scholarly journals Two Heteromeric Kinesin Complexes in Chemosensory Neurons and Sensory Cilia of Caenorhabditis elegans

1999 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn Signor ◽  
Karen P. Wedaman ◽  
Lesilee S. Rose ◽  
Jonathan M. Scholey
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Partial Purification ◽  
Localization Pattern ◽  
Chemosensory Neurons ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Microtubule Motors ◽  
Sensory Cilia ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Kinesin Family

Chemosensation in the nervous system of the nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans depends on sensory cilia, whose assembly and maintenance requires the transport of components such as axonemal proteins and signal transduction machinery to their site of incorporation into ciliary structures. Members of the heteromeric kinesin family of microtubule motors are prime candidates for playing key roles in these transport events. Here we describe the molecular characterization and partial purification of two heteromeric kinesin complexes from C. elegans, heterotrimeric CeKinesin-II and dimeric CeOsm-3. Transgenic worms expressing green fluorescent protein driven by endogenous heteromeric kinesin promoters reveal that both CeKinesin-II and CeOsm-3 are expressed in amphid, inner labial, and phasmid chemosensory neurons. Additionally, immunolocalization experiments on fixed worms show an intense concentration of CeKinesin-II and CeOsm-3 polypeptides in the ciliated endings of these chemosensory neurons and a punctate localization pattern in the corresponding cell bodies and dendrites. These results, together with the phenotypes of known mutants in the pathway of sensory ciliary assembly, suggest that CeKinesin-II and CeOsm-3 drive the transport of ciliary components required for sequential steps in the assembly of chemosensory cilia.

Intraflagellar transport motors in Caenorhabditis elegans neurons

2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 682-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Scholey ◽  
G. Ou ◽  
J. Snow ◽  
A. Gunnarson
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Intraflagellar Transport ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Sensory Cilia ◽  
Macromolecular Protein ◽  
Green Fluorescent

IFT (intraflagellar transport) assembles and maintains sensory cilia on the dendritic endings of chemosensory neurons within the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. During IFT, macromolecular protein complexes called IFT particles (which carry ciliary precursors) are moved from the base of the sensory cilium to its distal tip by anterograde IFT motors (kinesin-II and Osm-3 kinesin) and back to the base by retrograde IFT-dynein [Rosenbaum and Witman (2002) Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 3, 813–825; Scholey (2003) Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 19, 423–443; and Snell, Pan and Wang (2004) Cell 117, 693–697]. In the present study, we describe the protein machinery of IFT in C. elegans, which we have analysed using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of green fluorescent protein-fusion proteins in concert with ciliary mutants.

A novel linker histone-like protein is associated with cytoplasmic filaments inCaenorhabditis elegans

2002 ◽  
Vol 115 (14) ◽  
pp. 2881-2891
Author(s):  
Monika A. Jedrusik ◽  
Stefan Vogt ◽  
Peter Claus ◽  
Ekkehard Schulze
Keyword(s):  
Rna Interference ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Muscle Growth ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Globular Domain ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
Linker Histones ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Fusion Protein Expression ◽  
Green Fluorescent

The histone H1 complement of Caenorhabditis elegans contains a single unusual protein, H1.X. Although H1.X possesses the globular domain and the canonical three-domain structure of linker histones, the amino acid composition of H1.X is distinctly different from conventional linker histones in both terminal domains. We have characterized H1.X in C. elegans by antibody labeling, green fluorescent protein fusion protein expression and RNA interference. Unlike normal linker histones, H1.X is a cytoplasmic as well as a nuclear protein and is not associated with chromosomes. H1.X is most prominently expressed in the marginal cells of the pharynx and is associated with a peculiar cytoplasmic cytoskeletal structure therein, the tonofilaments. Additionally H1.X::GFP is expressed in the cytoplasm of body and vulva muscle cells, neurons, excretory cells and in the nucleoli of embryonic blastomeres and adult gut cells. RNA interference with H1.X results in uncoordinated and egg laying defective animals, as well as in a longitudinally enlarged pharynx. These phenotypes indicate a cytoplasmic role of H1.X in muscle growth and muscle function.

scholarly journals Molecular signatures of cell migration in C. elegans Q neuroblasts

2009 ◽  
Vol 185 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangshuo Ou ◽  
Ronald D. Vale
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Live Animal ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Neuroblast Migration ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Metazoan cell movement has been studied extensively in vitro, but cell migration in living animals is much less well understood. In this report, we have studied the Caenorhabditis elegans Q neuroblast lineage during larval development, developing live animal imaging methods for following neuroblast migration with single cell resolution. We find that each of the Q descendants migrates at different speeds and for distinct distances. By quantitative green fluorescent protein imaging, we find that Q descendants that migrate faster and longer than their sisters up-regulate protein levels of MIG-2, a Rho family guanosine triphosphatase, and/or down-regulate INA-1, an integrin α subunit, during migration. We also show that Q neuroblasts bearing mutations in either MIG-2 or INA-1 migrate at reduced speeds. The migration defect of the mig-2 mutants, but not ina-1, appears to result from a lack of persistent polarization in the direction of cell migration. Thus, MIG-2 and INA-1 function distinctly to control Q neuroblast migration in living C. elegans.

scholarly journals A laminopathic mutation disrupting lamin filament assembly causes disease-like phenotypes in Caenorhabditis elegans

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 2716-2728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin M. Bank ◽  
Kfir Ben-Harush ◽  
Naama Wiesel-Motiuk ◽  
Rachel Barkan ◽  
Naomi Feinstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Nuclear Periphery ◽  
Nuclear Lamina ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Filament Assembly ◽  
Filament Structure ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Mutations in the human LMNA gene underlie many laminopathic diseases, including Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD); however, a mechanistic link between the effect of mutations on lamin filament assembly and disease phenotypes has not been established. We studied the ΔK46 Caenorhabditis elegans lamin mutant, corresponding to EDMD-linked ΔK32 in human lamins A and C. Cryo-electron tomography of lamin ΔK46 filaments in vitro revealed alterations in the lateral assembly of dimeric head-to-tail polymers, which causes abnormal organization of tetrameric protofilaments. Green fluorescent protein (GFP):ΔK46 lamin expressed in C. elegans was found in nuclear aggregates in postembryonic stages along with LEM-2. GFP:ΔK46 also caused mislocalization of emerin away from the nuclear periphery, consistent with a decreased ability of purified emerin to associate with lamin ΔK46 filaments in vitro. GFP:ΔK46 animals had motility defects and muscle structure abnormalities. These results show that changes in lamin filament structure can translate into disease-like phenotypes via altering the localization of nuclear lamina proteins, and suggest a model for how the ΔK32 lamin mutation may cause EDMD in humans.

scholarly journals A Yeast STE11 Homologue CoMEKK1 Is Essential for Pathogenesis-Related Morphogenesis in Colletotrichum orbiculare

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 1563-1572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayumu Sakaguchi ◽  
Gento Tsuji ◽  
Yasuyuki Kubo
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Intracellular Localization ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Hyphal Growth ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Colletotrichum Orbiculare ◽  
Pathogenesis Related ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Several signal transduction pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, are involved in appressorium development in Colletotrichum orbiculare, the causal agent of cucumber anthracnose disease. In this study, CoMEKK1, a yeast MAPK kinases (MAPKK) kinase STE11 homolog, was identified as a disrupted gene in an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation mutant. The phenotype of comekk1 disruptant was similar to that of cmk1, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fus3/Kss1 MAPK homolog mutant. Moreover, comekk1 and cmk1 mutants were sensitive to high osmotic and salinity stresses, indicating that Comekk1p/Cmk1p signal transduction is involved in stress tolerance. The transformants of the wild type and the comekk1 mutant expressing a constitutively active form of the CoMEKK1 showed slower hyphal growth and abnormal appressorium formation, whereas those of the cmk1 disruptant did not. A Cmk1p-green fluorescent protein (GFP) intracellular localization experiment indicated that nuclear localization of the Cmk1p-GFP fusion protein induced by salt stress was diminished in comekk1 mutants. These results indicate that Comekk1p functions upstream of Cmk1p.

scholarly journals Autoregulation of Lantibiotic Bovicin HJ50 Biosynthesis by the BovK-BovR Two-Component Signal Transduction System inStreptococcus bovisHJ50

2010 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianqiang Ni ◽  
Kunling Teng ◽  
Gang Liu ◽  
Caixia Qiao ◽  
Liandong Huan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene Cluster ◽  
Phosphoryl Group ◽  
Signal Transduction System ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Two Component Signal Transduction ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACTStreptococcus bovisHJ50 produces a lacticin 481-like 33-amino-acid-residue lantibiotic, designated bovicin HJ50.bovK-bovRin the bovicin HJ50 biosynthetic gene cluster is predicted to be a two-component signal transduction system involved in sensing signals and regulating gene expression. Disruption ofbovKorbovRresulted in the abrogation of bovicin HJ50 production, suggesting both genes play important roles in bovicin HJ50 biosynthesis. Addition of exogenous bovicin HJ50 peptide to cultures of abovMmutant that lost the capability for bovicin HJ50 production and structural genebovAtranscription inS. bovisHJ50 induced dose-dependent transcription of thebovAgene, demonstrating that bovicin HJ50 production was normally autoregulated. The transcription ofbovAwas no longer induced by bovicin HJ50 inbovKandbovRdisruption mutants, suggesting that BovK-BovR plays an essential role in the signal transduction regulating bovicin HJ50 biosynthesis. A phosphorylation assay indicated that BovK has the ability to autophosphorylate and subsequently transfer the phosphoryl group to the downstream BovR protein to carry on signal transduction. Electromobility shift assays (EMSA) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene expression assays showed the specific binding of BovR to thebovApromoter, indicating that BovR regulatesbovAexpression by direct binding between them. Taken together, bovicin HJ50 biosynthesis is induced by bovicin HJ50 itself and regulated via the two-component signal transduction system BovK-BovR.

scholarly journals Robust genome editing with short single-stranded and long, partially single-stranded DNA donors in C. elegans

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregoriy A. Dokshin ◽  
Krishna S. Ghanta ◽  
Katherine M. Piscopo ◽  
Craig C. Mello
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Multiple Loci ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Fluorescent Protein Tags ◽  
Protein Tags

AbstractCRISPR-based genome editing using ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes and synthetic single stranded oligodeoxynucleotide (ssODN) donors can be highly effective. However, reproducibility can vary, and precise, targeted integration of longer constructs – such as green fluorescent protein (GFP) tags remains challenging in many systems. Here we describe a streamlined and optimized editing protocol for the nematode C. elegans. We demonstrate its efficacy, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness by affinity-tagging all twelve of the Worm-specific Argonaute (WAGO) proteins in C. elegans using ssODN donors. In addition, we describe a novel PCR-based partially single-stranded “hybrid” donor design that yields high efficiency editing with large (kilobase-scale) constructs. We use these hybrid donors to introduce fluorescent protein tags into multiple loci achieving editing efficiencies that approach those previously obtained only with much shorter ssODN donors. The principals and strategies described here are likely to translate to other systems and should allow researchers to reproducibly and efficiently obtain both long and short precision genome edits.

scholarly journals NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL PERTURBATIONS IN Caenorhabditis elegans EXPOSED TO ORGANOPHOSPHATE PESTICIDES

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-352
Author(s):  
Rajul Jain ◽  
◽  
Priyanka Gautam ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Developmental Toxicity ◽  
Yellow Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Green Fluorescent

The ubiquitous use of pesticides all over the world leads to adverse effects on both targets as well as non-target species. The extensive and uncontrolled use of organophosphates (OPs), a large group of pesticidal compounds in agricultural and household products are resulting in high exposure to humans. This research has been carried out to study the adverse effect of OPs i.e., chlorpyrifos, trichlorfon, and disulfoton on model organism Caenorhabditis elegans to evaluate their behavioural as well as developmental toxicity at different time intervals i.e., 4, 24, 48, and 72 hours (hrs) of exposure. A significant difference was observed in all the behavioural endpoints like locomotion, egg-laying, offspring count, and learning along with developmental parameters like mortality, paralysis, and growth rendering from moderate to high toxic effects. Based on the above screening, trichlorfon resulted in glutamatergic and cholinergic neurodegeneration along with elevated autofluorescence. Loss in Yellow fluorescent Protein (YFP) and Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) was recorded by 57.96% and 30.52% using transgenic strains OH11124 (otIs388 [eat-4(fosmid)::SL2::YFP::H2B + (pBX)pha-1(+)] III) and OH13083 (otIs576 [unc-17(fosmid)::GFP + lin-44::YFP]). These results have shown the biological potency of toxicants in C. elegans and pave the way forward to provide insight into various neurogenerative diseases in humans.

A novel WD40 protein, CHE-2, acts cell-autonomously in the formation of C. elegans sensory cilia

Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (21) ◽  
pp. 4839-4848 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fujiwara ◽  
T. Ishihara ◽  
I. Katsura
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Wd40 Domain ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Almost All

To elucidate the mechanism of sensory cilium formation, we analyzed mutants in the Caenorhabditis elegans che-2 gene. These mutants have extremely short cilia with an abnormal posterior projection, and show defects in behaviors that are mediated by ciliated sensory neurons. The che-2 gene encodes a new member of the WD40 protein family, suggesting that it acts in protein-protein interaction. Analysis of mutation sites showed that both the amino-terminal WD40 repeats and the carboxyl-terminal non-WD40 domain are necessary for the CHE-2 function. CHE-2-tagged green fluorescent protein is localized at the cilia of almost all the ciliated sensory neurons. Expression of che-2 in a subset of sensory neurons of a che-2 mutant by using a heterologous promoter resulted in restoration of the functions and cilium morphology of only the che-2-expressing neurons. Thus, che-2 acts cell-autonomously. This technique can be used in the future for determining the function of each type of che-2-expressing sensory neuron. Using green fluorescent protein, we found that the extension of cilia in wild-type animals took place at the late embryonic stage, whereas the cilia of che-2 mutant animals remained always short during development. Hence, the abnormal posterior projection is due to the inability of cilia to extend, rather than degeneration of cilia once correctly formed. Expression of che-2 in a che-2 mutant under a heat shock promoter showed that the extension of cilia, surprisingly, can occur even at the adult stage, and that such cilia can function apparently normally in behavior.

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