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Avivi Kela S, Sethi K, Tan PY, Suresh D, Ong HT, Castaneda PG, Amin MR, Laviv T, Cram EJ, Faix J, Zaidel-Bar R. Tension-dependent RHGF-1 recruitment to stress fibers drives robust spermathecal tissue contraction. J Cell Biol 2022; 222:213784. [PMID: 36574264 PMCID: PMC9798103 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202203105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Contractile epithelial tubes are found in various organs, such as lung airways and blood capillaries. Their ability to sense luminal pressure and respond with adequate contractility is essential for their physiology, and its mis-regulation results in diseases such as asthma and hypertension. Here, we describe a mechanoresponsive regulatory pathway downstream of tissue stretching that controls contraction of the C. elegans spermatheca, a tubular structure where fertilization occurs. Using live-imaging, we show that ovulation-induced stretching of spermathecal cells leads to recruitment of the RhoGEF RHGF-1 to stress fibers, which activates RHO-1 and myosin II in a positive feedback loop. Through deletion analysis, we identified the PDZ domain of RHGF-1 as responsible for F-actin binding, and genetic epistasis analysis with the RhoGAP spv-1 demonstrated that tension-dependent recruitment of RHGF-1 to F-actin is required for robust spermathecal contractility. Our study illustrates how mechanosensitive regulators of Rho GTPases provide epithelial tubes the ability to tune their contractility in response to internal pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiri Avivi Kela
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Kriti Sethi
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Pei Yi Tan
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Danesha Suresh
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hui Ting Ong
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Mustafi R. Amin
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tal Laviv
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Erin J. Cram
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jan Faix
- Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ronen Zaidel-Bar
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel,Correspondence to Ronen Zaidel-Bar:
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Castaneda PG, Cecchetelli AD, Pettit HN, Cram EJ. Gα/GSA-1 works upstream of PKA/KIN-1 to regulate calcium signaling and contractility in the Caenorhabditis elegans spermatheca. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008644. [PMID: 32776941 PMCID: PMC7444582 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Correct regulation of cell contractility is critical for the function of many biological systems. The reproductive system of the hermaphroditic nematode C. elegans contains a contractile tube of myoepithelial cells known as the spermatheca, which stores sperm and is the site of oocyte fertilization. Regulated contraction of the spermatheca pushes the embryo into the uterus. Cell contractility in the spermatheca is dependent on actin and myosin and is regulated, in part, by Ca2+ signaling through the phospholipase PLC-1, which mediates Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, we describe a novel role for GSA-1/Gαs, and protein kinase A, composed of the catalytic subunit KIN-1/PKA-C and the regulatory subunit KIN-2/PKA-R, in the regulation of Ca2+ release and contractility in the C. elegans spermatheca. Without GSA-1/Gαs or KIN-1/PKA-C, Ca2+ is not released, and oocytes become trapped in the spermatheca. Conversely, when PKA is activated through either a gain of function allele in GSA-1 (GSA-1(GF)) or by depletion of KIN-2/PKA-R, the transit times and total numbers, although not frequencies, of Ca2+ pulses are increased, and Ca2+ propagates across the spermatheca even in the absence of oocyte entry. In the spermathecal-uterine valve, loss of GSA-1/Gαs or KIN-1/PKA-C results in sustained, high levels of Ca2+ and a loss of coordination between the spermathecal bag and sp-ut valve. Additionally, we show that depleting phosphodiesterase PDE-6 levels alters contractility and Ca2+ dynamics in the spermatheca, and that the GPB-1 and GPB-2 Gβ subunits play a central role in regulating spermathecal contractility and Ca2+ signaling. This work identifies a signaling network in which Ca2+ and cAMP pathways work together to coordinate spermathecal contractions for successful ovulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perla G. Castaneda
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Hannah N. Pettit
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Erin J. Cram
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
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Kelley CA, De Henau S, Bell L, Dansen TB, Cram EJ. Redox signaling modulates Rho activity and tissue contractility in the Caenorhabditis elegans spermatheca. Mol Biol Cell 2020; 31:1486-1497. [PMID: 32374641 PMCID: PMC7359568 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e20-04-0236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Actomyosin-based contractility in smooth muscle and nonmuscle cells is regulated by signaling through the small GTPase Rho and by calcium-activated pathways. We use the myoepithelial cells of the Caenorhabditis elegans spermatheca to study the mechanisms of coordinated myosin activation in vivo. Here, we show that redox signaling modulates RHO-1/Rho activity in this contractile tissue. Exogenously added as well as endogenously generated hydrogen peroxide decreases spermathecal contractility by inhibition of RHO-1, which depends on a conserved cysteine in its nucleotide binding site (C20). Further, we identify an endogenous gradient of H2O2 across the spermathecal tissue, which depends on the activity of cytosolic superoxide dismutase, SOD-1. Collectively, we show that SOD-1-mediated H2O2 production regulates the redox environment and fine tunes Rho activity across the spermatheca through oxidation of RHO-1 C20.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sasha De Henau
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Molecular Cancer Research Section, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Liam Bell
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Tobias B Dansen
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Molecular Cancer Research Section, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Erin J Cram
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
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Bai X, Bouffard J, Lord A, Brugman K, Sternberg PW, Cram EJ, Golden A. Caenorhabditis elegans PIEZO channel coordinates multiple reproductive tissues to govern ovulation. eLife 2020; 9:e53603. [PMID: 32490809 PMCID: PMC7340503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.53603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 are newly identified mechanosensitive ion channels that exhibit a preference for calcium in response to mechanical stimuli. In this study, we discovered the vital roles of pezo-1, the sole PIEZO ortholog in Caenorhabditiselegans, in regulating reproduction. A number of deletion alleles, as well as a putative gain-of-function mutant, of PEZO-1 caused a severe reduction in brood size. In vivo observations showed that oocytes undergo a variety of transit defects as they enter and exit the spermatheca during ovulation. Post-ovulation oocytes were frequently damaged during spermathecal contraction. However, the calcium signaling was not dramatically changed in the pezo-1 mutants during ovulation. Loss of PEZO-1 also led to an inability of self-sperm to navigate back to the spermatheca properly after being pushed out of the spermatheca during ovulation. These findings suggest that PEZO-1 acts in different reproductive tissues to promote proper ovulation and fertilization in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Bai
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Jeff Bouffard
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Avery Lord
- Department of Biology, Northeastern UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Katherine Brugman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
| | - Paul W Sternberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
| | - Erin J Cram
- Department of Biology, Northeastern UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Andy Golden
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
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Kelley CA, Cram EJ. Regulation of Actin Dynamics in the C. elegans Somatic Gonad. J Dev Biol 2019; 7:E6. [PMID: 30897735 DOI: 10.3390/jdb7010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The reproductive system of the hermaphroditic nematode C. elegans consists of a series of contractile cell types—including the gonadal sheath cells, the spermathecal cells and the spermatheca–uterine valve—that contract in a coordinated manner to regulate oocyte entry and exit of the fertilized embryo into the uterus. Contraction is driven by acto-myosin contraction and relies on the development and maintenance of specialized acto-myosin networks in each cell type. Study of this system has revealed insights into the regulation of acto-myosin network assembly and contractility in vivo.
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