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Baumgartner ME, Langton PF, Logeay R, Mastrogiannopoulos A, Nilsson-Takeuchi A, Kucinski I, Lavalou J, Piddini E. The PECAn image and statistical analysis pipeline identifies Minute cell competition genes and features. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2686. [PMID: 37164982 PMCID: PMC10172353 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38287-x] [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: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigating organ biology often requires methodologies to induce genetically distinct clones within a living tissue. However, the 3D nature of clones makes sample image analysis challenging and slow, limiting the amount of information that can be extracted manually. Here we develop PECAn, a pipeline for image processing and statistical data analysis of complex multi-genotype 3D images. PECAn includes data handling, machine-learning-enabled segmentation, multivariant statistical analysis, and graph generation. This enables researchers to perform rigorous analyses rapidly and at scale, without requiring programming skills. We demonstrate the power of this pipeline by applying it to the study of Minute cell competition. We find an unappreciated sexual dimorphism in Minute cell growth in competing wing discs and identify, by statistical regression analysis, tissue parameters that model and correlate with competitive death. Furthermore, using PECAn, we identify several genes with a role in cell competition by conducting an RNAi-based screen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Baumgartner
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Paul F Langton
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Remi Logeay
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Alex Mastrogiannopoulos
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Anna Nilsson-Takeuchi
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
- Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Iwo Kucinski
- The Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and Zoology Department, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
- Wellcome & MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jules Lavalou
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Eugenia Piddini
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.
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Bernasek SM, Hur SSJ, Peláez-Restrepo N, Boisclair Lachance JF, Bakker R, Navarro HT, Sanchez-Luege N, Amaral LAN, Bagheri N, Rebay I, Carthew RW. Ratiometric sensing of Pnt and Yan transcription factor levels confers ultrasensitivity to photoreceptor fate transitions in Drosophila. Development 2023; 150:dev201467. [PMID: 36942737 PMCID: PMC10163347 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
Cell state transitions are often triggered by large changes in the concentrations of transcription factors and therefore large differences in their stoichiometric ratios. Whether cells can elicit transitions using modest changes in the ratios of co-expressed factors is unclear. Here, we investigate how cells in the Drosophila eye resolve state transitions by quantifying the expression dynamics of the ETS transcription factors Pnt and Yan. Eye progenitor cells maintain a relatively constant ratio of Pnt/Yan protein, despite expressing both proteins with pulsatile dynamics. A rapid and sustained twofold increase in the Pnt/Yan ratio accompanies transitions to photoreceptor fates. Genetic perturbations that modestly disrupt the Pnt/Yan ratio produce fate transition defects consistent with the hypothesis that transitions are normally driven by a twofold shift in the ratio. A biophysical model based on cooperative Yan-DNA binding coupled with non-cooperative Pnt-DNA binding illustrates how twofold ratio changes could generate ultrasensitive changes in target gene transcription to drive fate transitions. Thus, coupling cell state transitions to the Pnt/Yan ratio sensitizes the system to modest fold-changes, conferring robustness and ultrasensitivity to the developmental program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian M. Bernasek
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Suzy S. J. Hur
- Ben May Department for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Nicolás Peláez-Restrepo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program
| | | | - Rachael Bakker
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | | | - Nicelio Sanchez-Luege
- Ben May Department for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Luís A. N. Amaral
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Neda Bagheri
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Ilaria Rebay
- Ben May Department for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Richard W. Carthew
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60611, USA
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