Aurora B functions at the apical surface after specialized cytokinesis during morphogenesis in C. elegans

α-catenin phosphorylation is elevated during mitosis to resist apical rounding and epithelial barrier leak

Epithelial cell cohesion and barrier function critically depend on α-catenin, an actin-binding protein and essential constituent of cadherin-catenin-based adherens junctions. α-catenin undergoes actomyosin force-dependent unfolding of both actin-binding and middle domains to strongly engage actin filaments and its various effectors; this mechanosensitivity is critical for adherens junction function. We previously showed that α-catenin is highly phosphorylated in an unstructured region that links the mechanosensitive middle and actin-binding domains (known as the P-linker region), but the cellular processes that promote α-catenin phosphorylation have remained elusive. Here, we leverage a previously published phospho-proteomic data set to show that the α-catenin P-linker region is maximally phosphorylated during mitosis. By reconstituting α-catenin CRISPR knockout MDCK cells with wild-type, phospho-mutant and phospho-mimic forms of α-catenin, we show that full phosphorylation restrains mitotic cell rounding in the apical direction, strengthening the interactions between dividing and non-dividing neighbors to limit epithelial barrier leak. As the major scaffold components of adherens junctions, tight junctions and desmosomes are also differentially phosphorylated during mitosis, we reason that epithelial cell division may be a tractable system to understand how junction complexes are coordinately regulated to sustain barrier function under tension-generating morphogenetic processes.

Kinesin-like motor protein KIF23 maintains neural stem and progenitor cell pools in the developing cortex

Accurate mitotic division of neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) is crucial for the coordinated generation of progenitors and mature neurons, which determines cortical size and structure. While mutations in the kinesin-like motor protein KIF23 gene have been recently linked to microcephaly in humans, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we explore the pivotal role of KIF23 in embryonic cortical development. We characterize the dynamic expression of KIF23 in the cortical NSPCs of mice, ferrets, and humans during embryonic neurogenesis. Knockdown of Kif23 in mice results in precocious neurogenesis and neuronal apoptosis, attributed to an accelerated cell cycle exit, likely resulting from disrupted mitotic spindle orientation and impaired cytokinesis. Additionally, KIF23 depletion perturbs the apical surface structure of NSPCs by affecting the localization of apical junction proteins. We further demonstrate that the phenotypes induced by Kif23 knockdown are rescued by introducing wild-type human KIF23, but not by a microcephaly-associated variant. Our findings unveil a previously unexplored role of KIF23 in neural stem and progenitor cell maintenance via regulating spindle orientation and apical structure in addition to cytokinesis, shedding light on microcephaly pathogenesis.

α -catenin phosphorylation is elevated during mitosis to resist apical rounding and epithelial barrier leak

Epithelial cell cohesion and barrier function critically depend on α -catenin, an actin-binding protein and essential constituent of cadherin-catenin-based adherens junctions. α -catenin undergoes actomyosin force-dependent unfolding of both actin-binding and middle domains to strongly engage actin filaments and its various effectors, where this mechanosensitivity is critical for adherens junction function. We previously showed that α -catenin is highly phosphorylated in an unstructured region that links mechanosensitive middle- and actin-binding domains (known as the P-linker region), but the cellular processes that promote α -catenin phosphorylation have remained elusive. Here, we leverage a previously published phosphor-proteomic data set to show that the α -catenin P-linker region is maximally phosphorylated during mitosis. By reconstituting α -catenin Crispr KO MDCK with wild-type, phospho- mutant and mimic forms of α -catenin, we show that full phosphorylation restrains mitotic cell rounding in the apical direction, strengthening interactions between dividing and non-dividing neighbors to limit epithelial barrier leak. Since major scaffold components of adherens junctions, tight junctions and desmosomes are also differentially phosphorylated during mitosis, we reason that epithelial cell division may be a tractable system to understand how junction complexes are coordinately regulated to sustain barrier function under tension-generating morphogenetic processes.

Extracellular vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) encompass a diverse array of membrane-bound organelles released outside cells in response to developmental and physiological cell needs. EVs play important roles in remodeling the shape and content of differentiating cells and can rescue damaged cells from toxic or dysfunctional content. EVs can send signals and transfer metabolites between tissues and organisms to regulate development, respond to stress or tissue damage, or alter mating behaviors. While many EV functions have been uncovered by characterizing ex vivo EVs isolated from body fluids and cultured cells, research using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has provided insights into the in vivo functions, biogenesis, and uptake pathways. The C. elegans EV field has also developed methods to analyze endogenous EVs within the organismal context of development and adult physiology in free-living, behaving animals. In this review, we summarize major themes that have emerged for C. elegans EVs and their relevance to human health and disease. We also highlight the diversity of biogenesis mechanisms, locations, and functions of worm EVs and discuss open questions and unexplored topics tenable in C. elegans, given the nematode model is ideal for light and electron microscopy, genetic screens, genome engineering, and high-throughput omics.

Dendrite morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans

Since the days of Ramón y Cajal, the vast diversity of neuronal and particularly dendrite morphology has been used to catalog neurons into different classes. Dendrite morphology varies greatly and reflects the different functions performed by different types of neurons. Significant progress has been made in our understanding of how dendrites form and the molecular factors and forces that shape these often elaborately sculpted structures. Here, we review work in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that has shed light on the developmental mechanisms that mediate dendrite morphogenesis with a focus on studies investigating ciliated sensory neurons and the highly elaborated dendritic trees of somatosensory neurons. These studies, which combine time-lapse imaging, genetics, and biochemistry, reveal an intricate network of factors that function both intrinsically in dendrites and extrinsically from surrounding tissues. Therefore, dendrite morphogenesis is the result of multiple tissue interactions, which ultimately determine the shape of dendritic arbors.

A role for Shugoshin in human cilia?

We have recently described a novel role for the conserved centromeric/kinetochore protein and cohesin protector, Shugoshin, in cilia of C. elegans. Worms are unusual in that the sole Shugoshin protein ( SGO-1 ) is dispensable for chromosome segregation but required for cilia function in fully differentiated sensory neurons. Depletion of sgo-1 leads to an array of sensory defects observed in other cilia mutants with a compromised diffusion barrier. Accordingly, SGO-1 loads to the base of cilia in sensory neurons and can be observed occupying the transition zone, the critical ciliary domain that regulates trafficking in and out of ciliary compartments. Here we start to address a potential conserved role in cilia for vertebrate Shugoshin by asking whether human Shugoshin can: (1) localize to cilia and (2) rescue defects due to Shugoshin depletion in C. elegans . Our preliminary results suggest that human Shugoshin is detectable in the cilia base but show limited functional conservation when expressed in C. elegans sensory neurons.

The biosynthetic-secretory pathway, supplemented by recycling routes, determines epithelial membrane polarity

In prevailing epithelial polarity models, membrane-based polarity cues (e.g., the partitioning-defective PARs) position apicobasal cellular membrane domains. Intracellular vesicular trafficking expands these domains by sorting polarized cargo toward them. How the polarity cues themselves are polarized in epithelia and how sorting confers long-range apicobasal directionality to vesicles is still unclear. Here, a systems-based approach using two-tiered C. elegans genomics-genetics screens identifies trafficking molecules that are not implicated in apical sorting yet polarize apical membrane and PAR complex components. Live tracking of polarized membrane biogenesis indicates that the biosynthetic-secretory pathway, linked to recycling routes, is asymmetrically oriented toward the apical domain during this domain's biosynthesis, and that this directionality is regulated upstream of PARs and independent of polarized target membrane domains. This alternative mode of membrane polarization could offer solutions to open questions in current models of epithelial polarity and polarized trafficking.

The centralspindlin complex regulates cytokinesis and morphogenesis in the C. elegans spermatheca

Organ morphogenesis needs orchestration of a series of cellular events, including cell division, cell shape change, cell rearrangement and cell death. Cytokinesis, the final step of cell division, is involved in the control of organ size, shape and function. Mechanistically, it is unclear how the molecules involved in cytokinesis regulate organ size and shape. Here, we demonstrate that the centralspindlin complex coordinates cell division and epithelial morphogenesis by regulating cytokinesis. Loss of the centralspindlin components CYK-4 and ZEN-4 disrupts cell division, resulting in altered cell arrangement and malformation of the Caenorhabditis elegans spermatheca. Further investigation revealed that most spermathecal cells undergo nuclear division without completion of cytokinesis. Germline mutant-based analyses suggest that CYK-4 regulates cytokinesis of spermathecal cells in a GTPase activator activity-independent manner. Spermathecal morphology defects can be enhanced by double knockdown of rho-1 and cyk-4, and partially suppressed by double knockdown of cdc-42 and cyk-4. Thus, the centralspindlin components CYK-4 and ZEN-4, together with RHO-1 and CDC-42, are central players of a signaling network that guides spermathecal morphogenesis by enabling completion of cytokinesis.

Using Optogenetics to Investigate the Shared Mechanisms of Apical-Basal Polarity and Mitosis

The initiation of apical-basal (AB) polarity and the process of mitotic cell division are both characterised by the generation of specialised plasma membrane and cortical domains. These are generated using shared mechanisms, such as asymmetric protein accumulation, Rho GTPase signalling, cytoskeletal reorganisation, vesicle trafficking, and asymmetric phosphoinositide distribution. In epithelial tissue, the coordination of AB polarity and mitosis in space and time is important both during initial epithelial development and to maintain tissue integrity and ensure appropriate cell differentiation at later stages. Whilst significant progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms underlying cell division and AB polarity, it has so far been challenging to fully unpick the complex interrelationship between polarity, signalling, morphogenesis, and cell division. However, the recent emergence of optogenetic protein localisation techniques is now allowing researchers to reversibly control protein activation, localisation, and signalling with high spatiotemporal resolution. This has the potential to revolutionise our understanding of how subcellular processes such as AB polarity are integrated with cell behaviours such as mitosis and how these processes impact whole tissue morphogenesis. So far, these techniques have been used to investigate processes such as cleavage furrow ingression, mitotic spindle positioning, and in vivo epithelial morphogenesis. This review describes some of the key shared mechanisms of cell division and AB polarity establishment, how they are coordinated during development and how the advance of optogenetic techniques is furthering this research field.

Context matters: Lessons in epithelial polarity from the Caenorhabditis elegans intestine and other tissues

Epithelia are tissues with diverse morphologies and functions across metazoans, ranging from vast cell sheets encasing internal organs to internal tubes facilitating nutrient uptake, all of which require establishment of apical-basolateral polarity axes. While all epithelia tend to polarize the same components, how these components are deployed to drive polarization is largely context-dependent and likely shaped by tissue-specific differences in development and ultimate functions of polarizing primordia. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) offers exceptional imaging and genetic tools and possesses unique epithelia with well-described origins and roles, making it an excellent model to investigate polarity mechanisms. In this review, we highlight the interplay between epithelial polarization, development, and function by describing symmetry breaking and polarity establishment in a particularly well-characterized epithelium, the C. elegans intestine. We compare intestinal polarization to polarity programs in two other C. elegans epithelia, the pharynx and epidermis, correlating divergent mechanisms with tissue-specific differences in geometry, embryonic environment, and function. Together, we emphasize the importance of investigating polarization mechanisms against the backdrop of tissue-specific contexts, while also underscoring the benefits of cross-tissue comparisons of polarity.

Separable mechanisms drive local and global polarity establishment in the Caenorhabditiselegans intestinal epithelium

Apico-basolateral polarization is essential for epithelial cells to function as selective barriers and transporters, and to provide mechanical resilience to organs. Epithelial polarity is established locally, within individual cells to establish distinct apical, junctional and basolateral domains, and globally, within a tissue where cells coordinately orient their apico-basolateral axes. Using live imaging of endogenously tagged proteins and tissue-specific protein depletion in the Caenorhabditiselegans embryonic intestine, we found that local and global polarity establishment are temporally and genetically separable. Local polarity is initiated prior to global polarity and is robust to perturbation. PAR-3 is required for global polarization across the intestine but local polarity can arise in its absence, as small groups of cells eventually established polarized domains in PAR-3-depleted intestines in a HMR-1 (E-cadherin)-dependent manner. Despite the role of PAR-3 in localizing PKC-3 to the apical surface, we additionally found that PAR-3 and PKC-3/aPKC have distinct roles in the establishment and maintenance of local and global polarity. Taken together, our results indicate that different mechanisms are required for local and global polarity establishment in vivo.

Diverse mechanisms regulate contractile ring assembly for cytokinesis in the two-cell Caenorhabditis elegans embryo

Cytokinesis occurs at the end of mitosis as a result of the ingression of a contractile ring that cleaves the daughter cells. The core machinery regulating this crucial process is conserved among metazoans. Multiple pathways control ring assembly, but their contribution in different cell types is not known. We found that in the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo, AB and P1 cells fated to be somatic tissue and germline, respectively, have different cytokinesis kinetics supported by distinct myosin levels and organization. Through perturbation of RhoA or polarity regulators and the generation of tetraploid strains, we found that ring assembly is controlled by multiple fate-dependent factors that include myosin levels, and mechanisms that respond to cell size. Active Ran coordinates ring position with the segregating chromatids in HeLa cells by forming an inverse gradient with importins that control the cortical recruitment of anillin. We found that the Ran pathway regulates anillin in AB cells but functions differently in P1 cells. We propose that ring assembly delays in P1 cells caused by low myosin and Ran signaling coordinate the timing of ring closure with their somatic neighbors. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Cytokinetic Abscission Regulation in Neural Stem Cells and Tissue Development

Purpose of Review

How stem cells balance proliferation with differentiation, giving rise to specific daughter cells during development to build an embryo or tissue, remains an open question. Here, we discuss recent evidence that cytokinetic abscission regulation in stem cells, particularly neural stem cells (NSCs), is part of the answer. Abscission is a multi-step process mediated by the midbody, a microtubule-based structure formed in the intercellular bridge between daughter cells after mitosis.

Recent Findings

Human mutations and mouse knockouts in abscission genes reveal that subtle disruptions of NSC abscission can cause brain malformations. Experiments in several epithelial systems have shown that midbodies serve as scaffolds for apical junction proteins and are positioned near apical membrane fate determinants. Abscission timing is tightly controlled and developmentally regulated in stem cells, with delayed abscission in early embryos and faster abscission later. Midbody remnants (MBRs) contain over 400 proteins and may influence polarity, fate, and ciliogenesis.

Summary

As NSCs and other stem cells build tissues, they tightly regulate three aspects of abscission: midbody positioning, duration, and MBR handling. Midbody positioning and remnants establish or maintain cell polarity. MBRs are deposited on the apical membranes of epithelia, can be released or internalized by surrounding cells, and may sequester fate determinants or transfer information between cells. Work in cell lines and simpler systems has shown multiple roles for abscission regulation influencing stem cell polarity, potency, and daughter fates during development. Elucidating how the abscission process influences cell fate and tissue growth is important for our continued understanding of brain development and stem cell biology.

The nature of cell division forces in epithelial monolayers

Epithelial cells undergo striking morphological changes during division to ensure proper segregation of genetic and cytoplasmic materials. These morphological changes occur despite dividing cells being mechanically restricted by neighboring cells, indicating the need for extracellular force generation. Beyond driving cell division itself, forces associated with division have been implicated in tissue-scale processes, including development, tissue growth, migration, and epidermal stratification. While forces generated by mitotic rounding are well understood, forces generated after rounding remain unknown. Here, we identify two distinct stages of division force generation that follow rounding: (1) Protrusive forces along the division axis that drive division elongation, and (2) outward forces that facilitate postdivision spreading. Cytokinetic ring contraction of the dividing cell, but not activity of neighboring cells, generates extracellular forces that propel division elongation and contribute to chromosome segregation. Forces from division elongation are observed in epithelia across many model organisms. Thus, division elongation forces represent a universal mechanism that powers cell division in confining epithelia.

Cytokinetic abscission is part of the midblastula transition in early zebrafish embryogenesis

In this work, we show that the last step of cytokinesis, termed abscission, is delayed in early zebrafish embryos. As a result, sibling cells remain connected to one another by a thin membrane bridge for several cycles, forming clusters of interconnected cells. Bridge severing (i.e., abscission) commences at the 10th cell cycle when embryos enter the midblastula transition switch, in which embryonic cells become individualized and exhibit the characteristics of mature cells. Cells connected by intercellular bridges shared similar cellular behaviors, such as transcription onset and cell shape. Our data suggest that cell–cell connectivity is maintained in early embryos through persistent bridge connections that allow cells to coordinate their behavior during embryonic development.

Animal cytokinesis ends with the formation of a thin intercellular membrane bridge that connects the two newly formed sibling cells, which is ultimately resolved by abscission. While mitosis is completed within 15 min, the intercellular bridge can persist for hours, maintaining a physical connection between sibling cells and allowing exchange of cytosolic components. Although cell–cell communication is fundamental for development, the role of intercellular bridges during embryogenesis has not been fully elucidated. In this work, we characterized the spatiotemporal characteristics of the intercellular bridge during early zebrafish development. We found that abscission is delayed during the rapid division cycles that occur in the early embryo, giving rise to the formation of interconnected cell clusters. Abscission was accelerated when the embryo entered the midblastula transition (MBT) phase. Components of the ESCRT machinery, which drives abscission, were enriched at intercellular bridges post-MBT and, interfering with ESCRT function, extended abscission beyond MBT. Hallmark features of MBT, including transcription onset and cell shape modulations, were more similar in interconnected sibling cells compared to other neighboring cells. Collectively, our findings suggest that delayed abscission in the early embryo allows clusters of cells to coordinate their behavior during embryonic development.

Mechanochemical Control of Symmetry Breaking in the Caenorhabditis elegans Zygote

Cell polarity is the asymmetric organization of cellular components along defined axes. A key requirement for polarization is the ability of the cell to break symmetry and achieve a spatially biased organization. Despite different triggering cues in various systems, symmetry breaking (SB) usually relies on mechanochemical modulation of the actin cytoskeleton, which allows for advected movement and reorganization of cellular components. Here, the mechanisms underlying SB in Caenorhabditis elegans zygote, one of the most popular models to study cell polarity, are reviewed. A zygote initiates SB through the centrosome, which modulates mechanics of the cell cortex to establish advective flow of cortical proteins including the actin cytoskeleton and partitioning defective (PAR) proteins. The chemical signaling underlying centrosomal control of the Aurora A kinase–mediated cascade to convert the organization of the contractile actomyosin network from an apolar to polar state is also discussed.