cambridge, Cambridge CB1 2FB, UK
| | - Zhao Qin
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology and Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - David Gavaghan
- Computational Biology Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QD, UK
| | - Hillel Kugler
- Biological Computation Group, Computational Science Laboratory, Microsoft Research Cambridge, Cambridge CB1 2FB, UK Faculty of Engineering, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - E Jane Albert Hubbard
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology and Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - James M Osborne
- Computational Biology Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QD, UK Biological Computation Group, Computational Science Laboratory, Microsoft Research Cambridge, Cambridge CB1 2FB, UK School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
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Tsur A, Bening Abu-Shach U, Broday L. ULP-2 SUMO Protease Regulates E-Cadherin Recruitment to Adherens Junctions. Dev Cell 2015; 35:63-77. [PMID: 26412237 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2015.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Revised: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Adherens junctions (AJs) are membrane-anchored structures composed of E-cadherin and associated proteins, including catenins and actin. The unique plasticity of AJs mediates both the rigidity and flexibility of cell-cell contacts essential for embryonic morphogenesis and adult tissue remodeling. We identified the SUMO protease ULP-2 as a regulator of AJ assembly and show that dysregulated ULP-2 activity impairs epidermal morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. The conserved cytoplasmic tail of HMR-1/E-cadherin is sumoylated and is a target of ULP-2 desumoylation activity. Coupled sumoylation and desumoylation of HMR-1 are required for its recruitment to the subapical membrane during AJ assembly and the formation of the linkages between AJs and the apical actin cytoskeleton. Sumoylation weakens HMR-1 binding to HMP-2/β-catenin. Our study provides a mechanistic link between the dynamic nature of the SUMO machinery and AJ plasticity and highlight sumoylation as a molecular switch that modulates the binding of E-cadherin to the actin cytoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Tsur
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Ulrike Bening Abu-Shach
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Limor Broday
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
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35
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Klompstra D, Anderson DC, Yeh JY, Zilberman Y, Nance J. An instructive role for C. elegans E-cadherin in translating cell contact cues into cortical polarity. Nat Cell Biol 2015; 17:726-35. [PMID: 25938815 PMCID: PMC4449804 DOI: 10.1038/ncb3168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cell contacts provide spatial cues that polarize early embryos and epithelial cells. The homophilic adhesion protein E-cadherin is required for contact-induced polarity in many cells. However, it is debated whether E-cadherin functions instructively as a spatial cue, or permissively by ensuring adequate adhesion so that cells can sense other contact signals. In Caenorhabditis elegans, contacts polarize early embryonic cells by recruiting the RhoGAP PAC-1 to the adjacent cortex, inducing PAR protein asymmetry. Here we show that the E-cadherin HMR-1, which is dispensable for adhesion, functions together with the α-catenin HMP-1, the p120 catenin JAC-1, and the previously uncharacterized linker PICC-1 (human CCDC85A-C) to bind PAC-1 and recruit it to contacts. Mislocalizing the HMR-1 intracellular domain to contact-free surfaces draws PAC-1 to these sites and depolarizes cells, demonstrating an instructive role for HMR-1 in polarization. Our findings identify an E-cadherin-mediated pathway that translates cell contacts into cortical polarity by directly recruiting a symmetry-breaking factor to the adjacent cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Klompstra
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Dorian C. Anderson
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Justin Y. Yeh
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Yuliya Zilberman
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jeremy Nance
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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Armenti ST, Lohmer LL, Sherwood DR, Nance J. Repurposing an endogenous degradation system for rapid and targeted depletion of C. elegans proteins. Development 2014; 141:4640-7. [PMID: 25377555 DOI: 10.1242/dev.115048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The capability to conditionally inactivate gene function is essential for understanding the molecular basis of development. In gene and mRNA targeting approaches, protein products can perdure, complicating genetic analysis. Current methods for selective protein degradation require drug treatment or take hours for protein removal, limiting their utility in studying rapid developmental processes in vivo. Here, we repurpose an endogenous protein degradation system to rapidly remove targeted C. elegans proteins. We show that upon expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligase substrate-recognition subunit ZIF-1, proteins tagged with the ZF1 zinc-finger domain can be quickly degraded in all somatic cell types examined with temporal and spatial control. We demonstrate that genes can be engineered to become conditional loss-of-function alleles by introducing sequences encoding the ZF1 tag into endogenous loci. Finally, we use ZF1 tagging to establish the site of cdc-42 gene function during a cell invasion event. ZF1 tagging provides a powerful new tool for the analysis of dynamic developmental events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen T Armenti
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Lauren L Lohmer
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - David R Sherwood
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Jeremy Nance
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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37
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Werner ME, Mitchell JW, Putzbach W, Bacon E, Kim SK, Mitchell BJ. Radial intercalation is regulated by the Par complex and the microtubule-stabilizing protein CLAMP/Spef1. J Cell Biol 2014; 206:367-76. [PMID: 25070955 PMCID: PMC4121976 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201312045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The directed movement of cells is critical for numerous developmental and disease processes. A developmentally reiterated form of migration is radial intercalation; the process by which cells move in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the tissue from an inner layer to an outer layer. We use the radial intercalation of cells into the skin of Xenopus laevis embryos as a model to study directed cell migration within an epithelial tissue. We identify a novel function for both the microtubule-binding protein CLAMP and members of the microtubule-regulating Par complex during intercalation. Specifically, we show that Par3 and aPKC promote the apical positioning of centrioles, whereas CLAMP stabilizes microtubules along the axis of migration. We propose a model in which the Par complex defines the orientation of apical migration during intercalation and in which subcellular localization of CLAMP promotes the establishment of an axis of microtubule stability required for the active migration of cells into the outer epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Werner
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611
| | - Jennifer W Mitchell
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611
| | - William Putzbach
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611
| | - Elizabeth Bacon
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611
| | - Sun K Kim
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611
| | - Brian J Mitchell
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611
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38
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Martin AC, Goldstein B. Apical constriction: themes and variations on a cellular mechanism driving morphogenesis. Development 2014; 141:1987-98. [PMID: 24803648 DOI: 10.1242/dev.102228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 344] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Apical constriction is a cell shape change that promotes tissue remodeling in a variety of homeostatic and developmental contexts, including gastrulation in many organisms and neural tube formation in vertebrates. In recent years, progress has been made towards understanding how the distinct cell biological processes that together drive apical constriction are coordinated. These processes include the contraction of actin-myosin networks, which generates force, and the attachment of actin networks to cell-cell junctions, which allows forces to be transmitted between cells. Different cell types regulate contractility and adhesion in unique ways, resulting in apical constriction with varying dynamics and subcellular organizations, as well as a variety of resulting tissue shape changes. Understanding both the common themes and the variations in apical constriction mechanisms promises to provide insight into the mechanics that underlie tissue morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C Martin
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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39
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Abstract
Cell migration is a fundamental process that occurs during embryo development. Classic studies using in vitro culture systems have been instrumental in dissecting the principles of cell motility and highlighting how cells make use of topographical features of the substrate, cell-cell contacts, and chemical and physical environmental signals to direct their locomotion. Here, we review the guidance principles of in vitro cell locomotion and examine how they control directed cell migration in vivo during development. We focus on developmental examples in which individual guidance mechanisms have been clearly dissected, and for which the interactions among guidance cues have been explored. We also discuss how the migratory behaviours elicited by guidance mechanisms generate the stereotypical patterns of migration that shape tissues in the developing embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Germán Reig
- Anatomy and Developmental Biology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Independencia 1027, Santiago 8380453, Chile
| | - Eduardo Pulgar
- Anatomy and Developmental Biology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Independencia 1027, Santiago 8380453, Chile
| | - Miguel L. Concha
- Anatomy and Developmental Biology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Independencia 1027, Santiago 8380453, Chile
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40
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Fresques T, Zazueta-Novoa V, Reich A, Wessel GM. Selective accumulation of germ-line associated gene products in early development of the sea star and distinct differences from germ-line development in the sea urchin. Dev Dyn 2014; 243:568-87. [PMID: 24038550 PMCID: PMC3996927 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2013] [Revised: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Echinodermata is a diverse phylum, a sister group to chordates, and contains diverse organisms that may be useful to understand varied mechanisms of germ-line specification. RESULTS We tested 23 genes in development of the sea star Patiria miniata that fall into five categories: (1) Conserved germ-line factors; (2) Genes involved in the inductive mechanism of germ-line specification; (3) Germ-line associated genes; (4) Molecules involved in left-right asymmetry; and (5) Genes involved in regulation and maintenance of the genome during early embryogenesis. Overall, our results support the contention that the posterior enterocoel is a source of the germ line in the sea star P. miniata. CONCLUSIONS The germ line in this organism appears to be specified late in embryogenesis, and in a pattern more consistent with inductive interactions amongst cells. This is distinct from the mechanism seen in sea urchins, a close relative of the sea star clad. We propose that P. miniata may serve as a valuable model to study inductive mechanisms of germ-cell specification and when compared with germ-line formation in the sea urchin S. purpuratus may reveal developmental transitions that occur in the evolution of inherited and inductive mechanisms of germ-line specification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Adrian Reich
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence RI 02912 USA
| | - Gary M. Wessel
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence RI 02912 USA
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41
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Abstract
Cadherins are transmembrane proteins that mediate cell-cell adhesion in animals. By regulating contact formation and stability, cadherins play a crucial role in tissue morphogenesis and homeostasis. Here, we review the three major functions of cadherins in cell-cell contact formation and stability. Two of those functions lead to a decrease in interfacial tension at the forming cell-cell contact, thereby promoting contact expansion--first, by providing adhesion tension that lowers interfacial tension at the cell-cell contact, and second, by signaling to the actomyosin cytoskeleton in order to reduce cortex tension and thus interfacial tension at the contact. The third function of cadherins in cell-cell contact formation is to stabilize the contact by resisting mechanical forces that pull on the contact.
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42
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Rohrschneider MR, Nance J. The union of somatic gonad precursors and primordial germ cells during Caenorhabditis elegans embryogenesis. Dev Biol 2013; 379:139-51. [PMID: 23562590 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2012] [Revised: 03/12/2013] [Accepted: 03/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Somatic gonadal niche cells control the survival, differentiation, and proliferation of germline stem cells. The establishment of this niche-stem cell relationship is critical, and yet the precursors to these two cell types are often born at a distance from one another. The simple Caenorhabditis elegans gonadal primordium, which contains two somatic gonad precursors (SGPs) and two primordial germ cells (PGCs), provides an accessible model for determining how stem cell and niche cell precursors first assemble during development. To visualize the morphogenetic events that lead to formation of the gonadal primordium, we generated transgenic strains to label the cell membranes of the SGPs and PGCs and captured time-lapse movies as the gonadal primordium formed. We identify three distinct phases of SGP behavior: posterior migration along the endoderm towards the PGCs, extension of a single long projection around the adjacent PGC, and a dramatic wrapping over the PGC surfaces. We show that the endoderm and PGCs are dispensable for SGP posterior migration and initiation of projections. However, both tissues are required for the final positioning of the SGPs and the morphology of their projections, and PGCs are absolutely required for SGP wrapping behaviors. Finally, we demonstrate that the basement membrane component laminin, which localizes adjacent to the developing gonadal primordium, is required to prevent the SGPs from over-extending past the PGCs. Our findings provide a foundation for understanding the cellular and molecular regulation of the establishment of a niche-stem cell relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica R Rohrschneider
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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43
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Cadherins and their partners in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2013; 116:239-62. [PMID: 23481198 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-394311-8.00011-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The extreme simplicity of Caenorhabditis elegans makes it an ideal system to study the basic principles of cadherin function at the level of single cells within the physiologically relevant context of a developing animal. The genetic tractability of C. elegans also means that components of cadherin complexes can be identified through genetic modifier screens, allowing a comprehensive in vivo characterization of the macromolecular assemblies involved in cadherin function during tissue formation and maintenance in C. elegans. This work shows that a single cadherin system, the classical cadherin-catenin complex, is essential for diverse morphogenetic events during embryogenesis through its interactions with a range of mostly conserved proteins that act to modulate its function. The role of other members of the cadherin family in C. elegans, including members of the Fat-like, Flamingo/CELSR and calsyntenin families is less well characterized, but they have clear roles in neuronal development and function.
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44
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Harikae K, Miura K, Kanai Y. Early gonadogenesis in mammals: significance of long and narrow gonadal structure. Dev Dyn 2012; 242:330-8. [PMID: 22987627 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.23872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In mammalian embryogenesis, the gonadal primordium arises from the thickening of the coelomic epithelium, which results in a pair of extremely long and narrow gonadal structures along the anteroposterior axis. These gonadal structures are conserved in various mammalian species, suggesting a great advantage in properly receiving migrating primordial germ cells (PGCs) that are widely scattered throughout the hindgut tube. Soon after the PGCs settle, the bipotential gonads undergo sex determination into testes or ovaries by the sex-determining gene, Sry, which is expressed in supporting cell precursors in a center-to-pole manner. Such a long, narrow gonadal structure bestows a considerable time lag on Sry expression between the center and pole regions, but testiculogenesis with cord formation and Leydig cell differentiation occurs synchronously throughout the whole organ. This synchronous testiculogenesis could be explained by a positive-feedback mechanism between SOX9 (another SRY-related transcription factor) and FGF9 downstream of Sry. FGF signals are likely secreted from the center region, rapidly diffuse into the poles, and then induce the establishment of SOX9 expression in Sertoli cells in the pole domains. This work focuses on recent knowledge of the molecular and cellular events of PGC migration, gonadogenesis, and testiculogenesis, and their biological significance in mammalian embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoko Harikae
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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45
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Loveless T, Hardin J. Cadherin complexity: recent insights into cadherin superfamily function in C. elegans. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2012; 24:695-701. [PMID: 22819515 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2012.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2012] [Revised: 06/06/2012] [Accepted: 06/28/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Cadherin superfamily proteins mediate cell-cell adhesion during development. The C. elegans embryo is a powerful system for analyzing how cadherins function in highly stereotyped morphogenetic events. In the embryo, the classical cadherin HMR-1 acts along with the Rac pathway and SAX-7/L1CAM during gastrulation. As adherens junctions mature, PAR complex proteins differentially regulate cadherin complex localization, and SRGP-1/Slit/Robo GAP aids adhesion by promoting membrane bending. Once adherens junctions form, actin is linked to the cell surface via HMP-1/α-catenin, whose actin binding activity is regulated in novel ways. FMI-1/Flamingo and CDH-4/Fat-like regulate axonal morphology of both pioneer and follower neurons. C. elegans thus continues to be useful for uncovering precise functions for cadherin superfamily proteins and their associates in a simple metazoan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Loveless
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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46
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Chihara D, Nance J. An E-cadherin-mediated hitchhiking mechanism for C. elegans germ cell internalization during gastrulation. J Cell Sci 2012. [DOI: 10.1242/jcs.116665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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