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Ball EE, Bennett JL, Keesler RI, Van Rompay KKA, Coffey LL, Bliss-Moreau E. Prenatal Zika virus exposure is associated with lateral geniculate nucleus abnormalities in juvenile rhesus macaques. Neuroreport 2023; 34:786-791. [PMID: 37695589 PMCID: PMC10699751 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Zika virus' neural tropism causes significant neural pathology, particularly in developing fetuses. One of the consistent findings from humans and animal models is that prenatal exposure to Zika virus (ZIKV) causes pathology in the eyes and visual pathways of the brain, although the extent to which this pathology persists over development is not clear. In the present report, we build upon our previous work which demonstrated that full-term rhesus monkey ( Macaca mulatta ) fetuses who were exposed to ZIKV early in gestation had significant pathological abnormalities to the organization of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), a major hub of the visual network. The objective of the present work was to replicate those LGN findings and determine whether such pathology persisted across childhood development. We carried out histological analyses of the LGNs of two juvenile rhesus monkeys who were prenatally exposed to ZIKV and two age-matched controls. Pregnant rhesus monkeys were infected with ZIKV via the intravenous and intra-amniotic routes and tracked across development. Following sacrifice and perfusion, brains were subjected to quantitative neuroanatomical analyses with a focus on the size and structure of the LGN and its composite layers. Early fetal ZIKV exposure resulted in developmental abnormalities within the brains' visual pathway: specifically disorganization, blending of layers, laminar discontinuities, and regions of low cell density within the LGN. These abnormalities were not observed in the control animals. Our findings demonstrate that the ZIKV's damage to the LGN that occurs during fetal development persists into childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Ball
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California
- United States Army, Veterinary Corps, USA
- Currently Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Jeffrey L Bennett
- California National Primate Center, University of California
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Rebekah I Keesler
- California National Primate Center, University of California
- Currently Charles River Laboratories, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Koen K A Van Rompay
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California
- California National Primate Center, University of California
| | - Lark L Coffey
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Eliza Bliss-Moreau
- California National Primate Center, University of California
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California
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2
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Haudenschild AK, Christiansen BA, Orr S, Ball EE, Weiss CM, Liu H, Fyhrie DP, Yik JH, Coffey LL, Haudenschild DR. Acute bone loss following SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice. J Orthop Res 2023; 41:1945-1952. [PMID: 36815216 PMCID: PMC10440245 DOI: 10.1002/jor.25537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has infected more than 650 million people worldwide. Approximately 23% of these patients developed lasting "long-haul" COVID symptoms, including fatigue, joint pain, and systemic hyperinflammation. However, the direct clinical impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the skeletal system including bone and joint health has not been determined. Utilizing a humanized mouse model of COVID-19, this study provides the first direct evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to acute bone loss, increased osteoclast number, and thinner growth plates. This bone loss could decrease whole-bone mechanical strength and increase the risk of fragility fractures, particularly in older patients, while thinner growth plates may create growth disturbances in younger patients. Evaluating skeletal health in patients that have recovered from COVID-19 will be crucial to identify at-risk populations and develop effective countermeasures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne K. Haudenschild
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, 95817 USA 94065 USA
| | - Blaine A. Christiansen
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, 95817 USA 94065 USA
| | - Sophie Orr
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, 95817 USA 94065 USA
| | - Erin E. Ball
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | | | | | - David P. Fyhrie
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, 95817 USA 94065 USA
| | - Jasper H.N. Yik
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, 95817 USA 94065 USA
| | - Lark L. Coffey
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Dominik R. Haudenschild
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, 95817 USA 94065 USA
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3
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Weiss CM, Liu H, Ball EE, Hoover AR, Wong TS, Wong CF, Lam S, Hode T, Keel MK, Levenson RM, Chen WR, Coffey LL. N-dihydrogalactochitosan reduces mortality in a lethal mouse model of SARS-CoV-2. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289139. [PMID: 37552656 PMCID: PMC10409267 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid emergence and global dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 continues to cause an unprecedented global health burden resulting in nearly 7 million deaths. While multiple vaccine countermeasures have been approved for emergency use, additional treatments are still needed due to sluggish vaccine rollout, vaccine hesitancy, and inefficient vaccine-mediated protection. Immunoadjuvant compounds delivered intranasally can guide non-specific innate immune responses during the critical early stages of viral replication, reducing morbidity and mortality. N-dihydrogalactochitosan (GC) is a novel mucoadhesive immunostimulatory polymer of β-0-4-linked N-acetylglucosamine that is solubilized by the conjugation of galactose glycans with current applications as a cancer immunotherapeutic. We tested GC as a potential countermeasure for COVID-19. GC was well-tolerated and did not produce histopathologic lesions in the mouse lung. GC administered intranasally before and after SARS-CoV-2 exposure diminished morbidity and mortality in humanized ACE2 receptor expressing mice by up to 75% and reduced infectious virus levels in the upper airway. Fluorescent labeling of GC shows that it is confined to the lumen or superficial mucosa of the nasal cavity, without involvement of adjacent or deeper tissues. Our findings demonstrate a new application for soluble immunoadjuvants such as GC for preventing disease associated with SARS-CoV-2 and may be particularly attractive to persons who are needle-averse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M. Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Hongwei Liu
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Erin E. Ball
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Ashley R. Hoover
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Talia S. Wong
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Chun Fung Wong
- Immunophotonics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Samuel Lam
- Immunophotonics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Tomas Hode
- Immunophotonics, Inc., Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - M. Kevin Keel
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Richard M. Levenson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UC Davis Health, Sacramento, California, United States of America
| | - Wei R. Chen
- Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Lark L. Coffey
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
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4
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Ball EE, Weiss CM, Liu H, Jackson K, Keel MK, Miller CJ, Van Rompay KKA, Coffey LL, Pesavento PA. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Vasculopathy in a Syrian Golden Hamster Model. The American Journal of Pathology 2023; 193:690-701. [PMID: 36906263 PMCID: PMC9998130 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2023.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Clinical evidence of vascular dysfunction and hypercoagulability as well as pulmonary vascular damage and microthrombosis are frequently reported in severe cases of human coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Syrian golden hamsters recapitulate histopathologic pulmonary vascular lesions reported in patients with COVID-19. Herein, special staining techniques and transmission electron microscopy further define vascular pathologies in a Syrian golden hamster model of human COVID-19. The results show that regions of active pulmonary inflammation in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are characterized by ultrastructural evidence of endothelial damage with platelet marginalization and both perivascular and subendothelial macrophage infiltration. SARS-CoV-2 antigen/RNA was not detectable within affected blood vessels. Taken together, these findings suggest that the prominent microscopic vascular lesions in SARS-CoV-2-inoculated hamsters likely occur due to endothelial damage followed by platelet and macrophage infiltration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Ball
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California; US Army Veterinary Corps, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Christopher M Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Hongwei Liu
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Kenneth Jackson
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - M Kevin Keel
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Christopher J Miller
- California National Primate Center, University of California, Davis, California; Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Koen K A Van Rompay
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California; California National Primate Center, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Lark L Coffey
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California.
| | - Patricia A Pesavento
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, Davis, California
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Ball EE, Pesavento PA, Van Rompay KKA, Keel MK, Singapuri A, Gomez-Vazquez JP, Dudley DM, O’Connor DH, Breitbach ME, Maness NJ, Schouest B, Panganiban A, Coffey LL. Zika virus persistence in the male macaque reproductive tract. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010566. [PMID: 35788751 PMCID: PMC9299295 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is unique among mosquito-borne flaviviruses in that it is also vertically and sexually transmitted by humans. The male reproductive tract is thought to be a ZIKV reservoir; however, the reported magnitude and duration of viral persistence in male genital tissues vary widely in humans and non-human primate models. ZIKV tissue and cellular tropism and potential effects on male fertility also remain unclear. The objective of this study was to resolve these questions by analyzing archived genital tissues from 51 ZIKV-inoculated male macaques and correlating data on plasma viral kinetics, tissue tropism, and ZIKV-induced pathological changes in the reproductive tract. We hypothesized that ZIKV would persist in the male macaque genital tract for longer than there was detectable viremia, where it would localize to germ and epithelial cells and associate with lesions. We detected ZIKV RNA and infectious virus in testis, epididymis, seminal vesicle, and prostate gland. In contrast to prepubertal males, sexually mature macaques were significantly more likely to harbor persistent ZIKV RNA or infectious virus somewhere in the genital tract, with detection as late as 60 days post-inoculation. ZIKV RNA localized primarily to testicular stem cells/sperm precursors and epithelial cells, including Sertoli cells, epididymal duct epithelium, and glandular epithelia of the seminal vesicle and prostate gland. ZIKV infection was associated with microscopic evidence of inflammation in the epididymis and prostate gland of sexually mature males, pathologies that were absent in uninfected controls, which could have significant effects on male fertility. The findings from this study increase our understanding of persistent ZIKV infection which can inform risk of sexual transmission during assisted reproductive therapies as well as potential impacts on male fertility. Zika virus (ZIKV) spread since 2015 led to establishment of urban epidemic cycles involving humans and Aedes mosquitoes. ZIKV is also sexually and vertically transmitted and causes congenital Zika syndrome. Together, these features show that ZIKV poses significant global public health risks. By virtue of similar reproductive anatomy and physiology to humans, macaques serve as a useful model for ZIKV infection. However, macaque studies to date have been limited by small sample size, typically 1 to 5 animals. Although mounting evidence identifies the male reproductive tract as a significant ZIKV reservoir, data regarding the duration of ZIKV persistence, potential for sexual transmission, and male genitourinary sequelae remain sparse. Here, we analyzed archived genital tissues from more than 50 ZIKV-inoculated male macaques. Our results show that ZIKV can persist in the male macaque reproductive tract after the resolution of viremia, with virus localization to sperm precursors and epithelial cells, and microscopic evidence of inflammation in the epididymis and prostate gland. Our findings help explain cases of sexual transmission of ZIKV in humans, which also carries a risk for transmission via assisted fertility procedures, even after resolution of detectable viremia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E. Ball
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- United States Army, Veterinary Corps
| | - Patricia A. Pesavento
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Koen K. A. Van Rompay
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - M. Kevin Keel
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Anil Singapuri
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Jose P. Gomez-Vazquez
- Center for Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Dawn M. Dudley
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - David H. O’Connor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Meghan E. Breitbach
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Nicholas J. Maness
- Division of Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Los Angeles, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Blake Schouest
- Division of Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Los Angeles, United States of America
| | - Antonito Panganiban
- Division of Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Los Angeles, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Lark L. Coffey
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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6
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Mason B, Cooke I, Moya A, Augustin R, Lin MF, Satoh N, Bosch TCG, Bourne DG, Hayward DC, Andrade N, Forêt S, Ying H, Ball EE, Miller DJ. AmAMP1 from Acropora millepora and damicornin define a family of coral-specific antimicrobial peptides related to the Shk toxins of sea anemones. Dev Comp Immunol 2021; 114:103866. [PMID: 32937163 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2020.103866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A candidate antimicrobial peptide (AmAMP1) was identified by searching the whole genome sequence of Acropora millepora for short (<125AA) cysteine-rich predicted proteins with an N-terminal signal peptide but lacking clear homologs in the SwissProt database. It resembled but was not closely related to damicornin, the only other known AMP from a coral, and was shown to be active against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. These proteins define a family of AMPs present in corals and their close relatives, the Corallimorpharia, and are synthesised as preproproteins in which the C-terminal mature peptide contains a conserved arrangement of six cysteine residues. Consistent with the idea of a common origin for AMPs and toxins, this Cys motif is shared between the coral AMPs and the Shk neurotoxins of sea anemones. AmAMP1 is expressed at late stages of coral development, in ectodermal cells that resemble the "ganglion neurons" of Hydra, in which it has recently been demonstrated that a distinct AMP known as NDA-1 is expressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Mason
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia; Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia
| | - I Cooke
- Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - A Moya
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia; Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia
| | - R Augustin
- Zoological Institute, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - M-F Lin
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia; Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia; Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 904-0495, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - N Satoh
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 904-0495, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - T C G Bosch
- Zoological Institute, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - D G Bourne
- Department of Marine Ecosystems and Impacts, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia
| | - D C Hayward
- Division of Biomedical Science and Biochemistry, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - N Andrade
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia
| | - S Forêt
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia; Division of Biomedical Science and Biochemistry, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - H Ying
- Division of Biomedical Science and Biochemistry, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - E E Ball
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia; Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - D J Miller
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia; Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia; Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 904-0495, Onna, Okinawa, Japan.
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7
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Yiu G, Thomasy SM, Casanova MI, Rusakevich A, Keesler RI, Watanabe J, Usachenko J, Singapuri A, Ball EE, Bliss-Moreau E, Guo W, Webster H, Singh T, Permar S, Ardeshir A, Coffey LL, Van Rompay KK. Evolution of ocular defects in infant macaques following in utero Zika virus infection. JCI Insight 2020; 5:143947. [PMID: 33180748 PMCID: PMC7819741 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.143947] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) is associated with microcephaly and various neurological, musculoskeletal, and ocular abnormalities, but the long-term pathogenesis and postnatal progression of ocular defects in infants are not well characterized. Rhesus macaques are superior to rodents as models of CZS because they are natural hosts of the virus and share similar immune and ocular characteristics, including blood–retinal barrier characteristics and the unique presence of a macula. Using a previously described model of CZS, we infected pregnant rhesus macaques with Zika virus (ZIKV) during the late first trimester and characterized postnatal ocular development and evolution of ocular defects in 2 infant macaques over 2 years. We found that one of them exhibited colobomatous chorioretinal atrophic lesions with macular and vascular dragging as well as retinal thinning caused by loss of retinal ganglion neuron and photoreceptor layers. Despite these congenital ocular malformations, axial elongation and retinal development in these infants progressed at normal rates compared with healthy animals. The ZIKV-exposed infants displayed a rapid loss of ZIKV-specific antibodies, suggesting the absence of viral replication after birth, and did not show any behavioral or neurological defects postnatally. Our findings suggest that ZIKV infection during early pregnancy can impact fetal retinal development and cause congenital ocular anomalies but does not appear to affect postnatal ocular growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn Yiu
- Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, School of Medicine, and
| | - Sara M Thomasy
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - M Isabel Casanova
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jodie Usachenko
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California, USA
| | - Anil Singapuri
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, and
| | - Erin E Ball
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, and
| | - Eliza Bliss-Moreau
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Wendi Guo
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Helen Webster
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Tulika Singh
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sallie Permar
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Amir Ardeshir
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California, USA
| | - Lark L Coffey
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, and
| | - Koen Ka Van Rompay
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, California, USA.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, and
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8
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Ball EE, Kim R, Lagutchik MS. Pathology in Practice. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2020; 256:999-1002. [PMID: 32301664 DOI: 10.2460/javma.256.9.999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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9
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Weiss CM, Liu H, Riemersma KK, Ball EE, Coffey LL. Engineering a fidelity-variant live-attenuated vaccine for chikungunya virus. NPJ Vaccines 2020; 5:97. [PMID: 33083032 PMCID: PMC7560698 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-020-00241-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which causes a febrile illness characterized by severe and prolonged polyarthralgia/polyarthritis, is responsible for a global disease burden of millions of cases each year with autochthonous transmission in over 100 countries and territories worldwide. There is currently no approved treatment or vaccine for CHIKV. One live-attenuated vaccine (LAV) developed by the United States Army progressed to Phase II human clinical trials but was withdrawn when 8% of volunteers developed joint pain associated with vaccination. Attenuation of the Army’s CHIKV LAV strain 181 clone 25 (CHIKV-181/25) relies on two mutations in the envelope 2 (E2) glycoprotein responsible for cell binding and entry, making it particularly prone to reversion, a common concern for replication-competent vaccines. High error rates associated with RNA virus replication have posed a challenge for LAV development where stable incorporation of attenuating elements is necessary for establishing safety in pre-clinical models. Herein, we incorporate two replicase mutations into CHIKV-181/25 which modulate CHIKV replication fidelity combined with additional attenuating features that cannot be eliminated by point mutation. The mutations were stably incorporated in the LAV and did not increase virulence in mice. Two fidelity-variant CHIKV LAVs generated neutralizing antibodies and were protective from CHIKV disease in adult mice. Unexpectedly, our fidelity-variant candidates were more mutable than CHIKV-181/25 and exhibited restricted replication in mice and Aedes mosquitoes, a possible consequence of hypermutation. Our data demonstrate safety and efficacy but highlight a further need to evaluate fidelity-altering phenotypes before use as a LAV given the potential for virulent reversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Weiss
- Department of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA USA
| | - Hongwei Liu
- Department of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA USA
| | - Kasen K Riemersma
- Department of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA USA.,Present Address: University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI USA
| | - Erin E Ball
- Department of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA USA
| | - Lark L Coffey
- Department of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA USA
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10
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Ball AM, Finnegan M, Koppenhaver S, Freres W, Dommerholt J, Mayoral Del Moral O, Bron C, Moore R, Ball EE, Gaffney EE. The relative risk to the femoral nerve as a function of patient positioning: potential implications for trigger point dry needling of the iliacus muscle. J Man Manip Ther 2019; 27:162-171. [PMID: 30935326 DOI: 10.1080/10669817.2019.1568699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Prudent dry needling techniques are commonly practiced with the intent to avoid large neurovascular structures, thereby minimizing potential excessive bleeding and neural injury. Patient position is one factor thought to affect the size of the safe zone during dry needling of some muscles. This study aimed to compare the size of the needle safe zone of the iliacus muscle during two different patient positions using ultrasound imaging. Methods: The distance from the anterior inferior iliac spine (AIIS) to the posterior pole of the femoral nerve was measured in 25 healthy participants (11 male, 14 female, mean age = 40) in both supine and sidelying positions using a Chison Eco1 musculoskeletal ultrasound unit. The average distance was calculated for each position and a two-tailed, paired t-test (α < 0.05) was used to examine the difference between positions. Results: The mean distance from the AIIS to the posterior pole of the femoral nerve was statistically greater with participants in the sidelying position (mean[SD] = 35.7 [6.2] mm) than in the supine position (mean[SD] = 32.1 [7.3] mm, p < .001). Discussion: Although more study is needed, these results suggest that patient positioning is one of several potential variables that should be considered in the optimization of patient safety/relative risk when performing trigger point dry needling. Level of Evidence: Level 4 (Pre-Post Test).
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Ball
- a Atrium Health , Carolinas Rehabilitation , Charlotte , NC , USA.,b NxtGen Institute of Physical Therapy , Atlanta , GA , USA.,c Myopain Seminars , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Michelle Finnegan
- c Myopain Seminars , Bethesda , MD , USA.,d ProMove PT Pain Specialists , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Shane Koppenhaver
- e Department of Physical Therapy , Baylor University , Dallas , TX , USA.,f Department of Physical Therapy , South College , Knoxville , TN , USA
| | - Will Freres
- a Atrium Health , Carolinas Rehabilitation , Charlotte , NC , USA.,c Myopain Seminars , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Jan Dommerholt
- c Myopain Seminars , Bethesda , MD , USA.,d ProMove PT Pain Specialists , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Orlando Mayoral Del Moral
- g Hospital Provincial de Toledo , Physical Therapy Unit , Toledo , Spain.,h Orlando Mayoral Clinica de fisiotherapia , Madrid , Spain.,i Seminarios Travell y Simons® , Toledo , Spain
| | - Carel Bron
- j Physical therapy practice for disorders of neck, shoulder and upper extremity , Groningen , Netherlands
| | - Randy Moore
- k MSK Masters , Cincinnati , OH , USA.,l General Musculoskeletal Imaging, Inc , Cincinnati , OH , USA
| | - Erin E Ball
- c Myopain Seminars , Bethesda , MD , USA.,m Novant Health , Charlotte , NC , USA
| | - Emily E Gaffney
- n USA MEDDAC Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care Clinic , Fort Drum , NY , USA
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11
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Ball EE, Adams DM, Dupuie JN, Jones MM, McGovern PG, Ruden RM, Schmidt SR, Vaziri GJ, Eeling JS, Kirk BD, McCombs AL, Rabinowitz AB, Thompson KM, Hudson ZJ, Klaver RW. Serendipity: An Ecologist’s Quest to Understand Nature. J Mammal 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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12
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Bertucci A, Forêt S, Ball EE, Miller DJ. Transcriptomic differences between day and night in Acropora millepora provide new insights into metabolite exchange and light-enhanced calcification in corals. Mol Ecol 2015. [PMID: 26198296 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary success of reef-building corals is often attributed to their symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium, but metabolic interactions between the partners and the molecular bases of light-enhanced calcification (LEC) are not well understood. Here, the metabolic bases of the interaction between the coral Acropora millepora and its dinoflagellate symbiont were investigated by comparing gene expression levels under light and dark conditions at the whole transcriptome level. Among the 497 differentially expressed genes identified, a suite of genes involved in cholesterol transport was found to be upregulated under light conditions, confirming the significance of this compound in the coral symbiosis. Although ion transporters likely to have roles in calcification were not differentially expressed in this study, expression levels of many genes associated with skeletal organic matrix composition and organization were higher in light conditions. This implies that the rate of organic matrix synthesis is one factor limiting calcification at night. Thus, LEC during the day is likely to be a consequence of increases in both matrix synthesis and the supply of precursor molecules as a result of photosynthetic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Bertucci
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811, Australia
| | - S Forêt
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811, Australia.,Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Bldg. 46, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
| | - E E Ball
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811, Australia.,Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Bldg. 46, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
| | - D J Miller
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811, Australia.,Comparative Genomics Centre and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811, Australia
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13
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Becker LA, Kunkel AJ, Brown MR, Ball EE, Williams MT. Effects of dietary phytoestrogen exposure during perinatal period. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2005; 27:825-34. [PMID: 16054801 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2005.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2004] [Revised: 05/25/2005] [Accepted: 05/31/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Developmental effects of phytoestrogens were studied in offspring from pregnant rats who received a free-feeding diet of either rat chow that was very low in phytoestrogens (low phyto), rat chow low in phytoestrogens and given a genistein and diadzein supplement tablet (high phyto), or normal rat chow (normal) from the second week of pregnancy to weaning (postnatal day 21). Measurements of anogenital distance, daily weights, righting reflex and ultrasonic vocalizations were made on neonatal pups and plasma testosterone and corticosterone were assessed in adult males. There was a significant effect of phytoestrogen treatment on USV for all male and female offspring. Differences between groups in daily weights and anogenital distance were attributed to the micronutrient levels of the two rat chow types employed in this study. No differences in righting reflex test, corticosterone levels or testosterone levels were found among treatment conditions. These results are the first demonstration of phytoestrogens affecting USVs and underscore the complexity of the effects of these substances on biobehavioral development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lora A Becker
- Department of Psychology, University of Evansville, Evansville, IN 47722, USA.
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14
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Hayward DC, Trueman JWH, Bastiani MJ, Ball EE. The structure of the USP/RXR of Xenos pecki indicates that Strepsiptera are not closely related to Diptera. Dev Genes Evol 2005; 215:213-9. [PMID: 15660250 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-004-0461-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2004] [Accepted: 12/07/2004] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The receptor for the insect molting hormone, ecdysone, is a heterodimer consisting of the Ecdysone Receptor and Ultraspiracle (USP) proteins. The ligand binding domain sequences of arthropod USPs divide into two distinct groups. One group consists of sequences from members of the holometabolous Lepidoptera and Diptera, while the other arthropod sequences group with vertebrate retinoid-X-receptors (RXRs). We therefore wondered whether USP/RXR structure could be used to clarify the contentious phylogenetic position of the order Strepsiptera, which has proposed affinities with either Diptera or Coleoptera. We have cloned and sequenced the USP/RXR from the strepsipteran Xenos pecki. Phylogenetic analyses are not consistent with a close affinity between Strepsiptera and Diptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Hayward
- Molecular Genetics and Evolution Group and Centre for the Molecular Genetics of Development, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, P.O. Box 475, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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15
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Abstract
We have amplified and sequenced PCR products derived from 10 nuclear receptor (NR) genes from the anthozoan cnidarian Acropora millepora, including five products corresponding to genes not previously reported from the phylum Cnidaria. cDNAs corresponding to seven of these products were sequenced and at least three encode full-length proteins, increasing the number of complete cnidarian NR coding sequences from one to four. All clear orthologs of Acropora NRs either lack an activation domain or lack a known ligand, consistent with the idea that the ancestral nuclear receptor was without a ligand. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that most, and possibly all, presently identified cnidarian NRs are members of NR subfamily 2, suggesting that the common ancestor of all known nuclear receptors most resembled members of this subfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- L C Grasso
- Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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16
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Patel NH, Hayward DC, Lall S, Pirkl NR, DiPietro D, Ball EE. Grasshopper hunchback expression reveals conserved and novel aspects of axis formation and segmentation. Development 2001; 128:3459-72. [PMID: 11566852 DOI: 10.1242/dev.128.18.3459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
While the expression patterns of segment polarity genes such as engrailed have been shown to be similar in Drosophila melanogaster and Schistocerca americana (grasshopper), the expression patterns of pair-rule genes such as even-skipped are not conserved between these species. This might suggest that the factors upstream of pair-rule gene expression are not conserved across insect species. We find that, despite this, many aspects of the expression of the Drosophila gap gene hunchback are shared with its orthologs in the grasshoppers S. americana and L. migratoria.
We have analyzed both mRNA and protein expression during development, and find that the grasshopper hunchback orthologs appear to have a conserved role in early axial patterning of the germ anlagen and in the specification of gnathal and thoracic primordia. In addition, distinct stepped expression levels of hunchback in the gnathal/thoracic domains suggest that grasshopper hunchback may act in a concentration-dependent fashion (as in Drosophila), although morphogenetic activity is not set up by diffusion to form a smooth gradient.
Axial patterning functions appear to be performed entirely by zygotic hunchback, a fundamental difference from Drosophila in which maternal and zygotic hunchback play redundant roles. In grasshoppers, maternal hunchback activity is provided uniformly to the embryo as protein and, we suggest, serves a distinct role in distinguishing embryonic from extra-embryonic cells along the anteroposterior axis from the outset of development – a distinction made in Drosophila along the dorsoventral axis later in development.
Later hunchback expression in the abdominal segments is conserved, as are patterns in the nervous system, and in both Drosophila and grasshopper, hunchback is expressed in a subset of extra-embryonic cells. Thus, while the expected domains of hunchback expression are conserved in Schistocerca, we have found surprising and fundamental differences in axial patterning, and have identified a previously unreported domain of expression in Drosophila that suggests conservation of a function in extra-embryonic patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- N H Patel
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC1028, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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17
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Hayward DC, Catmull J, Reece-Hoyes JS, Berghammer H, Dodd H, Hann SJ, Miller DJ, Ball EE. Gene structure and larval expression of cnox-2Am from the coral Acropora millepora. Dev Genes Evol 2001; 211:10-9. [PMID: 11277400 DOI: 10.1007/s004270000112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We have cloned a Hox-like gene, cnox-2Am, from a staghorn coral, Acropora millepora, an anthozoan cnidarian, and characterised its embryonic and larval expression. cnox-2Am and its orthologs in other cnidarians and Trichoplax most closely resemble the Gsx and, to a lesser extent, Hox 3/4 proteins. Developmental northern blots and in situ hybridisation are consistent in showing that cnox-2Am message appears in the planula larva shortly after the oral/aboral axis is formed following gastrulation. Expression is localised in scattered ectodermal cells with a restricted distribution along the oral/aboral body axis. They are most abundant along the sides of the cylindrical larva, rare in the oral region and absent from the aboral region. These cells, which on morphological grounds we believe to be neurons, are of two types; one tri-or multipolar near the basement membrane and a second extending projections in both directions from a mid-ectodermal nucleus. Anti-RFamide staining reveals neurons with a similar morphology to the cnox-2Am-expressing cells. However, RFamide-expressing neurons are more abundant, especially at the aboral end of the planula, where there is no cnox-2Am expression. The pattern of expression of cnox-2Am resembles that of Gsx orthologs in Drosophila and vertebrates in being expressed in a spatially restricted portion of the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Hayward
- Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra
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18
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Pasquinelli AE, Reinhart BJ, Slack F, Martindale MQ, Kuroda MI, Maller B, Hayward DC, Ball EE, Degnan B, Müller P, Spring J, Srinivasan A, Fishman M, Finnerty J, Corbo J, Levine M, Leahy P, Davidson E, Ruvkun G. Conservation of the sequence and temporal expression of let-7 heterochronic regulatory RNA. Nature 2000; 408:86-9. [PMID: 11081512 DOI: 10.1038/35040556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1642] [Impact Index Per Article: 68.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Two small RNAs regulate the timing of Caenorhabditis elegans development. Transition from the first to the second larval stage fates requires the 22-nucleotide lin-4 RNA, and transition from late larval to adult cell fates requires the 21-nucleotide let-7 RNA. The lin-4 and let-7 RNA genes are not homologous to each other, but are each complementary to sequences in the 3' untranslated regions of a set of protein-coding target genes that are normally negatively regulated by the RNAs. Here we have detected let-7 RNAs of approximately 21 nucleotides in samples from a wide range of animal species, including vertebrate, ascidian, hemichordate, mollusc, annelid and arthropod, but not in RNAs from several cnidarian and poriferan species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Escherichia coli or Arabidopsis. We did not detect lin-4 RNA in these species. We found that let-7 temporal regulation is also conserved: let-7 RNA expression is first detected at late larval stages in C. elegans and Drosophila, at 48 hours after fertilization in zebrafish, and in adult stages of annelids and molluscs. The let-7 regulatory RNA may control late temporal transitions during development across animal phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- A E Pasquinelli
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114, USA
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19
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Abstract
The product of the flightless I gene is predicted to provide a link between molecules of an as yet unidentified signal transduction pathway and the actin cytoskeleton. Previous work has shown that weak and severe mutations of the flightless I locus in Drosophila melanogaster cause disruption in the indirect flight muscles and in embryonic cellularization events, respectively, indicative of a regulatory role for the flightless I protein in cytoskeletal rearrangements. A C-terminal domain within flightless I with significant homology to the gelsolin-like family of actin-binding proteins has been identified, but evidence of a direct interaction between endogenous flightless I and actin remains to be shown. In the present study, chick, mouse and Drosophila melanogaster embryos have been examined and the localization of flightless I investigated in relation to the actin cytoskeleton. It is shown that flightless I localization is coincident with actin-rich regions in parasympathetic neurons harvested from chicks, in mouse blastocysts and in structures associated with cellularization in Drosophila melanogaster.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Davy
- Molecular Signalling Group, Division of Neuroscience, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Ausralian National University, Canberra.
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20
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Miller DJ, Hayward DC, Reece-Hoyes JS, Scholten I, Catmull J, Gehring WJ, Callaerts P, Larsen JE, Ball EE. Pax gene diversity in the basal cnidarian Acropora millepora (Cnidaria, Anthozoa): implications for the evolution of the Pax gene family. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2000; 97:4475-80. [PMID: 10781047 PMCID: PMC18259 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.97.9.4475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pax genes encode a family of transcription factors, many of which play key roles in animal embryonic development but whose evolutionary relationships and ancestral functions are unclear. To address these issues, we are characterizing the Pax gene complement of the coral Acropora millepora, an anthozoan cnidarian. As the simplest animals at the tissue level of organization, cnidarians occupy a key position in animal evolution, and the Anthozoa are the basal class within this diverse phylum. We have identified four Pax genes in Acropora: two (Pax-Aam and Pax-Bam) are orthologs of genes identified in other cnidarians; the others (Pax-Cam and Pax-Dam) are unique to Acropora. Pax-Aam may be orthologous with Drosophila Pox neuro, and Pax-Bam clearly belongs to the Pax-2/5/8 class. The Pax-Bam Paired domain binds specifically and preferentially to Pax-2/5/8 binding sites. The recently identified Acropora gene Pax-Dam belongs to the Pax-3/7 class. Clearly, substantial diversification of the Pax family occurred before the Cnidaria/higher Metazoa split. The fourth Acropora Pax gene, Pax-Cam, may correspond to the ancestral vertebrate Pax gene and most closely resembles Pax-6. The expression pattern of Pax-Cam, in putative neurons, is consistent with an ancestral role of the Pax family in neural differentiation and patterning. We have determined the genomic structure of each Acropora Pax gene and show that some splice sites are shared both between the coral genes and between these and Pax genes in triploblastic metazoans. Together, these data support the monophyly of the Pax family and indicate ancient origins of several introns.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Miller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
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21
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Abstract
The diploblastic Cnidaria form one of the most ancient metazoan phyla and thus provide a useful outgroup for comparative studies of the molecular control of development in the more complex, and more often studied, triploblasts. Among cnidarians, the reef building coral Acropora is a particularly appropriate choice for study. Acropora belongs to the Anthozoa, which several lines of evidence now indicate is the basal class within the phylum Cnidaria, and has the practical advantages that its reproduction is predictable, external and accessible and that the base content of its genome is not strongly biased. The Acropora system has already provided insights into ancestral linkages of homeobox genes and the evolution of the Pax genes, and has the potential to provide further new perspectives on the age, role in development, and evolution of these and other gene families.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Miller
- Department of Biochemistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
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22
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Abstract
We have cloned and characterized a cDNA encoding a putative glutamate transporter, Am-EAAT, from the brain of the honeybee, Apis mellifera. The 543-amino-acid AmEAAT gene product shares the highest sequence identity (54%) with the human EAAT2 subtype. Am-EAAT is expressed predominantly in the brain, and its transcripts are abundant in the optic lobes and inner compact Kenyon cells of the mushroom bodies (MBs), with most other regions of the brain showing lower levels of Am-EAAT expression. High levels of Am-EAAT message are found in pupal stages, possibly indicating a role for glutamate in the developing brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Kucharski
- Visual Sciences, Research School of Biological Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra
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Hayward DC, Bastiani MJ, Trueman JW, Truman JW, Riddiford LM, Ball EE. The sequence of Locusta RXR, homologous to Drosophila Ultraspiracle, and its evolutionary implications. Dev Genes Evol 1999; 209:564-71. [PMID: 10502114 DOI: 10.1007/s004270050290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The cellular response to steroid hormones is mediated by nuclear receptors which act by regulating transcription. In Drosophila melanogaster, the receptor for the insect molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone, is a heterodimer composed of the Ecdysone Receptor and Ultraspiracle (USP) proteins. The DNA binding domains of arthropod USPs and their vertebrate homologs, the retinoid X receptor (RXR) family, are highly conserved. The ligand binding domain sequences, however, divide into two distinct groups. One group consists of sequences from members of the holometabolous higher insect orders Diptera and Lepidoptera, the other of sequences from vertebrates, a crab and a tick. We here report the sequence of an RXR/USP from the hemimetabolous orthopteran, Locusta migratoria. The locust RXR/USP ligand binding domain clearly falls in the vertebrate-crab-tick rather than the dipteran-lepidopteran group. The reason for the evolutionarily abrupt divergence of the dipteran and lepidopteran sequences is unknown, but it could be a change in the type of ligand bound or the loss of ligand altogether.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Hayward
- Molecular Genetics and Evolution Group, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, P.O. Box 475, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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Truman JW, Ball EE. Patterns of embryonic neurogenesis in a primitive wingless insect, the silverfish, Ctenolepisma longicaudata: comparison with those seen in flying insects. Dev Genes Evol 1998; 208:357-68. [PMID: 9732550 DOI: 10.1007/s004270050192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Neurogenesis was examined in the central nervous system of embryos of the primitively wingless insect, the silverfish, Ctenolepisma longicaudata, using staining with toluidine blue (TB) and the incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR). The silverfish has the same number and positioning of neuroblasts as seen in more advanced insects and the relative order in which the different neuroblasts segregate from the neuroectoderm is highly conserved between Ctenolepisma and the grasshopper, Schistocerca. Of the 31 different neuroblasts found in a thoracic segment, one (NB 6-3) has a much longer proliferative period in silverfish. Of the remainder, 14 have similar proliferative phases, while16 neuroblasts have extended their proliferative period by 10% of embryogenesis or greater in the grasshopper as compared with the silverfish. Both insects had similar periods of abdominal neurogenesis except that in the silverfish terminal ganglion a prominent set of neuroblasts continued dividing until close to hatching, possibly reflecting the importance of cercal sensory input in this insect. This comparison between silverfish and grasshopper shows that the shift from wingless to flying insects was not accompanied by the addition of any new neuronal lineages in the thorax. Instead, selected lineages underwent a proliferative expansion to supply the additional neurons presumably needed for flight. The expansion of specific thoracic lineages was accompanied by the reduction of the terminal abdominal lineages as flying insects began to de-emphasize their cercal sensory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- J W Truman
- Research School for Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
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Catmull J, Hayward DC, McIntyre NE, Reece-Hoyes JS, Mastro R, Callaerts P, Ball EE, Miller DJ. Pax-6 origins--implications from the structure of two coral pax genes. Dev Genes Evol 1998; 208:352-6. [PMID: 9716726 DOI: 10.1007/s004270050191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Vertebrate Pax-6 and its Drosophila homolog eyeless play central roles in eye specification, although it is not clear if this represents the ancestral role of this gene class. As the most "primitive" animals with true nervous systems, the Cnidaria may be informative in terms of the evolution of the Pax gene family. For this reason we surveyed the Pax gene complement of a representative of the basal cnidarian class (the Anthozoa), the coral Acropora millepora. cDNAs encoding two coral Pax proteins were isolated. Pax-Aam encoded a protein containing only a paired domain, whereas Pax-Cam also contained a homeodomain clearly related to those in the Pax-6 family. The paired domains in both proteins most resembled the vertebrate Pax-2/5/8 class, but shared several distinctive substitutions. As in most Pax-6 homologs and orthologs, an intron was present in the Pax-Cam locus at a position corresponding to residues 46/47 in the homeodomain. We propose a model for evolution of the Pax family, in which the ancestor of all of the vertebrate Pax genes most resembled Pax-6, and arose via fusion of a Pax-Aam-like gene (encoding only a paired domain) with an anteriorly-expressed homeobox gene resembling the paired-like class.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Catmull
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
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26
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Kucharski R, Maleszka R, Hayward DC, Ball EE. A royal jelly protein is expressed in a subset of Kenyon cells in the mushroom bodies of the honey bee brain. Naturwissenschaften 1998; 85:343-6. [PMID: 9722965 DOI: 10.1007/s001140050512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R Kucharski
- Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Abstract
The ability of certain grasshopper neurons to respond to exogenously applied donors of nitric oxide (NO) by producing cyclic GMP (cGMP) depends on their developmental state. ODQ, a selective blocker of NO-sensitive guanylyl cyclase, blocks cGMP production at 10(-5) M, thus confirming the nature of the response. Experiments in which the distal axon is separated from its proximal stump before application of an NO donor show that guanylyl cyclase is distributed uniformly throughout the neuron. In the locust abdomen, where segments are formed sequentially, the pattern of guanylyl cyclase up-regulation is predictable and sequential from anterior to posterior. There are two patterns of innervation by cGMP-expressing motor neurons. In the first, typified by muscle 187, an innervating neuron begins to be NO responsive on arrival at its muscle and continues to be so over most of the remainder of embryonic development, including the formation of motor end plates. In the second, typified by a neuron innervating muscle 191, the neuron extends well along the muscle, apparently laying down a number of sites of contact with it, before it becomes NO responsive. In both patterns, however, NO responsiveness marks the neuron's transition from growth cone elongation to the production of lateral branches. Individual muscles receive innervation from multiple motor neurons, some of which express transient NO sensitivity during development and others which do not. With the exception of the leg motor neuron SETi, the first motor neuron to reach any muscle is usually not NO responsive. We suggest that cGMP plays a role in, or reflects, the early stages of communication between a target and specific innervating neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- E E Ball
- Molecular Evolution and Systematics Group, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.
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Brower DL, Brower SM, Hayward DC, Ball EE. Molecular evolution of integrins: genes encoding integrin beta subunits from a coral and a sponge. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1997; 94:9182-7. [PMID: 9256456 PMCID: PMC23098 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.94.17.9182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The integrin family of cell surface receptors is strongly conserved in higher animals, but the evolutionary history of integrins is obscure. We have identified and sequenced cDNAs encoding integrin beta subunits from a coral (phylum Cnidaria) and a sponge (Porifera), indicating that these proteins existed in the earliest stages of metazoan evolution. The coral betaCn1 and, especially, the sponge betaPo1 sequences are the most divergent of the "beta1-class" integrins and share a number of features not found in any other vertebrate or invertebrate integrins. Perhaps the greatest difference from other beta subunits is found in the third and fourth repeats of the cysteine-rich stalk, where the generally conserved spacings between cysteines are highly variable, but not similar, in betaCn1 and betaPo1. Alternatively spliced cDNAs, containing a stop codon about midway through the full-length translated sequence, were isolated from the sponge library. These cDNAs appear to define a boundary between functional domains, as they would encode a protein that includes the globular ligand-binding head but would be missing the stalk, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic domains. These and other sequence comparisons with vertebrate integrins are discussed with respect to models of integrin structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- D L Brower
- Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
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Truman JW, De Vente J, Ball EE. Nitric oxide-sensitive guanylate cyclase activity is associated with the maturational phase of neuronal development in insects. Development 1996; 122:3949-58. [PMID: 9012515 DOI: 10.1242/dev.122.12.3949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Many developing insect neurones pass through a phase when they respond to nitric oxide (NO) by producing cyclic GMP. Studies on identified grasshopper motoneurones show that this NO sensitivity appears after the growth cone has arrived at its target but before it has started to send out branches. NO sensitivity typically ends as synaptogenesis is nearing completion. Data from interneurones and sensory neurones are also consistent with the hypothesis that NO sensitivity appears as a developing neurone changes from axonal outgrowth to maturation and synaptogenesis. Cyclic GMP likely constitutes part of a retrograde signalling pathway between a neurone and its synaptic partner. NO sensitivity also appears in some mature neurones at times when they may be undergoing synaptic rearrangement. Comparative studies on other insects indicate that the association between an NO-sensitive guanylate cyclase and synaptogenesis is an ancient one, as evidenced by its presence in both ancient and more recently evolved insect groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- J W Truman
- Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra.
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Abstract
We have cloned and characterized the Antennapedia (Antp) gene from the grasshopper Schistocerca americana. The Antennapedia protein contains seven blocks of sequence, including the homeodomain, that are conserved in the homologous proteins of other insects, interspersed with (usually repetitive) sequences unique to each species. There is no similarity between 1.8 kb of 3' untranslated sequence in grasshopper and Drosophila. We examined Antennapedia protein expression in grasshopper using an antibody raised against a grasshopper fusion protein and reexamined its expression in Drosophila using several different antibodies. Early patterns of expression in the two insects are quite different, reflecting differing modes of early development. However, by the germband stage, expression patterns are quite similar, with relatively uniform epithelial expression throughout the thoracic and abdominal segments which later retracts to the thorax. Expression is observed in muscle pioneers, the peripheral nervous system, and the central nervous system (CNS). In the CNS expression is initially limited to a few neurons, but eventually becomes widespread. Both insects show strong expression in certain homologous identified neurons and similar temporal modulation of expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Hayward
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- G S Boyan
- Zoologisches Institut, Universität Basel, Switzerland
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Bastiani MJ, de Couet HG, Quinn JM, Karlstrom RO, Kotrla K, Goodman CS, Ball EE. Position-specific expression of the annulin protein during grasshopper embryogenesis. Dev Biol 1992; 154:129-42. [PMID: 1426622 DOI: 10.1016/0012-1606(92)90054-k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Annulin, named for its annular expression in developing limb buds, is a approximately 100 kDa membrane-associated protein that is expressed in a complex and changing pattern during grasshopper embryogenesis. Its expression is dynamic along the developing midline and in the mesoderm, transient in neuroepithelial sheath cells around mitotic neuroblasts, and position-specific in circumferential stripes in each limb bud segment. Annulin expression begins along the midline of the embryo at the onset of gastrulation. Mesoderm cells express the protein as they migrate away from the midline as do new cells that come to lie at the midline. During neurogenesis, annulin expression disappears from many midline cells until only a specific subset of midline glial cells expresses high levels of the protein. Starting at the beginning of neurogenesis, sheath cells express annulin in correlation with the mitotic activity of the neuroblasts they surround.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Bastiani
- Molecular Neurobiology Group, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T
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33
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Abstract
The development of Drosophila is typical of the so-called long germband mode of insect development, in which the pattern of segments is established by the end of the blastoderm stage. Short germband insects, such as the grasshopper Schistocerca americana, by contrast, generate all or most of their metameric pattern after the blastoderm stage by the sequential addition of segments during caudal elongation. This difference is discernible at the molecular level in the pattern of initiation of the segment polarity gene engrailed, and the homeotic gene abdominal-A (ref. 5). For example, in both types of insects, engrailed is expressed by the highly conserved germband stage in a pattern of regularly spaced stripes, one stripe per segment. In Drosophila, the complete pattern is visible by the end of the blastoderm stage, although engrailed appears initially in alternate segments in a pair-rule pattern that reflects its known control by pair-rule genes such as even-skipped. In contrast, in the grasshopper, the engrailed stripes appear one at a time after the blastoderm stage as the embryo elongates. To address the molecular basis for this difference, we have cloned the grasshopper homologue of the Drosophila pair-rule gene even-skipped and show that it does not serve a pair-rule function in early development, although it does have a similar function in both insects during neurogenesis later in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- N H Patel
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720
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Ball EE, Rehm EJ, Goodman CS. Cloning of a grasshopper cDNA coding for a protein homologous to the A1, A2/B1 proteins of mammalian hnRNP. Nucleic Acids Res 1991; 19:397. [PMID: 1901646 PMCID: PMC333610 DOI: 10.1093/nar/19.2.397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- E E Ball
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720
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O'Desky RI, Ball MJ, Ball EE. Computers in health care for the 21st century. Methods Inf Med 1990; 29:158-61. [PMID: 2342431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
As the world enters the last decade of the 20th Century, there is a great deal of speculation about the effect of computers on the future delivery of health care. In this article, the authors attempt to identify some of the evolving computer technologies and anticipate what effect they will have by the year 2000. Rather than listing potential accomplishments, each of the affected areas: hardware, software, health care systems and communications, are presented in an evolutionary manner so the reader can better appreciate where we have been and where we are going.
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Boyan GS, Ball EE. Neuronal organization and information processing in the wind-sensitive cercal receptor/giant interneurone system of the locus and other orthopteroid insects. Prog Neurobiol 1990; 35:217-43. [PMID: 2236578 DOI: 10.1016/0301-0082(90)90028-f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- G S Boyan
- Molecular Neurobiology Group, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra City
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Myers CM, Whitington PM, Ball EE. Embryonic development of the innervation of the locust extensor tibiae muscle by identified neurons: formation and elimination of inappropriate axon branches. Dev Biol 1990; 137:194-206. [PMID: 2295365 DOI: 10.1016/0012-1606(90)90020-j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Intracellular dye fills have been used to reveal the pattern of embryonic growth of each of the four neurons which innervate the extensor tibiae muscle (ETi) of the hind leg of the locust. The growth cone of the slow extensor tibiae motoneuron (SETi), the first of the four neurons to leave the central nervous system, pioneers nerve 3 (N3). The fast extensor motoneuron (FETi), the next neuron to grow out, follows earlier outgrowing motoneurons into the periphery in nerve 5 (N5) and then rejoins SETi in N3. As it transfers from N5 to N3, it is transiently dye-coupled to the Tr1 pioneer neuron which spans the gap between the two nerves. It then follows SETi onto the ETi muscle in the femur. The common inhibitory neuron and the dorsal unpaired median neuron (DUMETi) follow SETi and FETi in nerves 3B2 and 5B1, respectively. SETi's growth cone requires almost twice as long to reach ETi as those of the three later motoneurons, all of which follow preexisting neural pathways. At least three of the four developing motoneurons form one or more axon branches not found in the adult. These branches may occur (1) at segmental boundaries; (2) where the nerve, which the growth cone is following, itself branches or the growth cone encounters another nerve; or (3) when the axon continues to grow beyond its target muscle. These findings contrast with the apparent absence of inappropriate axon branches in another developing locust neuromuscular system and during the innervation of zebrafish myotomes, but resemble in some ways the transient production of inappropriate axonal branches reported for embryonic leech motoneurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Myers
- Molecular Neurobiology Group, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT
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Abstract
Several monoclonal antibodies raised against a glycoprotein-enriched fraction of adult muscle membranes of Locusta migratoria selectively stain particles within haemocytes and basement membrane in developing locust embryos. Haemocytes containing immunoreactive particles are found associated with areas where basement membrane is being laid down. The underlying ectoderm does not show immunoreactivity. We conclude that haemocytes contribute to basement membrane formation in embryonic locusts.
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Affiliation(s)
- E E Ball
- Department of Neurobiology, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra City, ACT
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Abstract
Much is known about the development of nerve pathways in the metathoracic limb bud of the grasshopper embryo. In this series of three papers, we report on the development of muscles in the same embryonic appendage. In a fourth paper (E. E. Ball, R. K. Ho, and C. S. Goodman, 1985, J. Neurosci, in press) we examine the development of specific neuromuscular connections for one of these muscles (coxal muscle 133a). In this first paper, we present an overview of the development of muscles, nerves, and apodemes (tendons). We previously reported on a class of large mesodermal cells, called muscle pioneers (MPs), that arises early in development and appears to act as a scaffold for developing muscles and guidance cue for motoneuron growth cones (R. K. Ho, E. E. Ball, and C. S. Goodman, 1983, Nature (London) 301, 66-69). We have used the I-5 monoclonal antibody (which specifically labels the MPs as well as the nerve pathways), HRP immunocytochemistry, and Normarski optics to visualize muscle, nerve, and apodeme development in the embryonic metathoracic limb bud from 27.5% (before the appearance of the MPs) to 55% (after the muscles have attained their basic adult pattern). Cell fusions, cell migration, and cell death all appear to play important roles in the development of MPs. The patterns of muscle development vary greatly, ranging from (i) single MPs for simple muscles (which in the adult have only one bundle of muscle fibers, e.g., coxal muscle 133a), to (ii) arrays of MPs for complex muscles [which in the adult have many bundles of muscle fibers each with separate sites of insertion, e.g., the extensor tibiae (ETi) and flexor tibiae (FlTi) muscles in the femur].
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40
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Abstract
The flexor (FlTi) and extensor (ETi) tibiae are antagonist muscles located in the femur of the metathoracic leg of the grasshopper. Both are complex, consisting of an array of bundles of muscle fibers connecting the ectoderm of the wall of the femur with their respective apodemes. In the previous paper (E. E. Ball and C. S. Goodman, 1985, Dev. Biol. 111, 399-416) we described the embryonic development of the ETi muscle, focusing in particular on its syncytial origin from a giant supramuscle pioneer which later divides into an array of individual muscle pioneers. Here we describe the embryonic development of the FlTi muscle. In contrast to the development of the ETi muscle, the array of individual muscle pioneers for the FlTi does not have a syncytial origin but rather arises by sequential recruitment from the mass of smaller, undifferentiated mesoderm cells. The FlTi MPs first appear as two cells symmetrically placed on the corners of the FlTi apodeme at around 37%. A third MP is then added between these two; this third MP later dies. Subsequent growth occurs by symmetrical addition of MPs distally along the sides of the developing apodeme and by enlargement of the individual MPs. Initially each MP contains only a single nucleus; by about 50% there are at least two to three nuclei per MP and each is surrounded by a cluster of smaller, undifferentiated mesoderm cells. Each MP develops into a bundle of muscle fibers by a cycle of fusion and division. The individual mesoderm cells surrounding each MP fuse with it starting at about 60%. At the same time, the large MP begins to divide into smaller muscle fibers.
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Abstract
The extensor tibiae muscle (ETi) in the metathoracic leg of the grasshopper, which powers the jump, is among the most studied insect muscles. In contrast to many insect muscles which are simple (consisting of only a single bundle of muscle fibers), the ETi is a complex muscle which consists of an array of bundles of muscle fibers, each with a separate site of insertion on the body wall ectoderm and on the ETi apodeme ectoderm. Here we describe the embryonic development of this complex muscle. The ETi muscle develops from a single muscle pioneer (MP) which connects the initial invagination of the ETi apodeme to the wall of the femur. This MP then dramatically expands around the developing apodeme to form a large horseshoe-shaped, multinucleate cell, called the supramuscle pioneer (supra-MP); the number of nuclei in the supra-MP increases by cell fusion rather than by nuclear division. The arms of the supra-MP grow steadily longer and their outer edges begin to appear scalloped, certain areas remaining tightly apposed to the ectoderm of the wall of the leg while adjacent areas lose their adhesion and are pulled away. By about 50% of embryonic development the ETi supra-MP consists of a periodic series of bridges (cytoplasmic extensions) connecting the leg wall ectoderm with the apodeme, and linked into a giant syncytium near their inner, apodeme surface by a thin layer of cytoplasm containing hundreds of nuclei. Each bridge is surrounded by a cluster of many smaller mesoderm cells. Next the syncytium begins to divide such that by 60% the periodic bridges of the supra-MP have lost syncytial contact with each other and now themselves form an array of smaller, individual, multinucleate MPs connecting the body wall to the apodeme, each surrounded by a mass of undifferentiated mesoderm cells. This initial cycle of fusion and division is followed by a second similar cycle in which the individual mesoderm cells surrounding each MP fuse with the MP. At the same time, the MP divides into the initial bundle of smaller muscle fibers. Coincident with this division into muscle fibers is the further development of thick and thin filaments and the T-tubule system.
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Ball EE, Ho RK, Goodman CS. Development of neuromuscular specificity in the grasshopper embryo: guidance of motoneuron growth cones by muscle pioneers. J Neurosci 1985; 5:1808-19. [PMID: 4020420 PMCID: PMC6565103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In the grasshopper embryo, neuromuscular specificity develops between individual identified motoneurons whose cell bodies are located in the central nervous system, and specific skeletal muscles in the periphery. We previously reported on a class of large mesodermal cells, called muscle pioneers (MPs), that arise early in development (Ho, R. K., E. E. Ball, and C. S. Goodman (1983) Nature 301: 66-69). We suggested that the MPs might be involved in orchestrating the coordinated development of nerve and muscle. In this paper, we describe the development of the MP for coxal muscle 133a in the metathoracic limb bud, and its innervation by two excitatory motoneurons (fast, Df, and slow, Ds). Although many motoneuron growth cones extend out of nerve 5 and quite likely come in contact with the 133a MP between 35% and 45% of development, only Df and Ds display a high affinity for its surface; the other motoneurons innervate more distal leg muscles. When the 133a MP is ablated before arrival of motoneurons in the limb bud, the Df growth cone extends past the location where it normally gets off nerve 5 and continues to extend distally along the same pathway taken by its sibling motoneuron. Although there is a mass of small mesodermal cells in the area where the differentiated coxal muscle 133a normally forms, evidently it does not provide the necessary guidance cue for the Df growth cone. These results indicate the important role played by MPs in the specific guidance of motoneuron growth cones in the grasshopper embryo.
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Ho RK, Ball EE, Goodman CS. Muscle pioneers: large mesodermal cells that erect a scaffold for developing muscles and motoneurones in grasshopper embryos. Nature 1983; 301:66-9. [PMID: 6337338 DOI: 10.1038/301066a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
During embryonic development, muscles differentiate in the appropriate places and motoneurone growth cones find the appropriate muscles; both events occur concurrently and with remarkable specificity. What are the cellular interactions that orchestrate this coordinated development of nerve and muscle? In the development of vertebrate skeletal muscles, motoneurone growth cones arrive in the periphery along stereotyped routes and enter the appropriately located masses of mesodermal cells usually before differentiated muscle fibres appear and before the masses cleave into separate muscles. We find that a similar sequence of events occurs in the grasshopper embryo. We are interested in how mesodermal cells become organized into the appropriate muscles and what guides motoneurone growth cones to their appropriate targets. Fortunately, in the grasshopper embryo the mesodermal cells in the periphery and motoneurones in the central nervous system (CNS) are large, accessible and in many cases individually identifiable from early in their development. We report here the discovery of a class of large mesodermal cells, which we call muscle pioneers, that arise early in development when the embryonic environment is relatively simple and distances short. By their growth and association with particular sites along the ectoderm, the muscle pioneers appear to erect a scaffold for later developing muscles and motoneurone growth cones.
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Ball EE, Stone RC. The cercal receptor system of the praying mantid, Archimantis brunneriana Sauss. I. Cercal morphology and receptor types. Cell Tissue Res 1982; 224:55-70. [PMID: 7201349 DOI: 10.1007/bf00217266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The cerci of the praying mantid, Archimantis brunneriana Sauss., are paired segmented sensory organs located at the tip of the abdomen. Basally the cercal segments are slightly flattened dorso-ventrally and are fused to such a degree that it is difficult to distinguish them. Distally the segments become progressively more flattened laterally and their boundaries become more obvious. Two types of sensilla are present on the cerci, trichoid sensilla and filiform sensilla. Trichoid hairs are longest on the medial side of the cerci and toward the middle of each segment while they are more uniformly distributed on the distal segments. Filiform sensilla are found at the distal end of each segment except the last and are highly variable in appearance from short and stout to long and thin. They arise from a raised base, have a fluted shaft, and some have a pore at the tip. They are innervated by from one to five dendrites, one of which is always considerably larger than the others. Some of the dendrites continue out into the shaft of the hair. Filiform hairs have fluted shafts and are mounted in a flexible membrane within a cuticular ring in a depression. They are innervated by a single large sensory neuron, the dendrite of which passes across a flattened area on the inner wall of the lumen of the hair. The dendritic sheath forms the lining of the ecdysial canal and is therefore firmly attached to the hair. The dendrite is attached to the sheath by desmosomes distally and is penetrated by projections of the sheath more proximally. A fibrous cap surrounds the dendrite and may hold it in place relative to the hair. The cercal receptor system of Archimantis is compared to those of cockroaches and crickets.
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Ball EE, Boyan GS, Stone RC. The cercal receptor system of the praying mantid, Archimantis brunneriana Sauss. II. Cercal nerve structure and projection and electrophysiological responses of the individual receptors. Cell Tissue Res 1982; 224:71-80. [PMID: 7201350 DOI: 10.1007/bf00217267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The bilaterally paired cercal nerves of Archimantis brunneriana Sauss. leave the terminal ganglion posteriorly and then turn dorsally through muscles at the rear of the abdomen to enter the cerci, where each splits into two branches; successive branchings occur further distally in each cercus. In the distal nerve branches large axons tend to be grouped together. The cercal nerves are heavily wrapped in glial sheaths. Cobalt backfills of the cercal nerve reveal a projection which enters the ganglion at approximately 30 degrees to the midline and then turns parallel to it. Most of the projection remains ipsilateral but bundles of axons approach or cross the midline in 6-8 places. At the anterior end of the ganglion there are strong projections both laterally and medially. In the posterior half of the ganglion fibers run ventrally to surround two glomeruli and there is a dorsal projection in the anterior half of the ganglion. There is a strong projection anteriorly into the ventral nerve cord. The electrophysiological responses of single cercal receptors to pulses of wind were recorded in the cercal nerve or terminal ganglion. These receptors, presumed to innervate filiform hairs, were then filled with Lucifer Yellow. All had ipsilateral projections. Most receptors showed little adaptation to stimuli as long as 5 seconds.
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Ball EE. Structure of the auditory system of the weta Hemideina crassidens (Blanchard, 1851). (Orthoptera, Ensifera, Gryllacridoidea, Stenopelmatidae). 2. Ultrastructure of the auditory sensilla. Cell Tissue Res 1981; 217:345-59. [PMID: 7237531 DOI: 10.1007/bf00233585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
This study of the ultrastructure of the auditory sensilla of the New Zealand weta, Hemideina crassidens, is the first such study on a member of the orthopteran Superfamily Gryllacridoidea. Ultrastructure of the auditory sensilla is similar in all of the tibial mechanosensory organs, here called subgenual organ, intermediate organ and crista acoustica by analogy with comparable structures in Tettigoniidae. Distal to each sensory soma is a dendrite containing multiple ciliary rootlets that fuse into a single ciliary root. This splits into nine root processes that pass around the outside of the proximal basal body and then rejoin at the level of the distal basal body, distal to which the dendrite has a modified ciliary structure with a circlet of nine peripheral paired tubes and rods as it passes through the proximal extracellular space. It is then enclosed by a zone of scolopale cell cytoplasm before expanding into a dilatation within the distal extracellular space. In some sensilla this space is partially occluded by electron dense material which is part of the scolopale cell. Distal to the dilatation the cilium shrinks and ends surrounded by the scolopale cap. Accessory cells consist of glia enwrapping the sensory neuron in the region of its soma, the scolopale cell surrouinding the ciliary portion of the dendrite, and the attachment cell surrounding the scolopale cell and scolopale cap and connected to them by desmosomes. The attachment cells are filled with microtubules in differing densities and orientations. Lamellae are present in the acellular matrix surrounding the attachment cells. Banded fibres, presumably of collagen, are also present in the matrix.
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Ball EE, Field LH. Structure of the auditory system of the weta Hemideina crassidens (blanchard, 1851) (Orthoptera, Ensifera, Gryllacridoidea, Stenopelmatidae). 1. Morphology and histology. Cell Tissue Res 1981; 217:321-43. [PMID: 7237530 DOI: 10.1007/bf00233584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The morphology and histology of the tibial auditory system of the New Zealand weta, Hemideina crassidens, are described. The groups of acoustic sensilla conform closely to the subgenual organ, intermediate organ and crista acoustica of the Tettigoniidae. Each prothoracic tibia bears two thick (40-100 micrometers) tympana of approximately equal size divided into two distinct zones. The tracheae of the prothoracic legs are connected across the midline by a transverse commissure and by a chiasma between the ventral longitudinal trunks. No expanded vesicle ("vesicula acoustica") is associated with the spiracle. The anterior and posterior tracheae are divided into three distinct regions within the tibia: (1) a bulbous proximal posterior inflated chamber, (2) the tympanal vesicles to which the tympana attach, and (3) an elongate distal posterior inflated chamber. The pattern of innervation in the tympanal region is similar to that of gryllids as is the central projection of the tympanal nerve. The subgenual organ, which contains ca. 50 sensilla, forms an acute angle with the wall of the leg. The intermediate organ contains ca. 19 sensilla forming an arc against the anterior wall of the leg. The crista acoustica contains ca. 50 sensilla aligned in a gelatinous matrix along the dorsal surface of the anterior tympanal vesicle. Each dendrite projects distally, then is reflected proximally and dorsally to end in a scolopale embedded in an attachment cell. The attachment cells are stellate in the proximal portion of the crista, but distally they occur as parallel lamellae. The weta ear is compared with those of other Orthoptera.
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Ball EE, Cowan AN. Ultrastructural study of the development of the auditory tympana in the cricket Teleogryllus commodus (Walker). J Embryol Exp Morphol 1978; 46:75-87. [PMID: 702037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The cuticle in the tympanal area of immature crickets, Teleogryllus commodus (Walker), is ultrastructurally indistinguishable from that elsewhere on the prothoracic leg. It is only in the pharate adult that changes associated with development of the tympana first appear. In pharate adults and adults the external layer of the tympana consists of a layer of electron-dense material overlying a layer where the electron-dense material is interspersed with cuticle in which the bundles of microfibrils are coarser and more loosely arranged than elsewhere in the leg. The innermost portion of the tympana consists of this same type of cuticle without the electron-dense material. Associated with the appearance of the electron-dense material in the tympana of the pharate adult is a change in the toluidine blue staining properties from blue to deep purple. The reaction of the tympana in acid and base is consistent with their being composed of chitin. There are no major deposits of resilin in the tympana. In the first few days following the imaginal ecdysis the posterior tympanum and underlying trachea come into tight apposition due to the withdrawal of the epidermal cells. The epidermal cells do not withdraw from beneath the anterior tympanum. The surrounding non-tympanal cuticle continues to thicken for several weeks with the result that in the mature adult the posterior tympanum serves as an acoustic window in the thick cuticle of the leg. The functional significance of the anterior tympanum has not been established.
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Ball EE, Cowan AN. Ultrastructure of the antennal sensilla of Acetes (Crustaces, Decapoda, Natantia, Sergestidae). Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 1977; 277:429-57. [PMID: 16300 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.1977.0027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many mesopelagic shrimps, including all Sergestidae and some Penaeidae, have long second antennae with similar patterns of setation. The morphology of the antenna and the ultrastructure of five types of antennal setae of the sergestid
Acetes sibogae australis
are described. The basal portion of the antenna of
Acetes
is normally held at about right angles to the long axis of the body; the antenna has a right-angle bend about a third of the way along its length and its distal two-thirds trails parallel to the body as the animal swims. Distal to the flexure each antennal segment bears a pair of type 1 setae, which bear lateral setules forming an almost closed tube on the medial side of the antenna. Although they have elaborate tracts leading from them, we believe that the type 1 setae are uninnervated. Two kinds of type 2 setae project into the lumen of the tube formed by the type 1 setae; thick type 2B setae have abundant setules nearly occluding the lumen of the tube and occur only just beyond the flexure; thin type 2A setae have fewer setules and occur at widening intervals along the full length of the tube. Both kinds are innervated by four neurones, three of which bear a ciliary dendrite, one a paraciliary dendrite. These four dendrites lose their microtubular structure proximal to the setal base but the tubule containing their amorphous extensions is fastened to the base of the seta by an amorphous electron-dense material. Both kinds of type 2 setae have a well-developed scolopale and are almost certainly mechanoreceptors. The proximal portion of the antenna bears four types of setae. Type 3 setae are paired, unadorned cylinders with a pore at the tip; although externally similar the type 3 A setae are innervated by three dendrites and the type 3 B by eight to ten. The dendrites of both 3 A and 3B setae have a short ciliary segment and poorly developed scolopales. Type 3 setae are probably chemoreceptors. A single setule-bearing type 4 seta occurs at the distal end of each segment of the basal third of the antenna closely associated with a pair of type 3 setae. Type 4 setae are innervated by three neurones each bearing a ciliary dendrite. These dendrites fuse distally and are attached to the wall of the seta at its base by dense amorphous material. Type 4’s have a well-developed scolopale and are probably mechanoreceptors. Type 5 setae are setule bearing, located on the posterior side of the antenna, and larger than the type 4’s, but their internal structure is identical to that of the type 4’s and they are also presumed mechanoreceptors. There are four to seven pairs of sparsely setuled type 6 setae found only within the antennal flexure and paired, setule-bearing type 7 setae are located at the tip of the antenna. Both types are presumed mechanoreceptors but their ultrastructure was not investigated. Literature on the ultrastructure of crustacean sensilla is summarized and compared with the results of the present study. Setal function and arrangement are then discussed in terms of the known behaviour and ecology of sergestids.
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Abstract
Pelagic amphipods belonging to the genus Phronima have four compound eyes; two lateral eyes and two large transparent medial eyes which comprise the entire top of the head. The eyes are structurally similar but the crystalline cones of the medial eyes are more than twenty times as long as those of the lateral eyes, reaching 5 mm in a large animal. The dioptric system of each ommatidium consists of an unfaceted cornea, a layer of hypodermal cells, two rudimentary cone cells, two cells which surround and form the crystalline cone, and the cone itself. The cone and its surrounding cells penetrate the layer of accessory pigment cells which surrounds the retina. The fused rhabdom is formed by the five retinula cells but is separated from them by an extracellular palisade which is crossed by bridges. The retinula cell nuclei lie proximal to the basement membrane. Further proximally the bundle of retinula cell axons is crossed by a second basement membrane, which surrounds each axon with a collar. Medial and lateral eyes on each side of the head share a common lamina. The medial eyes of Phronima appear to be a solution to the problem of remaining inconspicuous to predators while still maintaining sensitivity and resolution.
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