scholarly journals SignaFish: a zebrafish-specific signaling pathway resource

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kitti Csályi ◽  
Dávid Fazekas ◽  
Tamás Kadlecsik ◽  
Dénes Türei ◽  
Leila Gul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Signaling Networks ◽  
Cell Fates ◽  
Invertebrate Model ◽  
Signaling Interactions ◽  
Model Fish Species ◽  
Specific Signaling Pathway ◽  
Model Fish

Understanding living systems requires an in depth knowledge of the signaling networks that drive cellular homeostasis, regulate intercellular communication and contribute to cell fates during development. Several resources exist to provide high-throughput datasets or manually curated interaction information from human or invertebrate model organisms. We previously developed SignaLink, a uniformly curated, multi-layered signaling resource containing information for human and for the model organisms nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Until now, the use of the SignaLink database for zebrafish pathway analysis was limited. To overcome this limitation we created SignaFish (http://signafish.org), a fish-specific signaling resource, built using the concept of SignaLink. SignaFish contains more than 200 curation based signaling interactions, 132 further interactions listed in other resources, and it also lists potential miRNA based regulatory connections for 7 major signaling pathways. From the SignaFish website, users can reach other web resources, such as ZFIN. SignaFish provides signaling or signaling-related interactions that can be examined for each gene, or downloaded for each signaling pathway. We believe that the SignaFish resource will serve as a novel navigating point for experimental design and evaluation for the zebrafish community and for researchers focusing on non-model fish species, such as cyclids.

scholarly journals Post-Developmental Roles of Notch Signaling in the Nervous System

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 985
Author(s):  
Jose L. Salazar ◽  
Sheng-An Yang ◽  
Shinya Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Notch Signaling ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Notch Pathway ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Notch Signaling Pathway ◽  
Nervous System Development ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Cellular Models

Since its discovery in Drosophila, the Notch signaling pathway has been studied in numerous developmental contexts in diverse multicellular organisms. The role of Notch signaling in nervous system development has been extensively investigated by numerous scientists, partially because many of the core Notch signaling components were initially identified through their dramatic ‘neurogenic’ phenotype of developing fruit fly embryos. Components of the Notch signaling pathway continue to be expressed in mature neurons and glia cells, which is suggestive of a role in the post-developmental nervous system. The Notch pathway has been, so far, implicated in learning and memory, social behavior, addiction, and other complex behaviors using genetic model organisms including Drosophila and mice. Additionally, Notch signaling has been shown to play a modulatory role in several neurodegenerative disease model animals and in mediating neural toxicity of several environmental factors. In this paper, we summarize the knowledge pertaining to the post-developmental roles of Notch signaling in the nervous system with a focus on discoveries made using the fruit fly as a model system as well as relevant studies in C elegans, mouse, rat, and cellular models. Since components of this pathway have been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders in human, understanding the role of Notch signaling in the mature brain using model organisms will likely provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying these diseases.

scholarly journals Reactive oxygen species rescue regeneration after silencing the MAPK–ERK signaling pathway in Schmidtea mediterranea

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Jaenen ◽  
S. Fraguas ◽  
K. Bijnens ◽  
M. Heleven ◽  
T. Artois ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reactive Oxygen Species ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Reactive Oxygen ◽  
Light Therapy ◽  
Erk Signaling ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Ros Production ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Planarian Regeneration ◽  
Egfr Signaling Pathway

AbstractDespite extensive research on molecular pathways controlling the process of regeneration in model organisms, little is known about the actual initiation signals necessary to induce regeneration. Recently, the activation of ERK signaling has been shown to be required to initiate regeneration in planarians. However, how ERK signaling is activated remains unknown. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are well-known early signals necessary for regeneration in several models, including planarians. Still, the probable interplay between ROS and MAPK/ERK has not yet been described. Here, by interfering with major mediators (ROS, EGFR and MAPK/ERK), we were able to identify wound-induced ROS, and specifically H2O2, as upstream cues in the activation of regeneration. Our data demonstrate new relationships between regeneration-related ROS production and MAPK/ERK activation at the earliest regeneration stages, as well as the involvement of the EGFR-signaling pathway. Our results suggest that (1) ROS and/or H2O2 have the potential to rescue regeneration after MEK-inhibition, either by H2O2-treatment or light therapy, (2) ROS and/or H2O2 are required for the activation of MAPK/ERK signaling pathway, (3) the EGFR pathway can mediate ROS production and the activation of MAPK/ERK during planarian regeneration.

scholarly journals BREC: an R package/Shiny app for automatically identifying heterochromatin boundaries and estimating local recombination rates along chromosomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (S6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmine Mansour ◽  
Annie Chateau ◽  
Anna-Sophie Fiston-Lavier
Keyword(s):  
Data Quality ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
R Package ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Data Quality Control ◽  
Recombination Rates ◽  
Functional Dynamics ◽  
Shiny App ◽  
User Friendly

Abstract Background Meiotic recombination is a vital biological process playing an essential role in genome's structural and functional dynamics. Genomes exhibit highly various recombination profiles along chromosomes associated with several chromatin states. However, eu-heterochromatin boundaries are not available nor easily provided for non-model organisms, especially for newly sequenced ones. Hence, we miss accurate local recombination rates necessary to address evolutionary questions. Results Here, we propose an automated computational tool, based on the Marey maps method, allowing to identify heterochromatin boundaries along chromosomes and estimating local recombination rates. Our method, called BREC (heterochromatin Boundaries and RECombination rate estimates) is non-genome-specific, running even on non-model genomes as long as genetic and physical maps are available. BREC is based on pure statistics and is data-driven, implying that good input data quality remains a strong requirement. Therefore, a data pre-processing module (data quality control and cleaning) is provided. Experiments show that BREC handles different markers' density and distribution issues. Conclusions BREC's heterochromatin boundaries have been validated with cytological equivalents experimentally generated on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster genome, for which BREC returns congruent corresponding values. Also, BREC's recombination rates have been compared with previously reported estimates. Based on the promising results, we believe our tool has the potential to help bring data science into the service of genome biology and evolution. We introduce BREC within an R-package and a Shiny web-based user-friendly application yielding a fast, easy-to-use, and broadly accessible resource. The BREC R-package is available at the GitHub repository https://github.com/GenomeStructureOrganization.

Gene networks underlying functional sex in Sparidae (Pisces, Teleostei)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Αλέξανδρος Τσακογιάννης
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Gene Networks ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Dentex Dentex ◽  
The Common ◽  
Model Fish Species ◽  
Model Fish

The differences between sexes and the concept of sex determination have always fascinated, yet troubled philosophers and scientists. Among the animals that reproduce sexually, teleost fishes show a very wide repertoire of reproductive modes. Except for the gonochoristic species, fish are the only vertebrates in which hermaphroditism appears naturally. Hermaphroditism refers to the capability of an organism to reproduce both as male and female in its life cycle and there are various forms of it. In sequential hermaphroditism, an individual begins as female first and then can change sex to become male (protogyny), or vice versa (protandry). The diverse sex-phenotypes of fish are regulated by a variety of sex determination mechanisms, along a continuum of environmental and heritable factors. The vast majority of sexually dimorphic traits result from the differential expression of genes that are present in both sexes. To date, studies regarding the sex-specific differences in gene expression have been conducted mainly in sex determination systems of model fish species that are well characterized at the genomic level, with distinguishable heteromorphic sex chromosomes, exhibiting genetic sex determination and gonochorism. Among teleosts, the Sparidae family is considered to be one of the most diversified families regarding its reproductive systems, and thus is a unique model for comparative studies to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying different sexual motifs. In this study, using RNA sequencing, we studied the transcriptome from gonads and brains of both sexes in five sparid species, representatives of four different reproductive styles. Specifically, we explored the sex-specific expression patterns of a gonochoristic species: the common dentex Dentex dentex, two protogynous hermaphrodites: the red porgy Pagrus pagrus and the common pandora Pagellus erythrinus, the rudimentary hermaphrodite sharpsnout seabream Diplodus puntazzo, and the protandrous gilthead seabream Sparus aurata. We found minor sex-related expression differences indicating a more homogeneous and sexually plastic brain, whereas there was a plethora of sex biased gene expression in the gonads. The functional divergence of the two gonadal types is reflected in their transcriptomic profiles, in terms of the number of genes differentially expressed, as well as the expression magnitude (i.e. fold-change differences). The observation of almost double the number of up-regulated genes in males compared to females indicates a male-biased expression tendency. Focusing on the pathways and genes implicated in sex determination/differentiation, we aimed to unveil the molecular pathways through which these non-model fish species develop a masculine or a feminine character. We observed the implicated pathways and major gene families (e.g. Wnt/b-catenin pathway and Retinoic-acid signaling pathway, Notch, TGFβ) behind sex-biased expression and the recruitment of known sex-related genes either to male or female type of gonads in these fish. (e.g Dmrt1, Sox9, Sox3, Cyp19a, Filgla, Ctnnb1, Gsdf9, Stra6 etc.). We also carefully investigated the presence of genes reported to be involved in sex determination/differentiation mechanisms in other vertebrates and fish and compared their expression patterns in the species under study. The expression profiling exposed known candidate molecular-players/genes establishing the common female (Cyp19a1, Sox3, Figla, Gdf9, Cyp26a, Ctnnb1, Dnmt1, Stra6) and male identity (Dmrt1, Sox9, Dnmt3aa, Rarb, Raraa, Hdac8, Tdrd7) of the gonad in these sparids. Additionally, we focused on those contributing to a species-specific manner either to female (Wnt4a, Dmrt2a, Foxl2 etc.) or to male (Amh, Dmrt3a, Cyp11b etc.) characters, and discussed the expression patterns of factors that belong to important pathways and/or gene families in the SD context, in our species gonadal transcriptomes. Taken together, most of the studied genes form part of the cascade of sex determination, differentiation, and reproduction across teleosts. In this study, we focused on genes that are active when sex is established (sex-maintainers), revealing the basic “gene-toolkit” & gene-networks underlying functional sex in these five sparids. Comparing related species with alternative reproductive styles, we saw different combinations of genes with conserved sex-linked roles and some “handy” molecular players, in a “partially- conserved” or “modulated” network formulating the male and female phenotype. The knowledge obtained in this study and tools developed during the process have set the groundwork for future experiments that can improve the sex control of this species and help the in-deep understanding the complex process of sex differentiation in the more flexible multi-component systems as these studied here.

scholarly journals Circadian Control of Global Transcription

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shujing Li ◽  
Luoying Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Biological Pathways ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Molecular Clocks ◽  
Rhythmic Expression ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Circadian Control ◽  
And Behavior

Circadian rhythms exist in most if not all organisms on the Earth and manifest in various aspects of physiology and behavior. These rhythmic processes are believed to be driven by endogenous molecular clocks that regulate rhythmic expression of clock-controlled genes (CCGs). CCGs consist of a significant portion of the genome and are involved in diverse biological pathways. The transcription of CCGs is tuned by rhythmic actions of transcription factors and circadian alterations in chromatin. Here, we review the circadian control of CCG transcription in five model organisms that are widely used, including cyanobacterium, fungus, plant, fruit fly, and mouse. Comparing the similarity and differences in the five organisms could help us better understand the function of the circadian clock, as well as its output mechanisms adapted to meet the demands of diverse environmental conditions.

scholarly journals Transcriptome characterization analysis and molecular profiles of obligatory diapause induction of the Chinese citrus fruit fly,Bactrocera minax(Diptera: Tephritidae)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixiong Zhou ◽  
Xiaolin Dong ◽  
Chuanren Li
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Citrus Fruit ◽  
Pupal Stage ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Diapause Induction ◽  
Regulation Mechanism ◽  
Pupal Diapause ◽  
Specific Stage

AbstractThe Chinese citrus fruit fly,Bactrocera minax, is a devastating citrus pest in China, Bhutan and India. It will enter obligatory pupal diapause in each generation at specific stage, while little is known about the course and the molecular mechanisms of diapause induction. To gain insight into possible mechanisms of obligatory pupal diapause induction, high-throughput RNA-seq data were generated from second-instar larvae (2L), third-instar larvae (3L) and pupal (P, one week after pupating). A total of 116,402 unigenes were assembled and researched against public databases, and 54,781 unigenes matched to proteins in the NCBI database using the BLAST search. Three pairwise comparisons were performed, and significantly differentially regulated transcripts were identified. Several differentially expressed genes (DEGs) expression patterns revealed that those highly or lowly expressed genes in pupal stage were predicted to be involved in diapause induction. Moreover, GO function and KEGG pathway analysis were performed on all DEGs and showed that 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) biosynthesis, insulin signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway, cell cycle and metabolism pathway may be related to the obligatory diapause of the Chinese citrus fruit fly. This study provides valuable information about the Chinese citrus fruit fly transcriptome for future gene function research, and contributes to the in-depth elucidation of the molecular regulation mechanism of insect obligatory diapause induction.

scholarly journals A cross-species approach for the identification of Drosophila male sterility genes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimihide Ibaraki ◽  
Mihoko Nakatsuka ◽  
Takashi Ohsako ◽  
Masahide Watanabe ◽  
Yu Miyazaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Male Sterility ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Male Reproduction ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Germline Stem Cells ◽  
New Genes ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Sperm Development ◽  
Sterility Genes

Abstract Male reproduction encompasses many essential cellular processes and interactions. As a focal point for these events, sperm offer opportunities for advancing our understanding of sexual reproduction at multiple levels during development. Using male sterility genes identified in human, mouse and fruit fly databases as a starting point, 103 Drosophila melanogaster genes were screened for their association with male sterility by tissue-specific RNAi knockdown and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis. This list included 56 genes associated with male infertility in the human databases, but not found in the Drosophila database, resulting in the discovery of 63 new genes associated with male fertility in Drosophila. The phenotypes identified were categorized into six distinct classes affecting sperm development. Interestingly, the second largest class (Class VI) caused sterility despite apparently normal testis and sperm morphology suggesting that these proteins may have functions in the mature sperm following spermatogenesis. We focused on one such gene, Rack 1, and found that it plays an important role in two developmental periods, in early germline cells or germline stem cells and in spermatogenic cells or sperm. Taken together, many genes are yet to be identified and their role in male reproduction, especially after ejaculation, remains to be elucidated in Drosophila, where a wealth of data from human and other model organisms would be useful.

scholarly journals The Making of Long-Lasting Memories: A Fruit Fly Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Roselli ◽  
Mani Ramaswami ◽  
Tamara Boto ◽  
Isaac Cervantes-Sandoval
Keyword(s):  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Transient Wave ◽  
Control Of Gene Expression

Understanding the nature of the molecular mechanisms underlying memory formation, consolidation, and forgetting are some of the fascinating questions in modern neuroscience. The encoding, stabilization and elimination of memories, rely on the structural reorganization of synapses. These changes will enable the facilitation or depression of neural activity in response to the acquisition of new information. In other words, these changes affect the weight of specific nodes within a neural network. We know that these plastic reorganizations require de novo protein synthesis in the context of Long-term memory (LTM). This process depends on neural activity triggered by the learned experience. The use of model organisms like Drosophila melanogaster has been proven essential for advancing our knowledge in the field of neuroscience. Flies offer an optimal combination of a more straightforward nervous system, composed of a limited number of cells, and while still displaying complex behaviors. Studies in Drosophila neuroscience, which expanded over several decades, have been critical for understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to the synaptic and behavioral plasticity occurring in the context of learning and memory. This is possible thanks to sophisticated technical approaches that enable precise control of gene expression in the fruit fly as well as neural manipulation, like chemogenetics, thermogenetics, or optogenetics. The search for the identity of genes expressed as a result of memory acquisition has been an active interest since the origins of behavioral genetics. From screenings of more or less specific candidates to broader studies based on transcriptome analysis, our understanding of the genetic control behind LTM has expanded exponentially in the past years. Here we review recent literature regarding how the formation of memories induces a rapid, extensive and, in many cases, transient wave of transcriptional activity. After a consolidation period, transcriptome changes seem more stable and likely represent the synthesis of new proteins. The complexity of the circuitry involved in memory formation and consolidation is such that there are localized changes in neural activity, both regarding temporal dynamics and the nature of neurons and subcellular locations affected, hence inducing specific temporal and localized changes in protein expression. Different types of neurons are recruited at different times into memory traces. In LTM, the synthesis of new proteins is required in specific subsets of cells. This de novo translation can take place in the somatic cytoplasm and/or locally in distinct zones of compartmentalized synaptic activity, depending on the nature of the proteins and the plasticity-inducing processes that occur. We will also review recent advances in understanding how localized changes are confined to the relevant synapse. These recent studies have led to exciting discoveries regarding proteins that were not previously involved in learning and memory processes. This invaluable information will lead to future functional studies on the roles that hundreds of new molecular actors play in modulating neural activity.

scholarly journals Impacts of additional noise on the social interactions of a cooperatively breeding fish

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 210982
Author(s):  
Ines Braga Goncalves ◽  
Emily Richmond ◽  
Harry R. Harding ◽  
Andrew N. Radford
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Dominant Male ◽  
The Social ◽  
Additional Noise ◽  
Cooperatively Breeding ◽  
Global Pollutant ◽  
Model Fish Species ◽  
Model Fish

Anthropogenic noise is a global pollutant known to affect the behaviour of individual animals in all taxa studied. However, there has been relatively little experimental testing of the effects of additional noise on social interactions between conspecifics, despite these forming a crucial aspect of daily life for most species. Here, we use established paradigms to investigate how white-noise playback affects both group defensive actions against an intruder and associated within-group behaviours in a model fish species, the cooperatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher . Additional noise did not alter defensive behaviour, but did result in changes to within-group behaviour. Both dominant and subordinate females, but not the dominant male, exhibited less affiliation and showed a tendency to produce more submissive displays to groupmates when there was additional noise compared with control conditions. Thus, our experimental results indicate the potential for anthropogenic noise to affect social interactions between conspecifics and emphasize the possibility of intraspecific variation in the impacts of this global pollutant.

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