scholarly journals Functionally non-redundant paralogs spe-47 and spe-50 encode FB-MO associated proteins and interact with him-8

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica N. Clark ◽  
Gaurav Prajapati ◽  
Fermina Aldaco ◽  
Thomas J. Sokolich ◽  
Steven Keung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Chromatin Remodeling ◽  
Duplication Event ◽  
Sperm Function ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Conserved Sequence ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Normal Sperm ◽  
Number Of Genes ◽  
Associated Proteins

AbstractThe activation of C. elegans spermatids to crawling spermatozoa is affected by a number of genes including spe-47. Here, we investigate a paralog to spe-47: spe-50, which has a highly conserved sequence and expression, but which is not functionally redundant to spe-47. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the duplication event that produced the paralogs occurred prior to the radiation of the Caenorhabditis species included in the analysis, allowing a long period for the paralogs to diverge in function. Furthermore, we observed that knockout mutations in both genes, either alone or together, have little effect on sperm function. However, hermaphrodites harboring both knockout mutations combined with a third mutation in the him-8 gene are nearly self-sterile due to a sperm defect, even though they have numerous apparently normal sperm within their spermathecae. We suggest that the sperm in these triple mutants are defective in fusing with oocytes, and that the effect of the him-8 mutation is due to its role in chromatin remodeling.

scholarly journals Functionally non-redundant paralogs spe-47 and spe-50 encode FB-MO associated proteins and interact with him-8

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0230939
Author(s):  
Jessica N. Clark ◽  
Gaurav Prajapati ◽  
Fermina K. Aldaco ◽  
Thomas J. Sokolich ◽  
Steven S. Keung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Duplication Event ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Sperm Function ◽  
Conserved Sequence ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Normal Sperm ◽  
Number Of Genes ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
And Function

The activation of C. elegans spermatids to crawling spermatozoa is affected by a number of genes including spe-47. Here, we investigate a paralog to spe-47: spe-50, which has a highly conserved sequence and expression, but which is not functionally redundant to spe-47. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the duplication event that produced the paralogs occurred prior to the radiation of the Caenorhabditis species included in the analysis, allowing a long period for the paralogs to diverge in function. Furthermore, we observed that knockout mutations in both genes, either alone or together, have little effect on sperm function. However, hermaphrodites harboring both knockout mutations combined with a third mutation in the him-8 gene are nearly self-sterile due to a sperm defect, even though they have numerous apparently normal sperm within their spermathecae. We suggest that the sperm in these triple mutants are defective in fusing with oocytes, and that the effect of the him-8 mutation is unclear but likely due to its direct or indirect effect on local chromatin structure and function.

scholarly journals Sperm Competition in the Absence of Fertilization in Caenorhabditis elegans

Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Singson ◽  
Katherine L Hill ◽  
Steven W L’Hernault
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Sperm Function ◽  
Sperm Precedence ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Normal Sperm ◽  
Self Fertilization ◽  
Competition Assays

Abstract Hermaphrodite self-fertilization is the primary mode of reproduction in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. However, when a hermaphrodite is crossed with a male, nearly all of the oocytes are fertilized by male-derived sperm. This sperm precedence during reproduction is due to the competitive superiority of male-derived sperm and results in a functional suppression of hermaphrodite self-fertility. In this study, mutant males that inseminate fertilization-defective sperm were used to reveal that sperm competition within a hermaphrodite does not require successful fertilization. However, sperm competition does require normal sperm motility. Additionally, sperm competition is not an absolute process because oocytes not fertilized by male-derived sperm can sometimes be fertilized by hermaphrodite-derived sperm. These results indicate that outcrossed progeny result from a wild-type cross because male-derived sperm are competitively superior and hermaphrodite-derived sperm become unavailable to oocytes. The sperm competition assays described in this study will be useful in further classifying the large number of currently identified mutations that alter sperm function and development in C. elegans.

scholarly journals Evolution of Yin and Yang isoforms of a chromatin remodeling subunit precedes the creation of two genes

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Xu ◽  
Lijiang Long ◽  
Yuehui Zhao ◽  
Lewis Stevens ◽  
Irene Felipe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromatin Remodeling ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Laboratory Strain ◽  
Duplication Event ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Genetic Position ◽  
Yin And Yang ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Gene Sharing

Genes can encode multiple isoforms, broadening their functions and providing a molecular substrate to evolve phenotypic diversity. Evolution of isoform function is a potential route to adapt to new environments. Here we show that de novo, beneficial alleles in the nurf-1 gene became fixed in two laboratory lineages of C. elegans after isolation from the wild in 1951, before methods of cryopreservation were developed. nurf-1 encodes an ortholog of BPTF, a large (>300 kD) multidomain subunit of the NURF chromatin remodeling complex. Using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and transgenic rescue, we demonstrate that in C. elegans, nurf-1 has split into two, largely non-overlapping isoforms (NURF-1.D and NURF-1.B, which we call Yin and Yang, respectively) that share only two of 26 exons. Both isoforms are essential for normal gametogenesis but have opposite effects on male/female gamete differentiation. Reproduction in hermaphrodites, which involves production of both sperm and oocytes, requires a balance of these opposing Yin and Yang isoforms. Transgenic rescue and genetic position of the fixed mutations suggest that different isoforms are modified in each laboratory strain. In a related clade of Caenorhabditis nematodes, the shared exons have duplicated, resulting in the split of the Yin and Yang isoforms into separate genes, each containing approximately 200 amino acids of duplicated sequence that has undergone accelerated protein evolution following the duplication. Associated with this duplication event is the loss of two additional nurf-1 transcripts, including the long-form transcript and a newly identified, highly expressed transcript encoded by the duplicated exons. We propose these lost transcripts are non-functional side products necessary to transcribe the Yin and Yang transcripts in the same cells. Our work demonstrates how gene sharing, through the production of multiple isoforms, can precede the creation of new, independent genes.

scholarly journals HDAC1 SUMOylation promotes Argonaute directed transcriptional silencing in C. elegans

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heesun Kim ◽  
Yue-He Ding ◽  
Gangming Zhang ◽  
Yong-Hong Yan ◽  
Darryl Conte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromatin Remodeling ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Transcriptional Silencing ◽  
Nurd Complex ◽  
Nucleosome Remodeling ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Argonaute Proteins ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Heterochromatin Silencing

SUMMARYEukaryotic cells use guided search to coordinately control dispersed genetic elements. The transitive effectors of these mechanisms, Argonaute proteins and their small-RNA co-factors, engage nascent RNAs and chromatin-associated proteins to direct transcriptional silencing. The small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) has been shown to promote the induction and maintenance of silent chromatin (called heterochromatin) in yeast, plants, and animals. Here we show that Argonaute-directed transcriptional silencing in C. elegans requires SUMOylation of the type 1 histone deacetylase HDA-1. SUMOylation of HDA-1 promotes interactions with components of the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex and with the nuclear Argonaute HRDE-1/WAGO-9. Our findings suggest how HDAC1 SUMOylation promotes the association of HDAC and other chromatin remodeling factors with a nuclear Argonaute in order to initiate de novo heterochromatin silencing.

scholarly journals Evolution of Yin and Yang isoforms of a chromatin remodeling subunit results in the creation of two genes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Xu ◽  
Lijiang Long ◽  
Yuehui Zhao ◽  
Lewis Stevens ◽  
Ronald E. Ellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromatin Remodeling ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Laboratory Strain ◽  
Duplication Event ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Genetic Position ◽  
Long Form ◽  
Yin And Yang ◽  
The Creation

AbstractGenes can encode multiple isoforms, broadening their functions and providing a molecular substrate to evolve phenotypic diversity. Evolution of isoform function is a potential route to adapt to new environments. Here we show that de novo, beneficial alleles in the nurf-1 gene fixed in two laboratory strains of C. elegans after isolation from the wild in 1951, before methods of cryopreservation were developed. nurf-1 encodes an ortholog of BPTF, a large (>300kD) multidomain subunit of the NURF chromatin remodeling complex. Using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and transgenic rescue, we demonstrate that in C. elegans, nurf-1 has split into two, largely non-overlapping isoforms (NURF-1.B and NURF-1.D, which we call Yin and Yang) that share only two of 26 exons. Both isoforms are essential for normal gametogenesis but have opposite effects on male/female gamete differentiation. Reproduction in hermaphrodites, which involves production of both sperm and oocytes, requires a balance of these opposing Yin and Yang isoforms. Transgenic rescue and genetic position of the fixed mutations suggest that different isoforms are modified in each laboratory strain. In a related clade of Caenorhabditis nematodes, the shared exons have duplicated, resulting in the split of the Yin and Yang isoforms into separate genes, each containing approximately 200 amino acids of duplicated sequence that has undergone accelerated protein evolution following the duplication. Associated with this duplication event is the loss of two additional nurf-1 transcripts, including the long-form transcript and a newly identified, highly expressed transcript encoded by the duplicated exons. We propose these lost transcripts are non-functional biproducts necessary to transcribe the Yin and Yang transcripts in the same cells. Our work suggests that evolution of nurf-1 isoforms in nematodes creates adaptive conflict that can be resolved by the creation of new, independent genes.

scholarly journals The EGF-motif containing protein SPE-36 is a secreted protein required for sperm function at fertilization in C. elegans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber R Krauchunas ◽  
Matthew R Marcello ◽  
A'Maya Looper ◽  
Xue Mei ◽  
Emily Putiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Sperm Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Number Of Genes ◽  
Molecular Complexity ◽  
Paradigm Shifting

The growing number of genes specifically required for fertilization suggests that there is a significant amount of molecular complexity at the sperm-egg interface. Thus, we have adopted a model of a fertilization synapse where specialized zones of interaction and multi-protein complexes mediate gamete interaction and fusion. The fertilization synapse is likely to be composed of both trans and cis protein-protein interactions at the surface of each gamete. Mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans spe-36 gene result in a sperm-specific fertility defect. Surprisingly, spe-36 encodes a secreted EGF-motif containing protein that functions cell autonomously. Despite the fact that morphology and migratory behavior of spe-36 sperm are indistinguishable from wild-type sperm, spe-36 sperm make close contact with oocytes but fail to fertilize them. The genetic requirement for a secreted sperm-derived protein for fertilization is novel and represents a paradigm-shifting discovery in the molecular understanding of fertilization.

scholarly journals HDAC1 SUMOylation promotes Argonaute-directed transcriptional silencing in C. elegans

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heesun Kim ◽  
Yue-He Ding ◽  
Gangming Zhang ◽  
Yong-Hong Yan ◽  
Darryl Conte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromatin Remodeling ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Transcriptional Silencing ◽  
Silent Chromatin ◽  
Guided Search ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Argonaute Proteins ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Heterochromatin Silencing

Eukaryotic cells use guided search to coordinately control dispersed genetic elements. Argonaute proteins and their small RNA cofactors engage nascent RNAs and chromatin-associated proteins to direct transcriptional silencing. The small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) has been shown to promote the formation and maintenance of silent chromatin (called heterochromatin) in yeast, plants, and animals. Here, we show that Argonaute-directed transcriptional silencing in Caenorhabditis elegans requires SUMOylation of the type 1 histone deacetylase HDA-1. Our findings suggest how SUMOylation promotes the association of HDAC1 with chromatin remodeling factors and with a nuclear Argonaute to initiate de novo heterochromatin silencing.

scholarly journals Microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans: periodic cross-links connect microtubules in vitro.

1986 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
E J Aamodt ◽  
J G Culotti
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Apparent Molecular Weight ◽  
Cross Link ◽  
Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Microtubule Associated Proteins ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Cross Links ◽  
The Cross

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans should be an excellent model system in which to study the role of microtubules in mitosis, embryogenesis, morphogenesis, and nerve function. It may be studied by the use of biochemical, genetic, molecular biological, and cell biological approaches. We have purified microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) from C. elegans by the use of the anti-tumor drug taxol (Vallee, R. B., 1982, J. Cell Biol., 92:435-44). Approximately 0.2 mg of microtubules and 0.03 mg of MAPs were isolated from each gram of C. elegans. The C. elegans microtubules were smaller in diameter than bovine microtubules assembled in vitro in the same buffer. They contained primarily 9-11 protofilaments, while the bovine microtubules contained 13 protofilaments. The principal MAP had an apparent molecular weight of 32,000 and the minor MAPs were 30,000, 45,000, 47,000, 50,000, 57,000, and 100,000-110,000 mol wt as determined by SDS-gel electrophoresis. The microtubules were observed, by electron microscopy of negatively stained preparations, to be connected by stretches of highly periodic cross-links. The cross-links connected the adjacent protofilaments of aligned microtubules, and occurred at a frequency of one cross-link every 7.7 +/- 0.9 nm, or one cross-link per tubulin dimer along the protofilament. The cross-links were removed when the MAPs were extracted from the microtubules with 0.4 M NaCl. The cross-links then re-formed when the microtubules and the MAPs were recombined in a low salt buffer. These results strongly suggest that the cross-links are composed of MAPs.

Molecular evolution of the actin family

2002 ◽  
Vol 115 (13) ◽  
pp. 2619-2622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly V. Goodson ◽  
William F. Hawse
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Chromatin Remodeling ◽  
The Core ◽  
Nuclear Process ◽  
Core Set ◽  
Eukaryotic Proteins ◽  
Related Proteins

Members of the actin family have well-characterized cytoskeletal functions,but actin and actin-related proteins (ARPs) have also been implicated in nuclear activities. Previous analyses of the actin family have identified four conserved subfamilies, but many actin-related proteins (ARPs) do not fall into these groups. A new systematic phylogenetic analysis reveals that at least eight ARP subfamilies are conserved from humans to yeast, indicating that these ARPs are part of the core set of eukaryotic proteins. Members of at least three subfamilies appear to be involved in chromatin remodeling,suggesting that ARPs play ancient, fundamental roles in this nuclear process.

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