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Pozdnyakov IR, Selyuk AO, Kalashnikova VA, Karpov SA. HMG-B transcription factors of unicellular opisthokonts and their relatedness to the Sox-Tcf/Lef-Mata proteins of Metazoa and fungi. Gene 2024; 921:148520. [PMID: 38702020 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148520] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
A phylogenetic analysis of transcription factors of the Sox-Tcf/Lef-Mata (STM) family of the HMG-B superfamily was carried out in order to clarify the evolutionary roots of the Wnt signaling pathway in unicellular organisms. The data set for analysis included protein sequences of metazoans, fungi, unicellular opisthokonts, apusomonads and amoebozoans. The topology of the phylogenetic tree suggests that STM-related proteins arose in the common ancestor of Opisthokonta and Amoebozoa, two of amoebozoan STM proteins are sister-related to opisthokont ones and the three known lineages of STM transcription factors (STM family in narrow sence) are found in Opisthokonta only. Of these, the holozoan Sox protein branch is the result of either the first or second branching, that originated in the common ancestor of Opisthokonta. The lineage containing Tcf/Lef proteins (holozoan) and the lineage containing Mata proteins (holomycotan) are sister. They derived either at the time of the Holozoa and Holomycota divergence or originate from two paralogs of the common ancestor of Opisthokonta, which arose after the separation of the Sox lineage. Interaction with Armadillo-like proteins may be an original feature of the STM protein family and existed in the unicellular ancestors of multicellular animals; a connection is possible between the presence of Mata-related proteins in Aphelidium protococcorum and specific genome feature of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor R Pozdnyakov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.
| | - Alexey O Selyuk
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia; Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg University, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Vera A Kalashnikova
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg University, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Sergey A Karpov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
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2
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Zhang P, Zhu Y, Guo Q, Li J, Zhan X, Yu H, Xie N, Tan H, Lundholm N, Garcia-Cuetos L, Martin MD, Subirats MA, Su YH, Ruiz-Trillo I, Martindale MQ, Yu JK, Gilbert MTP, Zhang G, Li Q. On the origin and evolution of RNA editing in metazoans. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112112. [PMID: 36795564 PMCID: PMC9989829 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing of nuclear-transcribed mRNAs is the hallmark of metazoan transcriptional regulation. Here, by profiling the RNA editomes of 22 species that cover major groups of Holozoa, we provide substantial evidence supporting A-to-I mRNA editing as a regulatory innovation originating in the last common ancestor of extant metazoans. This ancient biochemistry process is preserved in most extant metazoan phyla and primarily targets endogenous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) formed by evolutionarily young repeats. We also find intermolecular pairing of sense-antisense transcripts as an important mechanism for forming dsRNA substrates for A-to-I editing in some but not all lineages. Likewise, recoding editing is rarely shared across lineages but preferentially targets genes involved in neural and cytoskeleton systems in bilaterians. We conclude that metazoan A-to-I editing might first emerge as a safeguard mechanism against repeat-derived dsRNA and was later co-opted into diverse biological processes due to its mutagenic nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Zhang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Qunfei Guo
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ji Li
- BGI Research-Wuhan, BGI, Wuhan 430074, China
| | | | - Hao Yu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Nianxia Xie
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | | | - Nina Lundholm
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lydia Garcia-Cuetos
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael D Martin
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway; Center for Theoretical Evolutionary Genomics, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | | | - Yi-Hsien Su
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, UPF-CSIC Barcelona, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Bilogia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mark Q Martindale
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA
| | - Jr-Kai Yu
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan; Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Yilan 26242, Taiwan
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway; Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Guojie Zhang
- Center of Evolutionary and Organismal Biology, & Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China; Villum Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Qiye Li
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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3
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Urrutia A, Mitsi K, Foster R, Ross S, Carr M, Ward GM, van Aerle R, Marigomez I, Leger MM, Ruiz-Trillo I, Feist SW, Bass D. Txikispora philomaios n. sp., n. g., a Micro-Eukaryotic Pathogen of Amphipods, Reveals Parasitism and Hidden Diversity in Class Filasterea. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2021; 69:e12875. [PMID: 34726818 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This study provides a morphological, ultrastructural, and phylogenetic characterization of a novel micro-eukaryotic parasite (2.3-2.6 µm) infecting amphipod genera Echinogammarus and Orchestia. Longitudinal studies across two years revealed that infection prevalence peaked in late April and May, reaching 64% in Echinogammarus sp. and 15% in Orchestia sp., but was seldom detected during the rest of the year. The parasite infected predominantly haemolymph, connective tissue, tegument, and gonad, although hepatopancreas and nervous tissue were affected in heavier infections, eliciting melanization and granuloma formation. Cell division occurred inside walled parasitic cysts, often within host haemocytes, resulting in haemolymph congestion. Small subunit (18S) rRNA gene phylogenies including related environmental sequences placed the novel parasite as a highly divergent lineage within Class Filasterea, which together with Choanoflagellatea represent the closest protistan relatives of Metazoa. We describe the new parasite as Txikispora philomaios n. sp. n. g., the first confirmed parasitic filasterean lineage, which otherwise comprises four free-living flagellates and a rarely observed endosymbiont of snails. Lineage-specific PCR probing of other hosts and surrounding environments only detected T. philomaios in the platyhelminth Procerodes sp. We expand the known diversity of Filasterea by targeted searches of metagenomic datasets, resulting in 13 previously unknown lineages from environmental samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ander Urrutia
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8UB, UK.,Cell Biology in Environmental Toxicology Research Group, Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology (Faculty of Science and Technology), Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Areatza Pasealekua z/g, Plentzia, 48620, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Konstantina Mitsi
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, 08003, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Rachel Foster
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Stuart Ross
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8UB, UK
| | - Martin Carr
- School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Georgia M Ward
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Ronny van Aerle
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8UB, UK
| | - Ionan Marigomez
- Cell Biology in Environmental Toxicology Research Group, Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology (Faculty of Science and Technology), Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Areatza Pasealekua z/g, Plentzia, 48620, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Michelle M Leger
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, 08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Centre for Comparative Genomics and evolutionary Bioinformatics, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, 08003, Catalonia, Spain.,Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, 08028, Catalonia, Spain.,ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, 08010, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Stephen W Feist
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8UB, UK
| | - David Bass
- International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT4 8UB, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
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4
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Strother PK, Brasier MD, Wacey D, Timpe L, Saunders M, Wellman CH. A possible billion-year-old holozoan with differentiated multicellularity. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2658-2665.e2. [PMID: 33852871 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.051] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Sediments of the Torridonian sequence of the Northwest Scottish Highlands contain a wide array of microfossils, documenting life in a non-marine setting a billion years ago (1 Ga).1-4 Phosphate nodules from the Diabaig Formation at Loch Torridon preserve microorganisms with cellular-level fidelity,5,6 allowing for partial reconstruction of the developmental stages of a new organism, Bicellum brasieri gen. et sp. nov. The mature form of Bicellum consists of a solid, spherical ball of tightly packed cells (a stereoblast) of isodiametric cells enclosed in a monolayer of elongated, sausage-shaped cells. However, two populations of naked stereoblasts show mixed cell shapes, which we infer to indicate incipient development of elongated cells that were migrating to the periphery of the cell mass. These simple morphogenetic movements could be explained by differential cell-cell adhesion.7,8 In fact, the basic morphology of Bicellum is topologically similar to that of experimentally produced cell masses that were shown to spontaneously segregate into two distinct domains based on differential cadherin-based cell adhesion.9 The lack of rigid cell walls in the stereoblast renders an algal affinity for Bicellum unlikely: its overall morphology is more consistent with a holozoan origin. Unicellular holozoans are known today to form multicellular stages within complex life cycles,10-13 so the occurrence of such simple levels of transient multicellularity seen here is consistent with a holozoan affinity. Regardless of precise phylogenetic placement, these fossils demonstrate simple cell differentiation and morphogenic processes that are similar to those seen in some metazoans today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul K Strother
- Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Weston Observatory of Boston College, 381 Concord Road, Weston, MA 02493, USA.
| | - Martin D Brasier
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
| | - David Wacey
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Leslie Timpe
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
| | - Martin Saunders
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Charles H Wellman
- Department of Animal & Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
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5
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Ros-Rocher N, Pérez-Posada A, Leger MM, Ruiz-Trillo I. The origin of animals: an ancestral reconstruction of the unicellular-to-multicellular transition. Open Biol 2021; 11:200359. [PMID: 33622103 PMCID: PMC8061703 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
How animals evolved from a single-celled ancestor, transitioning from a unicellular lifestyle to a coordinated multicellular entity, remains a fascinating question. Key events in this transition involved the emergence of processes related to cell adhesion, cell–cell communication and gene regulation. To understand how these capacities evolved, we need to reconstruct the features of both the last common multicellular ancestor of animals and the last unicellular ancestor of animals. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the characterization of these ancestors, inferred by comparative genomic analyses between the earliest branching animals and those radiating later, and between animals and their closest unicellular relatives. We also provide an updated hypothesis regarding the transition to animal multicellularity, which was likely gradual and involved the use of gene regulatory mechanisms in the emergence of early developmental and morphogenetic plans. Finally, we discuss some new avenues of research that will complement these studies in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Ros-Rocher
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alberto Pérez-Posada
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CSIC-Universidad Pablo de Olavide), Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain
| | - Michelle M Leger
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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6
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Tikhonenkov DV, Mikhailov KV, Hehenberger E, Karpov SA, Prokina KI, Esaulov AS, Belyakova OI, Mazei YA, Mylnikov AP, Aleoshin VV, Keeling PJ. New Lineage of Microbial Predators Adds Complexity to Reconstructing the Evolutionary Origin of Animals. Curr Biol 2020; 30:4500-4509.e5. [PMID: 32976804 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The origin of animals is one of the most intensely studied evolutionary events, and our understanding of this transition was greatly advanced by analyses of unicellular relatives of animals, which have shown many "animal-specific" genes actually arose in protistan ancestors long before the emergence of animals [1-3]. These genes have complex distributions, and the protists have diverse lifestyles, so understanding their evolutionary significance requires both a robust phylogeny of animal relatives and a detailed understanding of their biology [4, 5]. But discoveries of new animal-related lineages are rare and historically biased to bacteriovores and parasites. Here, we characterize the morphology and transcriptome content of a new animal-related lineage, predatory flagellate Tunicaraptor unikontum. Tunicaraptor is an extremely small (3-5 μm) and morphologically simple cell superficially resembling some fungal zoospores, but it survives by preying on other eukaryotes, possibly using a dedicated but transient "mouth," which is unique for unicellular opisthokonts. The Tunicaraptor transcriptome encodes a full complement of flagellar genes and the flagella-associated calcium channel, which is only common to predatory animal relatives and missing in microbial parasites and grazers. Tunicaraptor also encodes several major classes of animal cell adhesion molecules, as well as transcription factors and homologs of proteins involved in neurodevelopment that have not been found in other animal-related lineages. Phylogenomics, including Tunicaraptor, challenges the existing framework used to reconstruct the evolution of animal-specific genes and emphasizes that the diversity of animal-related lineages may be better understood only once the smaller, more inconspicuous animal-related lineages are better studied. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis V Tikhonenkov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok 152742, Russia; Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Kirill V Mikhailov
- Belozersky Institute for Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia; Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 127051, Russia.
| | - Elisabeth Hehenberger
- Ocean EcoSystems Biology Unit, RD3, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Duesternbrookerweg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Sergei A Karpov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia; Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Kristina I Prokina
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok 152742, Russia; Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Anton S Esaulov
- Department of Zoology and Ecology, Penza State University, Penza 440026, Russia
| | - Olga I Belyakova
- Department of Zoology and Ecology, Penza State University, Penza 440026, Russia
| | - Yuri A Mazei
- Department of General Ecology and Hydrobiology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia; A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Alexander P Mylnikov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok 152742, Russia
| | - Vladimir V Aleoshin
- Belozersky Institute for Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia; Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 127051, Russia
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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Tikhonenkov DV, Hehenberger E, Esaulov AS, Belyakova OI, Mazei YA, Mylnikov AP, Keeling PJ. Insights into the origin of metazoan multicellularity from predatory unicellular relatives of animals. BMC Biol 2020; 18:39. [PMID: 32272915 PMCID: PMC7147346 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-0762-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The origin of animals from their unicellular ancestor was one of the most important events in evolutionary history, but the nature and the order of events leading up to the emergence of multicellular animals are still highly uncertain. The diversity and biology of unicellular relatives of animals have strongly informed our understanding of the transition from single-celled organisms to the multicellular Metazoa. Here, we analyze the cellular structures and complex life cycles of the novel unicellular holozoans Pigoraptor and Syssomonas (Opisthokonta), and their implications for the origin of animals. RESULTS Syssomonas and Pigoraptor are characterized by complex life cycles with a variety of cell types including flagellates, amoeboflagellates, amoeboid non-flagellar cells, and spherical cysts. The life cycles also include the formation of multicellular aggregations and syncytium-like structures, and an unusual diet for single-celled opisthokonts (partial cell fusion and joint sucking of a large eukaryotic prey), all of which provide new insights into the origin of multicellularity in Metazoa. Several existing models explaining the origin of multicellular animals have been put forward, but these data are interestingly consistent with one, the "synzoospore hypothesis." CONCLUSIONS The feeding modes of the ancestral metazoan may have been more complex than previously thought, including not only bacterial prey, but also larger eukaryotic cells and organic structures. The ability to feed on large eukaryotic prey could have been a powerful trigger in the formation and development of both aggregative (e.g., joint feeding, which also implies signaling) and clonal (e.g., hypertrophic growth followed by palintomy) multicellular stages that played important roles in the emergence of multicellular animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis V Tikhonenkov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia, 152742.
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Elisabeth Hehenberger
- Ocean EcoSystems Biology Unit, RD3, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Duesternbrookerweg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Alexander P Mylnikov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia, 152742
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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8
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Hehenberger E, Eitel M, Fortunato SAV, Miller DJ, Keeling PJ, Cahill MA. Early eukaryotic origins and metazoan elaboration of MAPR family proteins. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2020; 148:106814. [PMID: 32278076 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The membrane-associated progesterone receptor (MAPR) family consists of heme-binding proteins containing a cytochrome b5 (cytb5) domain characterized by the presence of a MAPR-specific interhelical insert region (MIHIR) between helices 3 and 4 of the canonical cytb5-domain fold. Animals possess three MAPR genes (PGRMC-like, Neuferricin and Neudesin). Here we show that all three animal MAPR genes were already present in the common ancestor of the opisthokonts (comprising animals and fungi as well as related single-celled taxa). All three MAPR genes acquired extensions C-terminal to the cytb5 domain, either before or with the evolution of animals. The archetypical MAPR protein, progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1), contains phosphorylated tyrosines Y139 and Y180. The combination of Y139/Y180 appeared in the common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians, along with an early embryological organizer and synapsed neurons, and is strongly conserved in all bilaterian animals. A predicted protein interaction motif in the PGRMC1 MIHIR is potentially regulated by Y139 phosphorylation. A multilayered model of animal MAPR function acquisition includes some pre-metazoan functions (e.g., heme binding and cytochrome P450 interactions) and some acquired animal-specific functions that involve regulation of strongly conserved protein interaction motifs acquired by animals (Metazoa). This study provides a conceptual framework for future studies, against which especially PGRMC1's multiple functions can perhaps be stratified and functionally dissected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Hehenberger
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Michael Eitel
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Paleontology and Geobiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Sofia A V Fortunato
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - David J Miller
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Michael A Cahill
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia; ACRF Department of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
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9
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Bartas M, Brázda V, Červeň J, Pečinka P. Characterization of p53 Family Homologs in Evolutionary Remote Branches of Holozoa. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 21:ijms21010006. [PMID: 31861340 PMCID: PMC6981761 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The p53 family of transcription factors plays key roles in development, genome stability, senescence and tumor development, and p53 is the most important tumor suppressor protein in humans. Although intensively investigated for many years, its initial evolutionary history is not yet fully elucidated. Using bioinformatic and structure prediction methods on current databases containing newly-sequenced genomes and transcriptomes, we present a detailed characterization of p53 family homologs in remote members of the Holozoa group, in the unicellular clades Filasterea, Ichthyosporea and Corallochytrea. Moreover, we show that these newly characterized homologous sequences contain domains that can form structures with high similarity to the human p53 family DNA-binding domain, and some also show similarities to the oligomerization and SAM domains. The presence of these remote homologs demonstrates an ancient origin of the p53 protein family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Bartas
- Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic; (M.B.)
| | - Václav Brázda
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic;
| | - Jiří Červeň
- Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic; (M.B.)
| | - Petr Pečinka
- Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic; (M.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +420-553-46-2318
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10
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Bråte J, Neumann RS, Fromm B, Haraldsen AAB, Tarver JE, Suga H, Donoghue PCJ, Peterson KJ, Ruiz-Trillo I, Grini PE, Shalchian-Tabrizi K. Unicellular Origin of the Animal MicroRNA Machinery. Curr Biol 2018; 28:3288-3295.e5. [PMID: 30318349 PMCID: PMC6206976 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 07/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of multicellular animals was associated with an increase in phenotypic complexity and with the acquisition of spatial cell differentiation and embryonic development. Paradoxically, this phenotypic transition was not paralleled by major changes in the underlying developmental toolkit and regulatory networks. In fact, most of these systems are ancient, established already in the unicellular ancestors of animals [1-5]. In contrast, the Microprocessor protein machinery, which is essential for microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis in animals, as well as the miRNA genes themselves produced by this Microprocessor, have not been identified outside of the animal kingdom [6]. Hence, the Microprocessor, with the key proteins Pasha and Drosha, is regarded as an animal innovation [7-9]. Here, we challenge this evolutionary scenario by investigating unicellular sister lineages of animals through genomic and transcriptomic analyses. We identify in Ichthyosporea both Drosha and Pasha (DGCR8 in vertebrates), indicating that the Microprocessor complex evolved long before the last common ancestor of animals, consistent with a pre-metazoan origin of most of the animal developmental gene elements. Through small RNA sequencing, we also discovered expressed bona fide miRNA genes in several species of the ichthyosporeans harboring the Microprocessor. A deep, pre-metazoan origin of the Microprocessor and miRNAs comply with a view that the origin of multicellular animals was not directly linked to the innovation of these key regulatory components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Bråte
- Centre for Epigenetics, Development and Evolution (CEDE) and Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution (CIME), Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ralf S Neumann
- Centre for Epigenetics, Development and Evolution (CEDE) and Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution (CIME), Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bastian Fromm
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Arthur A B Haraldsen
- Centre for Epigenetics, Development and Evolution (CEDE) and Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution (CIME), Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - James E Tarver
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Hiroshi Suga
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Nanatsuka 562, Shobara, Hiroshima 727-0023, Japan
| | | | - Kevin J Peterson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003 Barcelona, Spain; ICREA, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paul E Grini
- Centre for Epigenetics, Development and Evolution (CEDE) and Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution (CIME), Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kamran Shalchian-Tabrizi
- Centre for Epigenetics, Development and Evolution (CEDE) and Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution (CIME), Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
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11
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Parra-Acero H, Ros-Rocher N, Perez-Posada A, Kożyczkowska A, Sánchez-Pons N, Nakata A, Suga H, Najle SR, Ruiz-Trillo I. Transfection of Capsaspora owczarzaki, a close unicellular relative of animals. Development 2018; 145:dev.162107. [PMID: 29752387 PMCID: PMC6001378 DOI: 10.1242/dev.162107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
How animals emerged from their unicellular ancestor remains a major evolutionary question. New genome data from the closest unicellular relatives of animals have provided important insights into the evolution of animal multicellularity. We know that the unicellular ancestor of animals had an unexpectedly complex genetic repertoire, including many genes that are key to animal development and multicellularity. Thus, assessing the function of these genes among unicellular relatives of animals is key to understanding how they were co-opted at the onset of the Metazoa. However, such analyses have been hampered by the lack of genetic tools. Progress has been made in choanoflagellates and teretosporeans, two of the three lineages closely related to animals, whereas no tools are yet available for functional analysis in the third lineage: the filastereans. Importantly, filastereans have a striking repertoire of genes involved in transcriptional regulation and other developmental processes. Here, we describe a reliable transfection method for the filasterean Capsaspora owczarzaki. We also provide a set of constructs for visualising subcellular structures in live cells. These tools convert Capsaspora into a unique experimentally tractable organism to use to investigate the origin and evolution of animal multicellularity. Summary: Development of genetic tools in a close unicellular relative of animals, the filasterean Capsaspora owczarzaki, will open new opportunities for functional studies to understand the transition to animal multicellularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Parra-Acero
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Núria Ros-Rocher
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alberto Perez-Posada
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Aleksandra Kożyczkowska
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Núria Sánchez-Pons
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Azusa Nakata
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Nanatsuka 5562, Shobara, Hiroshima 727-0023, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Suga
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Nanatsuka 5562, Shobara, Hiroshima 727-0023, Japan
| | - Sebastián R Najle
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR-CONICET) and Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Ocampo y Esmeralda s/n, Rosario S2000FHQ, Argentina
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain .,Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 645, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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12
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Tong K, Wang Y, Su Z. Phosphotyrosine signalling and the origin of animal multicellularity. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0681. [PMID: 28768887 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of multicellular animals (i.e. metazoans) from a unicellular ancestor is one of the most important yet least understood evolutionary transitions. Historically, given its indispensable functions in intercellular communication and exclusive presence in metazoans, phosphotyrosine (pTyr) signalling was considered a metazoan-specific evolutionary innovation that might have contributed to the origin of metazoan multicellularity. However, recent studies have led to a new understanding of pTyr signalling evolution and its role in the metazoan origin. Sequence analyses have unravelled a much earlier emergence of pTyr signalling in eukaryotic evolution. Even so, several distinct properties of holozoan pTyr signalling may have paved the way for a hypothesized functional transition of pTyr signalling at the multicellular origin, from environmental sensing to intercellular communication, and for it to evolve as a powerful intercellular signalling system for multicellularity. Biochemical analyses of premetazoan pTyr signalling components have further revealed the premetazoan origin of many key features of metazoan pTyr signalling, and the metazoan establishment of others, including the Csk-mediated negative regulation of the activity of Src, a conserved tyrosine kinase in the Holozoa. Finally, potential future directions are discussed, with a stress on the biological functions of premetazoan pTyr signalling via newly developed gene manipulation tools in non-animal holozoans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Tong
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuyu Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhixi Su
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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13
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Hehenberger E, Tikhonenkov DV, Kolisko M, Del Campo J, Esaulov AS, Mylnikov AP, Keeling PJ. Novel Predators Reshape Holozoan Phylogeny and Reveal the Presence of a Two-Component Signaling System in the Ancestor of Animals. Curr Biol 2017. [PMID: 28648822 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [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: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of the origin of animals has been transformed by characterizing their most closely related, unicellular sisters: the choanoflagellates, filastereans, and ichthyosporeans. Together with animals, these lineages make up the Holozoa [1, 2]. Many traits previously considered "animal specific" were subsequently found in other holozoans [3, 4], showing that they evolved before animals, although exactly when is currently uncertain because several key relationships remain unresolved [2, 5]. Here we report the morphology and transcriptome sequencing from three novel unicellular holozoans: Pigoraptor vietnamica and Pigoraptor chileana, which are related to filastereans, and Syssomonas multiformis, which forms a new lineage with Corallochytrium in phylogenomic analyses. All three species are predatory flagellates that feed on large eukaryotic prey, and all three also appear to exhibit complex life histories with several distinct stages, including multicellular clusters. Examination of genes associated with multicellularity in animals showed that the new filastereans contain a cell-adhesion gene repertoire similar to those of other species in this group. Syssomonas multiformis possessed a smaller complement overall but does encode genes absent from the earlier-branching ichthyosporeans. Analysis of the T-box transcription factor domain showed expansion of T-box transcription factors based on combination with a non-T-box domain (a receiver domain), which has not been described outside of vertebrates. This domain and other domains we identified in all unicellular holozoans are part of the two-component signaling system that has been lost in animals, suggesting the continued use of this system in the closest relatives of animals and emphasizing the importance of studying loss of function as well as gain in major evolutionary transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Hehenberger
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Denis V Tikhonenkov
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yaroslavl Region, Borok 152742, Russia
| | - Martin Kolisko
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Javier Del Campo
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Anton S Esaulov
- Department of Microbiology, Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, Penza State University, Lermontov Street 37, Penza 440026, Russia
| | - Alexander P Mylnikov
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yaroslavl Region, Borok 152742, Russia
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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14
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Abstract
Myosins are key components of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton, providing motility for a broad diversity of cargoes. Therefore, understanding the origin and evolutionary history of myosin classes is crucial to address the evolution of eukaryote cell biology. Here, we revise the classification of myosins using an updated taxon sampling that includes newly or recently sequenced genomes and transcriptomes from key taxa. We performed a survey of eukaryotic genomes and phylogenetic analyses of the myosin gene family, reconstructing the myosin toolkit at different key nodes in the eukaryotic tree of life. We also identified the phylogenetic distribution of myosin diversity in terms of number of genes, associated protein domains and number of classes in each taxa. Our analyses show that new classes (i.e., paralogs) and domain architectures were continuously generated throughout eukaryote evolution, with a significant expansion of myosin abundance and domain architectural diversity at the stem of Holozoa, predating the origin of animal multicellularity. Indeed, single-celled holozoans have the most complex myosin complement among eukaryotes, with paralogs of most myosins previously considered animal specific. We recover a dynamic evolutionary history, with several lineage-specific expansions (e.g., the myosin III-like gene family diversification in choanoflagellates), convergence in protein domain architectures (e.g., fungal and animal chitin synthase myosins), and important secondary losses. Overall, our evolutionary scheme demonstrates that the ancestral eukaryote likely had a complex myosin repertoire that included six genes with different protein domain architectures. Finally, we provide an integrative and robust classification, useful for future genomic and functional studies on this crucial eukaryotic gene family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnau Sebé-Pedrós
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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15
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de Mendoza A, Sebé-Pedrós A, Šestak MS, Matejcic M, Torruella G, Domazet-Loso T, Ruiz-Trillo I. Transcription factor evolution in eukaryotes and the assembly of the regulatory toolkit in multicellular lineages. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:E4858-66. [PMID: 24277850 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1311818110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) are the main players in transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes. However, it remains unclear what role TFs played in the origin of all of the different eukaryotic multicellular lineages. In this paper, we explore how the origin of TF repertoires shaped eukaryotic evolution and, in particular, their role into the emergence of multicellular lineages. We traced the origin and expansion of all known TFs through the eukaryotic tree of life, using the broadest possible taxon sampling and an updated phylogenetic background. Our results show that the most complex multicellular lineages (i.e., those with embryonic development, Metazoa and Embryophyta) have the most complex TF repertoires, and that these repertoires were assembled in a stepwise manner. We also show that a significant part of the metazoan and embryophyte TF toolkits evolved earlier, in their respective unicellular ancestors. To gain insights into the role of TFs in the development of both embryophytes and metazoans, we analyzed TF expression patterns throughout their ontogeny. The expression patterns observed in both groups recapitulate those of the whole transcriptome, but reveal some important differences. Our comparative genomics and expression data reshape our view on how TFs contributed to eukaryotic evolution and reveal the importance of TFs to the origins of multicellularity and embryonic development.
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16
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Sebé-Pedrós A, Ariza-Cosano A, Weirauch MT, Leininger S, Yang A, Torruella G, Adamski M, Adamska M, Hughes TR, Gómez-Skarmeta JL, Ruiz-Trillo I. Early evolution of the T-box transcription factor family. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:16050-5. [PMID: 24043797 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1309748110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental transcription factors are key players in animal multicellularity, being members of the T-box family that are among the most important. Until recently, T-box transcription factors were thought to be exclusively present in metazoans. Here, we report the presence of T-box genes in several nonmetazoan lineages, including ichthyosporeans, filastereans, and fungi. Our data confirm that Brachyury is the most ancient member of the T-box family and establish that the T-box family diversified at the onset of Metazoa. Moreover, we demonstrate functional conservation of a homolog of Brachyury of the protist Capsaspora owczarzaki in Xenopus laevis. By comparing the molecular phenotype of C. owczarzaki Brachyury with that of homologs of early branching metazoans, we define a clear difference between unicellular holozoan and metazoan Brachyury homologs, suggesting that the specificity of Brachyury emerged at the origin of Metazoa. Experimental determination of the binding preferences of the C. owczarzaki Brachyury results in a similar motif to that of metazoan Brachyury and other T-box classes. This finding suggests that functional specificity between different T-box classes is likely achieved by interaction with alternative cofactors, as opposed to differences in binding specificity.
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17
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Grau-Bové X, Sebé-Pedrós A, Ruiz-Trillo I. A genomic survey of HECT ubiquitin ligases in eukaryotes reveals independent expansions of the HECT system in several lineages. Genome Biol Evol 2013; 5:833-47. [PMID: 23563970 PMCID: PMC3673628 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evt052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The posttranslational modification of proteins by the ubiquitination pathway is an important regulatory mechanism in eukaryotes. To date, however, studies on the evolutionary history of the proteins involved in this pathway have been restricted to E1 and E2 enzymes, whereas E3 studies have been focused mainly in metazoans and plants. To have a wider perspective, here we perform a genomic survey of the HECT family of E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases, an important part of this posttranslational pathway, in genomes from representatives of all major eukaryotic lineages. We classify eukaryotic HECTs and reconstruct, by phylogenetic analysis, the putative repertoire of these proteins in the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA). Furthermore, we analyze the diversity and complexity of protein domain architectures of HECTs along the different extant eukaryotic lineages. Our data show that LECA had six different HECTs and that protein expansion and N-terminal domain diversification shaped HECT evolution. Our data reveal that the genomes of animals and unicellular holozoans considerably increased the molecular and functional diversity of their HECT system compared with other eukaryotes. Other eukaryotes, such as the Apusozoa Thecanomas trahens or the Heterokonta Phytophthora infestans, independently expanded their HECT repertoire. In contrast, plant, excavate, rhodophyte, chlorophyte, and fungal genomes have a more limited enzymatic repertoire. Our genomic survey and phylogenetic analysis clarifies the origin and evolution of different HECT families among eukaryotes and provides a useful phylogenetic framework for future evolutionary studies of this regulatory pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Grau-Bové
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Arnau Sebé-Pedrós
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Departament de Genètica, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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Sebé-Pedrós A, Ruiz-Trillo I. Integrin-mediated adhesion complex: Cooption of signaling systems at the dawn of Metazoa. Commun Integr Biol 2011; 3:475-7. [PMID: 21057645 DOI: 10.4161/cib.3.5.12603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2010] [Accepted: 06/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The integrin-mediated adhesion machinery is the primary cell-matrix adhesion mechanism in Metazoa. The integrin adhesion complex, which modulates important aspects of the cell physiology, is composed of integrins (alpha and beta subunits) and several scaffolding and signaling proteins. Integrins appeared to be absent in all non-metazoan eukaryotes so-far analyzed, including fungi, plants and choanoflagellates, the sister-group to Metazoa. Thus, integrins and, therefore, the integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling mechanism was considered a metazoan innovation. Recently, a broad comparative genomic analysis including new genome data from several unicellular organisms closely related to fungi and metazoans shattered previous views. The integrin adhesion and signaling complex is not specific to Metazoa, but rather it is present in apusozoans and holozoan protists. Thus, this important signaling and adhesion system predated the origin of Fungi and Metazoa, and was subsequently lost in fungi and choanoflagellates. This finding suggests that cooption played a more important role in the origin of Metazoa than previously believed. Here, we hypothesize that the integrin adhesome was ancestrally involved in signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnau Sebé-Pedrós
- Departament de Genítica; Facultat de Biologia; Av. Diagonal 645 Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona, Spain
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