1
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Istiban MN, De Fruyt N, Kenis S, Beets I. Evolutionary conserved peptide and glycoprotein hormone-like neuroendocrine systems in C. elegans. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2024; 584:112162. [PMID: 38290646 PMCID: PMC11004728 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2024.112162] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Peptides and protein hormones form the largest group of secreted signals that mediate intercellular communication and are central regulators of physiology and behavior in all animals. Phylogenetic analyses and biochemical identifications of peptide-receptor systems reveal a broad evolutionary conservation of these signaling systems at the molecular level. Substantial progress has been made in recent years on characterizing the physiological and putative ancestral roles of many peptide systems through comparative studies in invertebrate models. Several peptides and protein hormones are not only molecularly conserved but also have conserved roles across animal phyla. Here, we focus on functional insights gained in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that, with its compact and well-described nervous system, provides a powerful model to dissect neuroendocrine signaling networks involved in the control of physiology and behavior. We summarize recent discoveries on the evolutionary conservation and knowledge on the functions of peptide and protein hormone systems in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majdulin Nabil Istiban
- Neural Signaling and Circuit Plasticity, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nathan De Fruyt
- Neural Signaling and Circuit Plasticity, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Signe Kenis
- Neural Signaling and Circuit Plasticity, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Isabel Beets
- Neural Signaling and Circuit Plasticity, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
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2
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Mörsdorf D, Knabl P, Genikhovich G. Highly conserved and extremely evolvable: BMP signalling in secondary axis patterning of Cnidaria and Bilateria. Dev Genes Evol 2024:10.1007/s00427-024-00714-4. [PMID: 38472535 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-024-00714-4] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Bilateria encompass the vast majority of the animal phyla. As the name states, they are bilaterally symmetric, that is with a morphologically clear main body axis connecting their anterior and posterior ends, a second axis running between their dorsal and ventral surfaces, and with a left side being roughly a mirror image of their right side. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling has widely conserved functions in the formation and patterning of the second, dorso-ventral (DV) body axis, albeit to different extents in different bilaterian species. Whilst initial findings in the fruit fly Drosophila and the frog Xenopus highlighted similarities amongst these evolutionarily very distant species, more recent analyses featuring other models revealed considerable diversity in the mechanisms underlying dorsoventral patterning. In fact, as phylogenetic sampling becomes broader, we find that this axis patterning system is so evolvable that even its core components can be deployed differently or lost in different model organisms. In this review, we will try to highlight the diversity of ways by which BMP signalling controls bilaterality in different animals, some of which do not belong to Bilateria. Future research combining functional analyses and modelling is bound to give us some understanding as to where the limits to the extent of the evolvability of BMP-dependent axial patterning may lie.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Mörsdorf
- Dept. Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of Vienna, UBB, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Paul Knabl
- Dept. Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of Vienna, UBB, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution (VDSEE), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Grigory Genikhovich
- Dept. Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of Vienna, UBB, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
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3
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Knabl P, Schauer A, Pomreinke AP, Zimmermann B, Rogers KW, Čapek D, Müller P, Genikhovich G. Analysis of SMAD1/5 target genes in a sea anemone reveals ZSWIM4-6 as a novel BMP signaling modulator. eLife 2024; 13:e80803. [PMID: 38323609 PMCID: PMC10849676 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80803] [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] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BMP signaling has a conserved function in patterning the dorsal-ventral body axis in Bilateria and the directive axis in anthozoan cnidarians. So far, cnidarian studies have focused on the role of different BMP signaling network components in regulating pSMAD1/5 gradient formation. Much less is known about the target genes downstream of BMP signaling. To address this, we generated a genome-wide list of direct pSMAD1/5 target genes in the anthozoan Nematostella vectensis, several of which were conserved in Drosophila and Xenopus. Our ChIP-seq analysis revealed that many of the regulatory molecules with documented bilaterally symmetric expression in Nematostella are directly controlled by BMP signaling. We identified several so far uncharacterized BMP-dependent transcription factors and signaling molecules, whose bilaterally symmetric expression may be indicative of their involvement in secondary axis patterning. One of these molecules is zswim4-6, which encodes a novel nuclear protein that can modulate the pSMAD1/5 gradient and potentially promote BMP-dependent gene repression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Knabl
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution (VDSEE), University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Alexandra Schauer
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | | | - Bob Zimmermann
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | | | | | - Patrick Müller
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck SocietyTübingenGermany
- University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Grigory Genikhovich
- Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
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4
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Mussini G, Dunn FS. Decline and fall of the Ediacarans: late-Neoproterozoic extinctions and the rise of the modern biosphere. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:110-130. [PMID: 37667585 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13014] [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] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
The end-Neoproterozoic transition marked a gradual but permanent shift between distinct configurations of Earth's biosphere. This interval witnessed the demise of the enigmatic Ediacaran Biota, ushering in the structured trophic webs and disparate animal body plans of Phanerozoic ecosystems. However, little consensus exists on the reality, drivers, and macroevolutionary implications of end-Neoproterozoic extinctions. Here we evaluate potential drivers of late-Neoproterozoic turnover by addressing recent findings on Ediacaran geochronology, the persistence of classical Ediacaran macrobionts into the Cambrian, and the existence of Ediacaran crown-group eumetazoans. Despite renewed interest in the possibility of Phanerozoic-style 'mass extinctions' in the latest Neoproterozoic, our synthesis of the available evidence does not support extinction models based on episodic geochemical triggers, nor does it validate simple ecological interpretations centred on direct competitive displacement. Instead, we argue that the protracted and indirect effects of early bilaterian innovations, including escalations in sediment engineering, predation, and the largely understudied impacts of reef-building, may best account for the temporal structure and possible selectivity of late-Neoproterozoic extinctions. We integrate these processes into a generalised model of early eumetazoan-dominated ecologies, charting the disruption of spatial and temporal isotropy on the Ediacaran benthos as a consequence of diversifying macrofaunal interactions. Given the nature of resource distribution in Ediacaran ecologies, the continuities among Ediacaran and Cambrian faunas, and the convergent origins of ecologically disruptive innovations among bilaterians we suggest that the rise of Phanerozoic-type biotas may have been unstoppable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Mussini
- Department of Earth Sciences, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Frances S Dunn
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PW, UK
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5
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Moroz LL, Romanova DY. Chemical cognition: chemoconnectomics and convergent evolution of integrative systems in animals. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1851-1864. [PMID: 38015282 PMCID: PMC11106658 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01833-7] [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] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Neurons underpin cognition in animals. However, the roots of animal cognition are elusive from both mechanistic and evolutionary standpoints. Two conceptual frameworks both highlight and promise to address these challenges. First, we discuss evidence that animal neural and other integrative systems evolved more than once (convergent evolution) within basal metazoan lineages, giving us unique experiments by Nature for future studies. The most remarkable examples are neural systems in ctenophores and neuroid-like systems in placozoans and sponges. Second, in addition to classical synaptic wiring, a chemical connectome mediated by hundreds of signal molecules operates in tandem with neurons and is the most information-rich source of emerging properties and adaptability. The major gap-dynamic, multifunctional chemical micro-environments in nervous systems-is not understood well. Thus, novel tools and information are needed to establish mechanistic links between orchestrated, yet cell-specific, volume transmission and behaviors. Uniting what we call chemoconnectomics and analyses of the cellular bases of behavior in basal metazoan lineages arguably would form the foundation for deciphering the origins and early evolution of elementary cognition and intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonid L Moroz
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, Saint Augustine, USA.
| | - Daria Y Romanova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS, Moscow, Russia
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6
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Noda T, Satoh N, Gittenberger E, Asami T. Left-Right Reversal Recurrently Evolved Regardless of Diaphanous-Related Formin Gene Duplication or Loss in Snails. J Mol Evol 2023; 91:721-729. [PMID: 37747557 PMCID: PMC10598177 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-023-10130-3] [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] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Bilateria exhibit whole-body handedness in internal structure. This left-right polarity is evolutionarily conserved with virtually no reversed extant lineage, except in molluscan Gastropoda. Phylogenetically independent snail groups contain both clockwise-coiled (dextral) and counterclockwise-coiled (sinistral) taxa that are reversed from each other in bilateral handedness as well as in coiling direction. Within freshwater Hygrophila, Lymnaea with derived dextrality have diaphanous related formin (diaph) gene duplicates, while basal sinistral groups possess one diaph gene. In terrestrial Stylommatophora, dextral Bradybaena also have diaph duplicates. Defective maternal expression of one of those duplicates gives rise to sinistral hatchlings in Lymnaea and handedness-mixed broods in Bradybaena, through polarity change in spiral cleavage of embryos. These findings led to the hypothesis that diaph duplication was crucial for the evolution of dextrality by reversal. The present study discovered that diaph duplication independently occurred four times and its duplicate became lost twice in gastropods. The dextrality of Bradybaena represents the ancestral handedness conserved across gastropods, unlike the derived dextrality of Lymnaea. Sinistral lineages recurrently evolved by reversal regardless of whether diaph had been duplicated. Amongst the seven formin gene subfamilies, diaph has most thoroughly been conserved across eukaryotes of the 14 metazoan phyla and choanoflagellate. Severe embryonic mortalities resulting from insufficient expression of the duplicate in both of Bradybaena and Lymnaea also support that diaph duplicates bare general roles for cytoskeletal dynamics other than controlling spiralian handedness. Our study rules out the possibility that diaph duplication or loss played a primary role for reversal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Noda
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Japan.
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan.
| | - Noriyuki Satoh
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Edmund Gittenberger
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- GiMaRIS, Sassenheim, Netherlands
| | - Takahiro Asami
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Japan
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Mulhair PO, McCarthy CGP, Siu-Ting K, Creevey CJ, O'Connell MJ. Filtering artifactual signal increases support for Xenacoelomorpha and Ambulacraria sister relationship in the animal tree of life. Curr Biol 2022; 32:5180-5188.e3. [PMID: 36356574 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Conflicting studies place a group of bilaterian invertebrates containing xenoturbellids and acoelomorphs, the Xenacoelomorpha, as either the primary emerging bilaterian phylum1,2,3,4,5,6 or within Deuterostomia, sister to Ambulacraria.7,8,9,10,11 Although their placement as sister to the rest of Bilateria supports relatively simple morphology in the ancestral bilaterian, their alternative placement within Deuterostomia suggests a morphologically complex ancestral bilaterian along with extensive loss of major phenotypic traits in the Xenacoelomorpha. Recent studies have questioned whether Deuterostomia should be considered monophyletic at all.10,12,13 Hidden paralogy and poor phylogenetic signal present a major challenge for reconstructing species phylogenies.14,15,16,17,18 Here, we assess whether these issues have contributed to the conflict over the placement of Xenacoelomorpha. We reanalyzed published datasets, enriching for orthogroups whose gene trees support well-resolved clans elsewhere in the animal tree.16 We find that most genes in previously published datasets violate incontestable clans, suggesting that hidden paralogy and low phylogenetic signal affect the ability to reconstruct branching patterns at deep nodes in the animal tree. We demonstrate that removing orthogroups that cannot recapitulate incontestable relationships alters the final topology that is inferred, while simultaneously improving the fit of the model to the data. We discover increased, but ultimately not conclusive, support for the existence of Xenambulacraria in our set of filtered orthogroups. At a time when we are progressing toward sequencing all life on the planet, we argue that long-standing contentious issues in the tree of life will be resolved using smaller amounts of better quality data that can be modeled adequately.19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter O Mulhair
- Computational and Molecular Evolutionary Biology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; Computational and Molecular Evolutionary Biology Research Group, School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Charley G P McCarthy
- Computational and Molecular Evolutionary Biology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Karen Siu-Ting
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Christopher J Creevey
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Mary J O'Connell
- Computational and Molecular Evolutionary Biology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; Computational and Molecular Evolutionary Biology Research Group, School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
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8
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Abstract
The Hox gene cluster, responsible for patterning of the head-tail axis, is an ancestral feature of all bilaterally symmetrical animals (the Bilateria) that remains intact in a wide range of species. We can say that the Hox cluster evolved successfully only once since it is commonly the same in all groups, with labial-like genes at one end of the cluster expressed in the anterior embryo, and Abd-B-like genes at the other end of the cluster expressed posteriorly. This review attempts to make sense of the Hox gene cluster and to address the following questions. How did the Hox cluster form in the protostome-deuterostome last common ancestor, and why was this with a particular head-tail polarity? Why is gene clustering usually maintained? Why is there collinearity between the order of genes along the cluster and the positions of their expressions along the embryo? Why do the Hox gene expression domains overlap along the embryo? Why have vertebrates duplicated the Hox cluster? Why do Hox gene knockouts typically result in anterior homeotic transformations? How do animals adapt their Hox clusters to evolve new structural patterns along the head-tail axis?
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Gaunt
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
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9
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Kotwica-Rolinska J, Chodáková L, Smýkal V, Damulewicz M, Provazník J, Wu BCH, Hejníková M, Chvalová D, Doležel D. Loss of Timeless Underlies an Evolutionary Transition within the Circadian Clock. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 39:6454103. [PMID: 34893879 PMCID: PMC8789273 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [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] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Most organisms possess time-keeping devices called circadian clocks. At the molecular level, circadian clocks consist of transcription-translation feedback loops. Although some components of the negative transcription-translation feedback loop are conserved across the animals, important differences exist between typical models, such as mouse and the fruit fly. In Drosophila, the key components are PERIOD (PER) and TIMELESS (TIM-d) proteins, whereas the mammalian clock relies on PER and CRYPTOCHROME (CRY-m). Importantly, how the clock has maintained functionality during evolutionary transitions between different states remains elusive. Therefore, we systematically described the circadian clock gene setup in major bilaterian lineages and identified marked lineage-specific differences in their clock constitution. Then we performed a thorough functional analysis of the linden bug Pyrrhocoris apterus, an insect species comprising features characteristic of both the Drosophila and the mammalian clocks. Unexpectedly, the knockout of timeless-d, a gene essential for the clock ticking in Drosophila, did not compromise rhythmicity in P. apterus, it only accelerated its pace. Furthermore, silencing timeless-m, the ancestral timeless type ubiquitously present across animals, resulted in a mild gradual loss of rhythmicity, supporting its possible participation in the linden bug clock, which is consistent with timeless-m role suggested by research on mammalian models. The dispensability of timeless-d in P. apterus allows drawing a scenario in which the clock has remained functional at each step of transition from an ancestral state to the TIM-d-independent PER+CRY-mammalian system operating in extant vertebrates, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lenka Chodáková
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Vlastimil Smýkal
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Milena Damulewicz
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Provazník
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Bulah Chia-Hsiang Wu
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Markéta Hejníková
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Daniela Chvalová
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - David Doležel
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
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Plazzi F, Puccio G, Passamonti M. HERMES: An improved method to test mitochondrial genome molecular synapomorphies among clades. Mitochondrion 2021; 58:285-295. [PMID: 33639269 DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2021.02.009] [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] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial chromosomes have diversified among eukaryotes and many different architectures and features are now acknowledged for this genome. Here we present the improved HERMES index, which can measure and quantify the amount of molecular change experienced by mitochondrial genomes. We test the improved approach with ten molecular phylogenetic studies based on complete mitochondrial genomes, representing six bilaterian Phyla. In most cases, HERMES analysis spotted out clades or single species with peculiar molecular synapomorphies, allowing to identify phylogenetic and ecological patterns. The software presented herein handles linear, circular, and multi-chromosome genomes, thus widening the HERMES scope to the complete eukaryotic domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Plazzi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via Selmi, 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Guglielmo Puccio
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via Selmi, 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Marco Passamonti
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via Selmi, 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
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11
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Desiderato A, Barbeitos M, Gilbert C, Da Lage JL. Horizontal Transfer and Gene Loss Shaped the Evolution of Alpha-Amylases in Bilaterians. G3 (Bethesda) 2020; 10:709-19. [PMID: 31810981 DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.400826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The subfamily GH13_1 of alpha-amylases is typical of Fungi, but it is also found in some unicellular eukaryotes (e.g., Amoebozoa, choanoflagellates) and non-bilaterian Metazoa. Since a previous study in 2007, GH13_1 amylases were considered ancestral to the Unikonts, including animals, except Bilateria, such that it was thought to have been lost in the ancestor of this clade. The only alpha-amylases known to be present in Bilateria so far belong to the GH13_15 and 24 subfamilies (commonly called bilaterian alpha-amylases) and were likely acquired by horizontal transfer from a proteobacterium. The taxonomic scope of Eukaryota genomes in databases has been greatly increased ever since 2007. We have surveyed GH13_1 sequences in recent data from ca. 1600 bilaterian species, 60 non-bilaterian animals and also in unicellular eukaryotes. As expected, we found a number of those sequences in non-bilaterians: Anthozoa (Cnidaria) and in sponges, confirming the previous observations, but none in jellyfishes and in Ctenophora. Our main and unexpected finding is that such fungal (also called Dictyo-type) amylases were also consistently retrieved in several bilaterian phyla: hemichordates (deuterostomes), brachiopods and related phyla, some molluscs and some annelids (protostomes). We discuss evolutionary hypotheses possibly explaining the scattered distribution of GH13_1 across bilaterians, namely, the retention of the ancestral gene in those phyla only and/or horizontal transfers from non-bilaterian donors.
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12
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Fonseca ESS, Hiromori Y, Kaite Y, Ruivo R, Franco JN, Nakanishi T, Santos MM, Castro LFC. An Orthologue of the Retinoic Acid Receptor (RAR) Is Present in the Ecdysozoa Phylum Priapulida. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10120985. [PMID: 31795452 PMCID: PMC6947571 DOI: 10.3390/genes10120985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Signalling molecules and their cognate receptors are central components of the Metazoa endocrine system. Defining their presence or absence in extant animal lineages is critical to accurately devise evolutionary patterns, physiological shifts and the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Here, we address the evolution of retinoic acid (RA) signalling in the Priapulida worm, Priapulus caudatus Lamarck, 1816, an Ecdysozoa. RA signalling has been shown to be central to chordate endocrine homeostasis, participating in multiple developmental and physiological processes. Priapulids, with their slow rate of molecular evolution and phylogenetic position, represent a key taxon to investigate the early phases of Ecdysozoa evolution. By exploring a draft genome assembly, we show, by means of phylogenetics and functional assays, that an orthologue of the nuclear receptor retinoic acid receptor (RAR) subfamily, a central mediator of RA signalling, is present in Ecdysozoa, contrary to previous perception. We further demonstrate that the Priapulida RAR displays low-affinity for retinoids (similar to annelids), and is not responsive to common endocrine disruptors acting via RAR. Our findings provide a timeline for RA signalling evolution in the Bilateria and give support to the hypothesis that the increase in RA affinity towards RAR is a late acquisition in the evolution of the Metazoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elza S. S. Fonseca
- CIIMAR/CIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.S.S.F.); (R.R.); (J.N.F.)
- FCUP—Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, U.Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Youhei Hiromori
- Laboratory of Hygienic Chemistry and Molecular Toxicology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu 501-1196, Japan; (Y.H.); (Y.K.)
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Suzuka University of Medical Science, Suzuka 513-8670, Japan
| | - Yoshifumi Kaite
- Laboratory of Hygienic Chemistry and Molecular Toxicology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu 501-1196, Japan; (Y.H.); (Y.K.)
| | - Raquel Ruivo
- CIIMAR/CIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.S.S.F.); (R.R.); (J.N.F.)
| | - João N. Franco
- CIIMAR/CIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.S.S.F.); (R.R.); (J.N.F.)
| | - Tsuyoshi Nakanishi
- Laboratory of Hygienic Chemistry and Molecular Toxicology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu 501-1196, Japan; (Y.H.); (Y.K.)
- Correspondence: (T.N.); (M.M.S.); (L.F.C.C.)
| | - Miguel M. Santos
- CIIMAR/CIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.S.S.F.); (R.R.); (J.N.F.)
- FCUP—Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, U.Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: (T.N.); (M.M.S.); (L.F.C.C.)
| | - L. Filipe C. Castro
- CIIMAR/CIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, U.Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; (E.S.S.F.); (R.R.); (J.N.F.)
- FCUP—Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, U.Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: (T.N.); (M.M.S.); (L.F.C.C.)
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13
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Ortega-Hernández J, Janssen R, Budd GE. The last common ancestor of Ecdysozoa had an adult terminal mouth. Arthropod Struct Dev 2019; 49:155-158. [PMID: 30458236 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The Ecdysozoa is a major animal clade whose main uniting feature is a distinctive growth strategy that requires the periodical moulting of the external cuticle. The staggering diversity within Ecdysozoa has prompted substantial efforts to reconstruct their origin and early evolution. Based on palaentological and developmental data, we proposed a scenario for the early evolution of the ecdysozoan clade Panarthropoda (Onychophora, Tardigrada, Euarthropoda), and postulated that a terminal mouth is ancestral for this lineage. In light of the accompanying comment by Claus Nielsen, we take this opportunity to clarify the significance of our argumentation for Panarthropoda in the phylogenetic context of Ecdysozoa, and Bilateria more broadly. We conclude that the ancestral ecdysozoan most likely had an adult terminal mouth, and that the last common ancestors of all the phyla that constitute Ecdysozoa almost certainly also had an adult terminal mouth. The occurrence of a ventral-facing mouth in various adult ecdysozoans - particularly panarthropods - is the result of convergence. Despite the paucity of embryological data on fossil taxa, we contemplate the likelihood that a developmentally early ventral mouth opening could be ancestral for Ecdysozoa, and if so, then this would represent a symplesiomorphy of Bilateria as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Ortega-Hernández
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK; Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Ralf Janssen
- Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, Uppsala se 752 36, Sweden
| | - Graham E Budd
- Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, Uppsala se 752 36, Sweden
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14
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Abstract
Molluscs are extremely diverse invertebrate animals with a rich fossil record, highly divergent life cycles, and considerable economical and ecological importance. Key representatives include worm-like aplacophorans, armoured groups (e.g. polyplacophorans, gastropods, bivalves) and the highly complex cephalopods. Molluscan origins and evolution of their different phenotypes have largely remained unresolved, but significant progress has been made over recent years. Phylogenomic studies revealed a dichotomy of the phylum, resulting in Aculifera (shell-less aplacophorans and multi-shelled polyplacophorans) and Conchifera (all other, primarily uni-shelled groups). This challenged traditional hypotheses that proposed that molluscs gradually evolved complex phenotypes from simple, worm-like animals, a view that is corroborated by developmental studies that showed that aplacophorans are secondarily simplified. Gene expression data indicate that key regulators involved in anterior-posterior patterning (the homeobox-containing Hox genes) lost this function and were co-opted into the evolution of taxon-specific novelties in conchiferans. While the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/decapentaplegic (Dpp) signalling pathway, that mediates dorso-ventral axis formation, and molecular components that establish chirality appear to be more conserved between molluscs and other metazoans, variations from the common scheme occur within molluscan sublineages. The deviation of various molluscs from developmental pathways that otherwise appear widely conserved among metazoans provides novel hypotheses on molluscan evolution that can be tested with genome editing tools such as the CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated protein9) system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Wanninger
- Department of Integrative ZoologyUniversity of ViennaAlthanstrasse 14, 1090 ViennaAustria
| | - Tim Wollesen
- Department of Integrative ZoologyUniversity of ViennaAlthanstrasse 14, 1090 ViennaAustria
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15
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Laumer CE, Gruber-Vodicka H, Hadfield MG, Pearse VB, Riesgo A, Marioni JC, Giribet G. Support for a clade of Placozoa and Cnidaria in genes with minimal compositional bias. eLife 2018; 7:e36278. [PMID: 30373720 PMCID: PMC6277202 DOI: 10.7554/elife.36278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [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: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The phylogenetic placement of the morphologically simple placozoans is crucial to understanding the evolution of complex animal traits. Here, we examine the influence of adding new genomes from placozoans to a large dataset designed to study the deepest splits in the animal phylogeny. Using site-heterogeneous substitution models, we show that it is possible to obtain strong support, in both amino acid and reduced-alphabet matrices, for either a sister-group relationship between Cnidaria and Placozoa, or for Cnidaria and Bilateria as seen in most published work to date, depending on the orthologues selected to construct the matrix. We demonstrate that a majority of genes show evidence of compositional heterogeneity, and that support for the Cnidaria + Bilateria clade can be assigned to this source of systematic error. In interpreting these results, we caution against a peremptory reading of placozoans as secondarily reduced forms of little relevance to broader discussions of early animal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher E Laumer
- Wellcome Trust Sanger InstituteHinxtonUnited Kingdom
- European Molecular Biology Laboratories-European Bioinformatics InstituteHinxtonUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Michael G Hadfield
- Kewalo Marine LaboratoryPacific Biosciences Research Center and the University of Hawaii-ManoaHonoluluUnited States
| | - Vicki B Pearse
- Institute of Marine SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaSanta CruzUnited States
| | - Ana Riesgo
- Invertebrate Division, Life Sciences DepartmentThe Natural History MuseumLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - John C Marioni
- Wellcome Trust Sanger InstituteHinxtonUnited Kingdom
- European Molecular Biology Laboratories-European Bioinformatics InstituteHinxtonUnited Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge InstituteUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Gonzalo Giribet
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
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16
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Abstract
Rocks of the Ediacaran System (635-541 Ma) preserve fossil evidence of some of the earliest complex macroscopic organisms, many of which have been interpreted as animals. However, the unusual morphologies of some of these organisms have made it difficult to resolve their biological relationships to modern metazoan groups. Alternative competing phylogenetic interpretations have been proposed for Ediacaran taxa, including algae, fungi, lichens, rhizoid protists, and even an extinct higher-order group (Vendobionta). If a metazoan affinity can be demonstrated for these organisms, as advocated by many researchers, they could prove informative in debates concerning the evolution of the metazoan body axis, the making and breaking of axial symmetries, and the appearance of a metameric body plan. Attempts to decipher members of the enigmatic Ediacaran macrobiota have largely involved study of morphology: comparative analysis of their developmental phases has received little attention. Here we present what is known of ontogeny across the three iconic Ediacaran taxa Charnia masoni, Dickinsonia costata and Pteridinium simplex, together with new ontogenetic data and insights. We use these data and interpretations to re-evaluate the phylogenetic position of the broader Ediacaran morphogroups to which these taxa are considered to belong (rangeomorphs, dickinsoniomorphs and erniettomorphs). We conclude, based on the available evidence, that the affinities of the rangeomorphs and the dickinsoniomorphs lie within Metazoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances S. Dunn
- School of Earth SciencesUniversity of BristolLife Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, BristolBS8 1TQU.K.
- British Geological SurveyNicker Hill, Keyworth, NottinghamNG12 5GGU.K.
| | - Alexander G. Liu
- School of Earth SciencesUniversity of BristolLife Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, BristolBS8 1TQU.K.
| | - Philip C. J. Donoghue
- School of Earth SciencesUniversity of BristolLife Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, BristolBS8 1TQU.K.
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17
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Jabbari K, Heger P, Sharma R, Wiehe T. The Diverging Routes of BORIS and CTCF: An Interactomic and Phylogenomic Analysis. Life (Basel) 2018; 8:life8010004. [PMID: 29385718 PMCID: PMC5871936 DOI: 10.3390/life8010004] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is multi-functional, ubiquitously expressed, and highly conserved from Drosophila to human. It has important roles in transcriptional insulation and the formation of a high-dimensional chromatin structure. CTCF has a paralog called “Brother of Regulator of Imprinted Sites” (BORIS) or “CTCF-like” (CTCFL). It binds DNA at sites similar to those of CTCF. However, the expression profiles of the two proteins are quite different. We investigated the evolutionary trajectories of the two proteins after the duplication event using a phylogenomic and interactomic approach. We find that CTCF has 52 direct interaction partners while CTCFL only has 19. Almost all interactors already existed before the emergence of CTCF and CTCFL. The unique secondary loss of CTCF from several nematodes is paralleled by a loss of two of its interactors, the polycomb repressive complex subunit SuZ12 and the multifunctional transcription factor TYY1. In contrast to earlier studies reporting the absence of BORIS from birds, we present evidence for a multigene synteny block containing CTCFL that is conserved in mammals, reptiles, and several species of birds, indicating that not the entire lineage of birds experienced a loss of CTCFL. Within this synteny block, BORIS and its genomic neighbors seem to be partitioned into two nested chromatin loops. The high expression of SPO11, RAE1, RBM38, and PMEPA1 in male tissues suggests a possible link between CTCFL, meiotic recombination, and fertility-associated phenotypes. Using the 65,700 exomes and the 1000 genomes data, we observed a higher number of intergenic, non-synonymous, and loss-of-function mutations in CTCFL than in CTCF, suggesting a reduced strength of purifying selection, perhaps due to less functional constraint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamel Jabbari
- Cologne Biocenter, Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47a, 50674 Köln, Germany.
| | - Peter Heger
- Cologne Biocenter, Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47a, 50674 Köln, Germany.
| | - Ranu Sharma
- Cologne Biocenter, Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47a, 50674 Köln, Germany.
| | - Thomas Wiehe
- Cologne Biocenter, Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47a, 50674 Köln, Germany.
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18
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Abstract
Xenoturbella is a strange marine worm that can be collected regularly only off the west coast of Sweden. Due to its simple morphology, which lacks a centralized nervous system, coelom, anus, or reproductive organs, its phylogenetic position has long remained obscure. Recent phylogenomic analyses suggest it forms a new phylum, Xenacoelomorpha, together with the Acoelomorpha, but the position of the phylum remains undecided, either as a deuterostome or an early branching bilaterian. Developmental stages exhibit many phylogenetically decisive characters in various animal species, but have remained a mystery for Xenoturbella until recently. Observations of its development showed it has direct development with a very short and simple swimming stage, and that it lacks a feeding larva. Asexual reproduction has never been reported. It has been suggested that Xenoturbella feeds specifically on bivalves, but it still remains unknown whether it feeds on sperm, eggs, larvae, juveniles, carcass, mucus, or feces of bivalves, and direct observations of Xenoturbella feeding on bivalves have not been reported. Endosymbiont bacteria have been found, and their functions are being investigated. The evolutionary scenario of this taxon remains the subject of debate, and our understanding will depend largely on determining its phylogeny. Thus, although recent studies have uncovered many new and crucial facts regarding Xenoturbella, some fundamental biological information, such as phylogeny, complete life cycle, and genome, remain unsolved. Further research on the well-studied Swedish Xenoturbella bocki, as well as the discovery of new species elsewhere, are necessary if we are to more fully understand the nature of Xenoturbella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Nakano
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 5-10-1, Shimoda, Shizuoka, 415-0025 Japan
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19
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Salinas-Saavedra M, Stephenson TQ, Dunn CW, Martindale MQ. Par system components are asymmetrically localized in ectodermal epithelia, but not during early development in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. EvoDevo 2015; 6:20. [PMID: 26101582 PMCID: PMC4476184 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-015-0014-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [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: 12/20/2014] [Accepted: 03/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The evolutionary origins of cell polarity in metazoan embryos are unclear. In most bilaterian animals, embryonic and cell polarity are set up during embryogenesis with the same molecules being utilized to regulate tissue polarity at different life stages. Atypical protein kinase C (aPKC), lethal giant larvae (Lgl), and Partitioning-defective (Par) proteins are conserved components of cellular polarization, and their role in establishing embryonic asymmetry and tissue polarity have been widely studied in model bilaterian groups. However, the deployment and role of these proteins in animals outside Bilateria has not been studied. We address this by characterizing the localization of different components of the Par system during early development of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, a member of the clade Cnidaria, the sister group to bilaterian animals. Results Immunostaining using specific N. vectensis antibodies and the overexpression of mRNA-reporter constructs show that components of the N. vectensis Par system (NvPar-1, NvPar-3, NvPar-6, NvaPKC, and NvLgl) distribute throughout the microtubule cytoskeleton of eggs and early embryos without clear polarization along any embryonic axis. However, they become asymmetrically distributed at later stages, when the embryo forms an ectodermal epithelial layer. NvLgl and NvPar-1 localize in the basolateral cortex, and NvaPKC, NvPar-6, and NvPar-3 at the apical zone of the cell in a manner seen in bilaterian animals. Conclusions The cnidarian N. vectensis exhibits clear polarity at all stages of early embryonic development, which appears to be established independent of the Par system reported in many bilaterian embryos. However, in N. vectensis, using multiple immunohistochemical and fluorescently labeled markers in vivo, components of this system are deployed to organize epithelial cell polarity at later stages of development. This suggests that Par system proteins were co-opted to organize early embryonic cell polarity at the base of the Bilateria and that, therefore, different molecular mechanisms operate in early cnidarian embryogenesis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13227-015-0014-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Salinas-Saavedra
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, 9505 N, Ocean Shore Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080-8610 USA
| | - Thomas Q Stephenson
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, 9505 N, Ocean Shore Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080-8610 USA
| | - Casey W Dunn
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912 USA
| | - Mark Q Martindale
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, 9505 N, Ocean Shore Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080-8610 USA
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20
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Abstract
The Cambrian explosion describes an apparently rapid increase in the diversity of bilaterian animals around 540-515 million years ago. Bilaterian animals explore the world in three-dimensions deploying forward-facing sense organs, a brain, and an anterior mouth; they possess muscle blocks enabling efficient crawling and burrowing in sediments, and they typically have an efficient 'through-gut' with separate mouth and anus to process bulk food and eject waste, even when burrowing in sediment. A variety of ecological, environmental, genetic, and developmental factors have been proposed as possible triggers and correlates of the Cambrian explosion, and it is likely that a combination of factors were involved. Here, I focus on a set of developmental genetic changes and propose these are part of the mix of permissive factors. I describe how ANTP-class homeobox genes, which encode transcription factors involved in body patterning, increased in number in the bilaterian stem lineage and earlier. These gene duplications generated a large array of ANTP class genes, including three distinct gene clusters called NK, Hox, and ParaHox. Comparative data supports the idea that NK genes were deployed primarily to pattern the bilaterian mesoderm, Hox genes coded position along the central nervous system, and ParaHox genes most likely originally specified the mouth, midgut, and anus of the newly evolved through-gut. It is proposed that diversification of ANTP class genes played a role in the Cambrian explosion by contributing to the patterning systems used to build animal bodies capable of high-energy directed locomotion, including active burrowing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter W H Holland
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS UK
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21
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Petralia RS, Mattson MP, Yao PJ. Aging and longevity in the simplest animals and the quest for immortality. Ageing Res Rev 2014; 16:66-82. [PMID: 24910306 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2014.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2014] [Revised: 05/08/2014] [Accepted: 05/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Here we review the examples of great longevity and potential immortality in the earliest animal types and contrast and compare these to humans and other higher animals. We start by discussing aging in single-celled organisms such as yeast and ciliates, and the idea of the immortal cell clone. Then we describe how these cell clones could become organized into colonies of different cell types that lead to multicellular animal life. We survey aging and longevity in all of the basal metazoan groups including ctenophores (comb jellies), sponges, placozoans, cnidarians (hydras, jellyfish, corals and sea anemones) and myxozoans. Then we move to the simplest bilaterian animals (with a head, three body cell layers, and bilateral symmetry), the two phyla of flatworms. A key determinant of longevity and immortality in most of these simple animals is the large numbers of pluripotent stem cells that underlie the remarkable abilities of these animals to regenerate and rejuvenate themselves. Finally, we discuss briefly the evolution of the higher bilaterians and how longevity was reduced and immortality lost due to attainment of greater body complexity and cell cycle strategies that protect these complex organisms from developing tumors. We also briefly consider how the evolution of multiple aging-related mechanisms/pathways hinders our ability to understand and modify the aging process in higher organisms.
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