Model Organisms for Studying the Cell Cycle

2016 ◽  
pp. 21-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaohua Tang
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Model Organisms

scholarly journals Histone mRNAs Do Not Accumulate during S Phase of either Mitotic or Endoreduplicative Cycles in the Chordate Oikopleura dioica

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 5391-5403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariacristina Chioda ◽  
Fabio Spada ◽  
Ragnhild Eskeland ◽  
Eric M. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Promoter Elements ◽  
Oikopleura Dioica ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Transcript Levels ◽  
Cell Cycles ◽  
Histone Mrnas ◽  
Complete Cell

ABSTRACT Metazoan histones are generally classified as replication-dependent or replacement variants. Replication-dependent histone genes contain cell cycle-responsive promoter elements, their transcripts terminate in an unpolyadenylated conserved stem-loop, and their mRNAs accumulate sharply during S phase. Replacement variant genes lack cell cycle-responsive promoter elements, their polyadenylated transcripts lack the stem-loop, and they are expressed at low levels throughout the cell cycle. During early development of some organisms with rapid cleavage cycles, replication-dependent mRNAs are not fully S phase restricted until complete cell cycle regulation is achieved. The accumulation of polyadenylated transcripts during this period has been considered incompatible with metazoan development. We show here that histone metabolism in the urochordate Oikopleura dioica does not accord with some key tenets of the replication-dependent/replacement variant paradigm. During the premetamorphic mitotic phase of development, expressed variants shared characteristics of replication-dependent histones, including the 3′ stem-loop, but, in contrast, were extensively polyadenylated. After metamorphosis, when cells in many tissues enter endocycles, there was a global downregulation of histone transcript levels, with most variant transcripts processed at the stem-loop. Contrary to the 30-fold S-phase upregulation of histone transcripts described in common metazoan model organisms, we observed essentially constant histone transcript levels throughout both mitotic and endoreduplicative cell cycles.

scholarly journals Cell Cycle-Dependent Flagellar Disassembly in a Firebug Trypanosomatid Leptomonas pyrrhocoris

mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Y. He ◽  
Adarsh Singh ◽  
Vyacheslav Yurchenko
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Growth Rate ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Regulation Mechanism ◽  
Length Variation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Length Regulation ◽  
Cycle Dependent

ABSTRACT Current understanding of flagellum/cilium length regulation focuses on a few model organisms with flagella of uniform length. Leptomonas pyrrhocoris is a monoxenous trypanosomatid parasite of firebugs. When cultivated in vitro, L. pyrrhocoris duplicates every 4.2 ± 0.2 h, representing the shortest doubling time reported for trypanosomatids so far. Each L. pyrrhocoris cell starts its cell cycle with a single flagellum. A new flagellum is assembled de novo, while the old flagellum persists throughout the cell cycle. The flagella in an asynchronous L. pyrrhocoris population exhibited a vast length variation of ∼3 to 24 μm, casting doubt on the presence of a length regulation mechanism based on a single balance point between the assembly and disassembly rate in these cells. Through imaging of live L. pyrrhocoris cells, a rapid, partial disassembly of the existing, old flagellum is observed upon, if not prior to, the initial assembly of a new flagellum. Mathematical modeling demonstrated an inverse correlation between the flagellar growth rate and flagellar length and inferred the presence of distinct, cell cycle-dependent disassembly mechanisms with different rates. On the basis of these observations, we proposed a min-max model that could account for the vast flagellar length range observed for asynchronous L. pyrrhocoris. This model may also apply to other flagellated organisms with flagellar length variation. IMPORTANCE Current understanding of flagellum biogenesis during the cell cycle in trypanosomatids is limited to a few pathogenic species, including Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania spp. The most notable characteristics of trypanosomatid flagella studied so far are the extreme stability and lack of ciliary disassembly/absorption during the cell cycle. This is different from cilia in Chlamydomonas and mammalian cells, which undergo complete absorption prior to cell cycle initiation. In this study, we examined flagellum duplication during the cell cycle of Leptomonas pyrrhocoris. With the shortest duplication time documented for all Trypanosomatidae and its amenability to culture on agarose gel with limited mobility, we were able to image these cells through the cell cycle. Rapid, cell cycle-specific flagellum disassembly different from turnover was observed for the first time in trypanosomatids. Given the observed length-dependent growth rate and the presence of different disassembly mechanisms, we proposed a min-max model that can account for the flagellar length variation observed in L. pyrrhocoris.

scholarly journals Analysis of Cell Cycle Progression in the Budding Yeast S. cerevisiae

2021 ◽  
pp. 265-276
Author(s):  
Deniz Pirincci Ercan ◽  
Frank Uhlmann
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Budding Yeast ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Cyclin Dependent Kinase ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Substrate Phosphorylation

AbstractThe cell cycle is an ordered series of events by which cells grow and divide to give rise to two daughter cells. In eukaryotes, cyclin–cyclin-dependent kinase (cyclin–Cdk) complexes act as master regulators of the cell division cycle by phosphorylating numerous substrates. Their activity and expression profiles are regulated in time. The budding yeast S. cerevisiae was one of the pioneering model organisms to study the cell cycle. Its genetic amenability continues to make it a favorite model to decipher the principles of how changes in cyclin-Cdk activity translate into the intricate sequence of substrate phosphorylation events that govern the cell cycle. In this chapter, we introduce robust and straightforward methods to analyze cell cycle progression in S. cerevisiae. These techniques can be utilized to describe cell cycle events and to address the effects of perturbations on accurate and timely cell cycle progression.

Chromosomal and cytoplasmic context determines predisposition to maternal age-related aneuploidy: brief overview and update on MCAK in mammalian oocytes

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1681-1686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula Eichenlaub-Ritter ◽  
Nora Staubach ◽  
Tom Trapphoff
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Maternal Age ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Aged Mouse ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
Mouse Oocytes ◽  
Age Related

It has been known for more than half a century that the risk of conceiving a child with trisomy increases with advanced maternal age. However, the origin of the high susceptibility to nondisjunction of whole chromosomes and precocious separation of sister chromatids, leading to aneuploidy in aged oocytes and embryos derived from them, cannot be traced back to a single disturbance and mechanism. Instead, analysis of recombination patterns of meiotic chromosomes of spread oocytes from embryonal ovary, and of origins and exchange patterns of extra chromosomes in trisomies, as well as morphological and molecular studies of oocytes and somatic cells from young and aged females, show chromosome-specific risk patterns and cellular aberrations related to the chronological age of the female. In addition, analysis of the function of meiotic- and cell-cycle-regulating genes in oogenesis, and the study of the spindle and chromosomal status of maturing oocytes, suggest that several events contribute synergistically to errors in chromosome segregation in aged oocytes in a chromosome-specific fashion. For instance, loss of cohesion may differentially predispose chromosomes with distal or pericentromeric chiasmata to nondisjunction. Studies on expression in young and aged oocytes from human or model organisms, like the mouse, indicate that the presence and functionality/activity of gene products involved in cell-cycle regulation, spindle formation and organelle integrity may be altered in aged oocytes, thus contributing to a high risk of error in chromosome segregation in meiosis I and II. Genes that are often altered in aged mouse oocytes include MCAK (mitotic-centromere-associated protein), a microtubule depolymerase, and AURKB (Aurora kinase B), a protein of the chromosomal passenger complex that has many targets and can also phosphorylate and regulate MCAK localization and activity. Therefore we explored the role of MCAK in maturing mouse oocytes by immunofluorescence, overexpression of a MCAK–EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) fusion protein, knockdown of MCAK by RNAi (RNA interference) and inhibition of AURKB. The observations suggest that MCAK is involved in spindle regulation, chromosome congression and cell-cycle control, and that reductions in mRNA and protein in a context of permissive SAC (spindle assembly checkpoint) predispose to aneuploidy. Failure to recruit MCAK to centromeres and low expression patterns, as well as disturbances in regulation of enzyme localization and activity, e.g. due to alterations in activity of AURKB, may therefore contribute to maternal age-related rises in aneuploidy in mammalian oocytes.

scholarly journals The evaluation of anoxia responsive E2F DNA binding activity in the red eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle K. Biggar ◽  
Kenneth B. Storey
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Complex Dynamics ◽  
Binding Activity ◽  
Trachemys Scripta ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Trachemys Scripta Elegans ◽  
Dna Binding Activity

In many cases, the DNA-binding activity of a transcription factor does not change, while its transcriptional activity is greatly influenced by the make-up of bound proteins. In this study, we assessed the protein composition and DNA-binding ability of the E2F transcription factor complex to provide insight into cell cycle control in an anoxia tolerant turtle through the use of a modified ELISA protocol. This modification also permits the use of custom DNA probes that are tailored to a specific DNA binding region, introducing the ability to design capture probes for non-model organisms. Through the use of EMSA and ELISA DNA binding assays, we have successfully determined the in vitro DNA binding activity and complex dynamics of the Rb/E2F cell cycle regulatory mechanisms in an anoxic turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans. Repressive cell cycle proteins (E2F4, Rb, HDAC4 and Suv39H1) were found to significantly increase at E2F DNA-binding sites upon anoxic exposure in anoxic turtle liver. The lack of p130 involvement in the E2F DNA-bound complex indicates that anoxic turtle liver may maintain G1 arrest for the duration of stress survival.

Temporal and spatial expression of the cell-cycle regulator cul-1 in Drosophila and its stimulation by radiation-induced apoptosis

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (18) ◽  
pp. 2747-2756 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Filippov ◽  
M. Filippova ◽  
F. Sehnal ◽  
S.S. Gill
Keyword(s):  
Phase Transition ◽  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Lethal Dose ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Cell Cycle Regulators ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Induced Apoptosis

Cul-1 protein is part of the ubiquitin ligase complex that is conserved from yeast to humans. This complex specifically marks cell-cycle regulators for their subsequent destruction. Two null mutations of the cul-1 gene are known, in budding yeast and in nematodes. Although in both these organisms the cul-1 gene executes essentially the same function, the manifestation of its lack-of-function mutations differs considerably. In yeast the mutation causes arrest at the G(1)/S-phase transition, whereas in nematodes excessive cell divisions occur because mutant cells are unable to exit the mitotic cycle. We isolated cul-1 orthologues from two model organisms, Drosophila melanogaster and mouse. We show that the Drosophila full-length cul-1 gene restores the yeast mutant's inability to pass through the G(1)/S-phase transition. We also characterize expression of this gene at the transcript and protein levels during Drosophila development and show that cul-1 gene is maternally supplied as a protein, but not as an RNA transcript. Zygotic transcription of the gene, however, resumes at early stages of embryogenesis. We also found an increase in cul-1 transcription in cultured cells treated with a lethal dose of gamma-irradiation.

scholarly journals Cohesive Properties of the Caulobacter crescentus Holdfast Adhesin Are Regulated by a Novel c-di-GMP Effector Protein

mBio ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin S. Sprecher ◽  
Isabelle Hug ◽  
Jutta Nesper ◽  
Eva Potthoff ◽  
Mohamed-Ali Mahi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Solid Substrate ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Support Surface ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Surface Colonization ◽  
Bacterial Phyla ◽  
Cohesive Properties

ABSTRACT When encountering surfaces, many bacteria produce adhesins to facilitate their initial attachment and to irreversibly glue themselves to the solid substrate. A central molecule regulating the processes of this motile-sessile transition is the second messenger c-di-GMP, which stimulates the production of a variety of exopolysaccharide adhesins in different bacterial model organisms. In Caulobacter crescentus , c-di-GMP regulates the synthesis of the polar holdfast adhesin during the cell cycle, yet the molecular and cellular details of this control are currently unknown. Here we identify HfsK, a member of a versatile N -acetyltransferase family, as a novel c-di-GMP effector involved in holdfast biogenesis. Cells lacking HfsK form highly malleable holdfast structures with reduced adhesive strength that cannot support surface colonization. We present indirect evidence that HfsK modifies the polysaccharide component of holdfast to buttress its cohesive properties. HfsK is a soluble protein but associates with the cell membrane during most of the cell cycle. Coincident with peak c-di-GMP levels during the C. crescentus cell cycle, HfsK relocalizes to the cytosol in a c-di-GMP-dependent manner. Our results indicate that this c-di-GMP-mediated dynamic positioning controls HfsK activity, leading to its inactivation at high c-di-GMP levels. A short C-terminal extension is essential for the membrane association, c-di-GMP binding, and activity of HfsK. We propose a model in which c-di-GMP binding leads to the dispersal and inactivation of HfsK as part of holdfast biogenesis progression. IMPORTANCE Exopolysaccharide (EPS) adhesins are important determinants of bacterial surface colonization and biofilm formation. Biofilms are a major cause of chronic infections and are responsible for biofouling on water-exposed surfaces. To tackle these problems, it is essential to dissect the processes leading to surface colonization at the molecular and cellular levels. Here we describe a novel c-di-GMP effector, HfsK, that contributes to the cohesive properties and stability of the holdfast adhesin in C. crescentus . We demonstrate for the first time that c-di-GMP, in addition to its role in the regulation of the rate of EPS production, also modulates the physicochemical properties of bacterial adhesins. By demonstrating how c-di-GMP coordinates the activity and subcellular localization of HfsK, we provide a novel understanding of the cellular processes involved in adhesin biogenesis control. Homologs of HfsK are found in representatives of different bacterial phyla, suggesting that they play important roles in various EPS synthesis systems.

scholarly journals Novel Chromosome Organization Pattern in Actinomycetales—Overlapping Replication Cycles Combined with Diploidy

mBio ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kati Böhm ◽  
Fabian Meyer ◽  
Agata Rhomberg ◽  
Jörn Kalinowski ◽  
Catriona Donovan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Dna Replication ◽  
Corynebacterium Glutamicum ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Mycolic Acid ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Cell Cycles ◽  
Slow Growing

ABSTRACT Bacteria regulate chromosome replication and segregation tightly with cell division to ensure faithful segregation of DNA to daughter generations. The underlying mechanisms have been addressed in several model species. It became apparent that bacteria have evolved quite different strategies to regulate DNA segregation and chromosomal organization. We have investigated here how the actinobacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum organizes chromosome segregation and DNA replication. Unexpectedly, we found that C. glutamicum cells are at least diploid under all of the conditions tested and that these organisms have overlapping C periods during replication, with both origins initiating replication simultaneously. On the basis of experimental data, we propose growth rate-dependent cell cycle models for C. glutamicum. IMPORTANCE Bacterial cell cycles are known for few model organisms and can vary significantly between species. Here, we studied the cell cycle of Corynebacterium glutamicum, an emerging cell biological model organism for mycolic acid-containing bacteria, including mycobacteria. Our data suggest that C. glutamicum carries two pole-attached chromosomes that replicate with overlapping C periods, thus initiating a new round of DNA replication before the previous one is terminated. The newly replicated origins segregate to midcell positions, where cell division occurs between the two new origins. Even after long starvation or under extremely slow-growth conditions, C. glutamicum cells are at least diploid, likely as an adaptation to environmental stress that may cause DNA damage. The cell cycle of C. glutamicum combines features of slow-growing organisms, such as polar origin localization, and fast-growing organisms, such as overlapping C periods. IMPORTANCE Bacterial cell cycles are known for few model organisms and can vary significantly between species. Here, we studied the cell cycle of Corynebacterium glutamicum, an emerging cell biological model organism for mycolic acid-containing bacteria, including mycobacteria. Our data suggest that C. glutamicum carries two pole-attached chromosomes that replicate with overlapping C periods, thus initiating a new round of DNA replication before the previous one is terminated. The newly replicated origins segregate to midcell positions, where cell division occurs between the two new origins. Even after long starvation or under extremely slow-growth conditions, C. glutamicum cells are at least diploid, likely as an adaptation to environmental stress that may cause DNA damage. The cell cycle of C. glutamicum combines features of slow-growing organisms, such as polar origin localization, and fast-growing organisms, such as overlapping C periods.

scholarly journals Coordinating cell polarity and cell cycle progression: what can we learn from flies and worms?

Open Biology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 130083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Noatynska ◽  
Nicolas Tavernier ◽  
Monica Gotta ◽  
Lionel Pintard
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Cell Polarity ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Asymmetric Cell Division ◽  
Control Cell ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Cycle Progression

Spatio-temporal coordination of events during cell division is crucial for animal development. In recent years, emerging data have strengthened the notion that tight coupling of cell cycle progression and cell polarity in dividing cells is crucial for asymmetric cell division and ultimately for metazoan development. Although it is acknowledged that such coupling exists, the molecular mechanisms linking the cell cycle and cell polarity machineries are still under investigation. Key cell cycle regulators control cell polarity, and thus influence cell fate determination and/or differentiation, whereas some factors involved in cell polarity regulate cell cycle timing and proliferation potential. The scope of this review is to discuss the data linking cell polarity and cell cycle progression, and the importance of such coupling for asymmetric cell division. Because studies in model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster have started to reveal the molecular mechanisms of this coordination, we will concentrate on these two systems. We review examples of molecular mechanisms suggesting a coupling between cell polarity and cell cycle progression.

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