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Haque R, Kurien SP, Setty H, Salzberg Y, Stelzer G, Litvak E, Gingold H, Rechavi O, Oren-Suissa M. Sex-specific developmental gene expression atlas unveils dimorphic gene networks in C. elegans. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4273. [PMID: 38769103 PMCID: PMC11106331 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48369-z] [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: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Sex-specific traits and behaviors emerge during development by the acquisition of unique properties in the nervous system of each sex. However, the genetic events responsible for introducing these sex-specific features remain poorly understood. In this study, we create a comprehensive gene expression atlas of pure populations of hermaphrodites and males of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans across development. We discover numerous differentially expressed genes, including neuronal gene families like transcription factors, neuropeptides, and G protein-coupled receptors. We identify INS-39, an insulin-like peptide, as a prominent male-biased gene expressed specifically in ciliated sensory neurons. We show that INS-39 serves as an early-stage male marker, facilitating the effective isolation of males in high-throughput experiments. Through complex and sex-specific regulation, ins-39 plays pleiotropic sexually dimorphic roles in various behaviors, while also playing a shared, dimorphic role in early life stress. This study offers a comparative sexual and developmental gene expression database for C. elegans. Furthermore, it highlights conserved genes that may underlie the sexually dimorphic manifestation of different human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rizwanul Haque
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Sonu Peedikayil Kurien
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Hagar Setty
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yehuda Salzberg
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gil Stelzer
- Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Einav Litvak
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Hila Gingold
- Department of Neurobiology, Wise Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Oded Rechavi
- Department of Neurobiology, Wise Faculty of Life Sciences & Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Meital Oren-Suissa
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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Nava S, Palma W, Wan X, Oh JY, Gharib S, Wang H, Revanna JS, Tan M, Zhang M, Liu J, Chen CH, Lee JS, Perry B, Sternberg PW. A cGAL-UAS bipartite expression toolkit for Caenorhabditis elegans sensory neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2221680120. [PMID: 38096407 PMCID: PMC10743456 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2221680120] [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: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals integrate sensory information from the environment and display various behaviors in response to external stimuli. In Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites, 33 types of sensory neurons are responsible for chemosensation, olfaction, and mechanosensation. However, the functional roles of all sensory neurons have not been systematically studied due to the lack of facile genetic accessibility. A bipartite cGAL-UAS system has been previously developed to study tissue- or cell-specific functions in C. elegans. Here, we report a toolkit of new cGAL drivers that can facilitate the analysis of a vast majority of the 60 sensory neurons in C. elegans hermaphrodites. We generated 37 sensory neuronal cGAL drivers that drive cGAL expression by cell-specific regulatory sequences or intersection of two distinct regulatory regions with overlapping expression (split cGAL). Most cGAL-drivers exhibit expression in single types of cells. We also constructed 28 UAS effectors that allow expression of proteins to perturb or interrogate sensory neurons of choice. This cGAL-UAS sensory neuron toolkit provides a genetic platform to systematically study the functions of C. elegans sensory neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Nava
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Wilber Palma
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Xuan Wan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Jun Young Oh
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Shahla Gharib
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Han Wang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Jasmin S. Revanna
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Minyi Tan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Mark Zhang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Jonathan Liu
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Chun-Hao Chen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - James S. Lee
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Barbara Perry
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Paul W. Sternberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
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Zhang L, Liu J, Xu B, Wu D, Wu Y, Li G. β-Carbolines norharman and harman change neurobehavior causing neurological damage in Caenorhabditis elegans. Food Funct 2023; 14:10031-10040. [PMID: 37927231 DOI: 10.1039/d3fo03732k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
β-Carbolines norharman and harman, belonging to the class of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), are typical hazardous substances produced during the thermal processing of food. Compared to other HAAs, there have been limited reports on the toxicity of β-carbolines. Nevertheless, the current studies are concerned with the neurotoxic effects of norharman and harman at high doses. It is still unknown whether the relatively low dose of β-carbolines in foods induces neurotoxicity and the mechanism of the toxicity. In this study, C. elegans was exposed to a series of gradients of norharman and harman (0, 0.05, 5, and 10 mg L-1). The survival rate and indicators of ethology (locomotor behaviors, foraging behavior, and chemotaxis ability) were assessed. The antioxidant system and the contents of neurotransmitters, as well as the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), were evaluated. Additionally, the RNA-seq screening of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed the potential molecular mechanisms of norharman- and harman-induced toxic effects. Our results indicated that the risk of long-term exposure to norharman and harman at low doses (food-related doses) should be emphasized. Moreover, β-carbolines might induce neurotoxicity by causing oxidative damage, regulating the content of neurotransmitters, and interfering with cytochrome P450 metabolism. This study would provide a toxicological basis for the neurotoxicity of β-carbolines and lay the foundation for the risk assessment of endogenous pollutants in food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luyao Zhang
- School of Food Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710021, China.
| | - Jialu Liu
- School of Food Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710021, China.
| | - Bufan Xu
- School of Food Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710021, China.
| | - Di Wu
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Yongning Wu
- School of Food Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710021, China.
- NHC Key Laboratory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, Food Safety Research Unit (2019RU014) of Chinese Academy of Medical Science, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Guoliang Li
- School of Food Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710021, China.
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Susoy V, Samuel ADT. Evolutionarily conserved behavioral plasticity enables context-dependent mating in C. elegans. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4532-4537.e3. [PMID: 37769659 PMCID: PMC10615801 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.003] [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: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral plasticity helps humans and animals to achieve their goals by adapting their behaviors to different environments.1,2 Although behavioral plasticity is ubiquitous, many innate species-specific behaviors, such as mating, are often assumed to be stereotyped and unaffected by plasticity or learning, especially in invertebrates. Here, we describe a novel case of behavioral plasticity in the nematode C. elegans. Under standard lab conditions (agar plates with bacterial food), the male performs parallel mating,3,4,5 a largely two-dimensional behavioral strategy where his body and tail remain flat on the surface and slide alongside the partner's body from initial contact to copulation. But when placed in liquid media, the male performs spiral mating, a distinctly three-dimensional behavioral strategy where he winds around the partner's body in a helical embrace. The performance of spiral mating does not require a long-term change in growing conditions, but it does improve with experience. This experience-dependent improvement appears to involve a critical period-a time window around the L4 larval stage to the early adult stage-which coincides with the development of most male-specific neurons. We tested several wild isolates of C. elegans and other Caenorhabditis species and found that most were capable of parallel mating on surfaces and spiral mating in liquids. We suggest that two- and three-dimensional mating strategies in Caenorhabditis are plastic, conditionally expressed phenotypes conserved across the genus, which can be genetically "fixed" in some species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladislav Susoy
- Department of Physics and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Aravinthan D T Samuel
- Department of Physics and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Gadenne MJ, Hardege I, Yemini E, Suleski D, Jaggers P, Beets I, Schafer WR, Chew YL. Neuropeptide signalling shapes feeding and reproductive behaviours in male Caenorhabditis elegans. Life Sci Alliance 2022; 5:5/10/e202201420. [PMID: 35738805 PMCID: PMC9233197 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
LURY-1 peptides are expressed in distinct cells in different sexes and have sex-specific effects on feeding and mating, providing further evidence for the role of neuromodulators in sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism occurs where different sexes of the same species display differences in characteristics not limited to reproduction. For the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, in which the complete neuroanatomy has been solved for both hermaphrodites and males, sexually dimorphic features have been observed both in terms of the number of neurons and in synaptic connectivity. In addition, male behaviours, such as food-leaving to prioritise searching for mates, have been attributed to neuropeptides released from sex-shared or sex-specific neurons. In this study, we show that the lury-1 neuropeptide gene shows a sexually dimorphic expression pattern; being expressed in pharyngeal neurons in both sexes but displaying additional expression in tail neurons only in the male. We also show that lury-1 mutant animals show sex differences in feeding behaviours, with pharyngeal pumping elevated in hermaphrodites but reduced in males. LURY-1 also modulates male mating efficiency, influencing motor events during contact with a hermaphrodite. Our findings indicate sex-specific roles of this peptide in feeding and reproduction in C. elegans, providing further insight into neuromodulatory control of sexually dimorphic behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Gadenne
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Iris Hardege
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eviatar Yemini
- Department of Neurobiology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Djordji Suleski
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Paris Jaggers
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Isabel Beets
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - William R Schafer
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yee Lian Chew
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute and College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
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