scholarly journals Mutator foci are regulated by developmental stage, RNA, and the germline cell cycle in Caenorhabditis elegans

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celja J. Uebel ◽  
Dana Agbede ◽  
Dylan C. Wallis ◽  
Carolyn M. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Epigenetic Inheritance ◽  
Germline Cell ◽  
Late Pachytene ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Transcriptional Inhibition ◽  
Male Germline ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Adult Hermaphrodite

ABSTRACTRNA interference is a crucial gene regulatory mechanism in Caenorhabditis elegans. Phase-separated perinuclear germline compartments called Mutator foci are a key element of RNAi, ensuring robust gene silencing and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Despite their importance, Mutator foci regulation is not well understood, and observations of Mutator foci have been largely limited to adult hermaphrodite germlines. Here we reveal that punctate Mutator foci arise in the progenitor germ cells of early embryos and persist throughout all larval stages. They are additionally present throughout the male germline and in the cytoplasm of post-meiotic spermatids, suggestive of a role in paternal epigenetic inheritance. In the adult germline, transcriptional inhibition results in a pachytene-specific loss of Mutator foci, indicating that Mutator foci are partially reliant on RNA for their stability. Finally, we demonstrate that Mutator foci intensity is modulated by the stage of the germline cell cycle and specifically, that Mutator foci are brightest and most robust in the mitotic cells, transition zone, and late pachytene of adult germlines. Thus, our data defines several new factors that modulate Mutator foci morphology which may ultimately have implications for efficacy of RNAi in certain cell stages or environments.

scholarly journals Mutator Foci Are Regulated by Developmental Stage, RNA, and the Germline Cell Cycle in Caenorhabditis elegans

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3719-3728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celja J. Uebel ◽  
Dana Agbede ◽  
Dylan C. Wallis ◽  
Carolyn M. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Epigenetic Inheritance ◽  
Germline Cell ◽  
Late Pachytene ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Transcriptional Inhibition ◽  
Male Germline ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Adult Hermaphrodite

RNA interference is a crucial gene regulatory mechanism in Caenorhabditis elegans. Phase-separated perinuclear germline compartments called Mutator foci are a key element of RNAi, ensuring robust gene silencing and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Despite their importance, Mutator foci regulation is not well understood, and observations of Mutator foci have been largely limited to adult hermaphrodite germlines. Here we reveal that punctate Mutator foci arise in the progenitor germ cells of early embryos and persist throughout all larval stages. They are additionally present throughout the male germline and in the cytoplasm of post-meiotic spermatids, suggestive of a role in paternal epigenetic inheritance. In the adult germline, transcriptional inhibition results in a pachytene-specific loss of Mutator foci, indicating that Mutator foci are partially reliant on RNA for their stability. Finally, we demonstrate that Mutator foci intensity is modulated by the stage of the germline cell cycle and specifically, that Mutator foci are brightest and most robust in the mitotic cells, transition zone, and late pachytene of adult germlines. Thus, our data defines several new factors that modulate Mutator foci morphology which may ultimately have implications for efficacy of RNAi in certain cell stages or environments.

scholarly journals Loss of SEC-23 in Caenorhabditis elegans Causes Defects in Oogenesis, Morphogenesis, and Extracellular Matrix Secretion

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 4414-4426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett Roberts ◽  
Caroline Clucas ◽  
Iain L. Johnstone
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Rapid Onset ◽  
Transport Pathway ◽  
Early Maturation ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Membrane Surfaces ◽  
Golgi Transport ◽  
Adult Hermaphrodite ◽  
Extracellular Matrix Secretion

SEC-23 is a component of coat protein complex II (COPII)-coated vesicles involved in the endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi transport pathway of eukaryotes. During postembryonic life, Caenorhabditis elegans is surrounded by a collagenous exoskeleton termed the cuticle. From a screen for mutants defective in cuticle secretion, we identified and characterized a sec-23 mutant of C. elegans. By sequence homology, C. elegans has only the single sec-23 gene described herein. In addition to the cuticle secretion defect, mutants fail to complete embryonic morphogenesis. However, they progress through the earlier stages of embryogenesis, including gastrulation, and achieve substantial morphogenesis before death. We demonstrated a maternal component of SEC-23 function sufficient for progression through the earlier stages of embryogenesis and explaining the limited phenotype of the zygotic mutant. By RNA-mediated interference, we investigated the effects of perturbing COPII function during various postembryonic stages. During larval stages, major defects in cuticle synthesis and molting were observed. In the adult hermaphrodite, reduction of SEC-23 function by RNA-mediated interference caused a rapid onset of sterility, with defects in oogenesis including early maturation of the germline nuclei, probably a result of the observed loss of the GLP-1 receptor from the membrane surfaces adjacent to the developing germline nuclei.

Control of cell-cycle timing in early embryos of Caenorhabditis elegans

1985 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Einhard Schierenberg ◽  
William B. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Early Embryos

scholarly journals Dynamic Regulation of Caveolin-1 Trafficking in the Germ Line and Embryo of Caenorhabditis elegans

2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 3085-3094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Sato ◽  
Miyuki Sato ◽  
Anjon Audhya ◽  
Karen Oegema ◽  
Peter Schweinsberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Cortical Granule ◽  
Major Protein ◽  
Dynamic Regulation ◽  
Caveolin 1 ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Caveolin is the major protein component required for the formation of caveolae on the plasma membrane. Here we show that trafficking of Caenorhabditis elegans caveolin-1 (CAV-1) is dynamically regulated during development of the germ line and embryo. In oocytes a CAV-1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein is found on the plasma membrane and in large vesicles (CAV-1 bodies). After ovulation and fertilization the CAV-1 bodies fuse with the plasma membrane in a manner reminiscent of cortical granule exocytosis as described in other species. Fusion of CAV-1 bodies with the plasma membrane appears to be regulated by the advancing cell cycle, and not fertilization per se, because fusion can proceed in spe-9 fertilization mutants but is blocked by RNA interference–mediated knockdown of an anaphase-promoting complex component (EMB-27). After exocytosis, most CAV-1-GFP is rapidly endocytosed and degraded within one cell cycle. CAV-1 bodies in oocytes appear to be produced by the Golgi apparatus in an ARF-1–dependent, clathrin-independent, mechanism. Conversely endocytosis and degradation of CAV-1-GFP in embryos requires clathrin, dynamin, and RAB-5. Our results demonstrate that the distribution of CAV-1 is highly dynamic during development and provides new insights into the sorting mechanisms that regulate CAV-1 localization.

scholarly journals Erratum: Dynamic SUMO modification regulates mitotic chromosome assembly and cell cycle progression in Caenorhabditis elegans

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Pelisch ◽  
Remi Sonneville ◽  
Ehsan Pourkarimi ◽  
Ana Agostinho ◽  
J. Julian Blow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Mitotic Chromosome ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Sumo Modification

Involvement of caveolin-1 in meiotic cell-cycle progression in Caenorhabditis elegans

10.1038/10100 ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen Scheel ◽  
Jagan Srinivasan ◽  
Ulrike Honnert ◽  
Annemarie Henske ◽  
Teymuras V. Kurzchalia
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Meiotic Cell ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Caveolin 1

scholarly journals Nurse cell-derived small RNAs define paternal epigenetic inheritance in Arabidopsis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jincheng Long ◽  
James Walker ◽  
Wenjing She ◽  
Billy Aldridge ◽  
Hongbo Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Small Rnas ◽  
Nurse Cell ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Epigenetic Inheritance ◽  
Genome Integrity ◽  
Nurse Cells ◽  
Male Germline ◽  
Methylation Patterns

AbstractThe plant male germline undergoes DNA methylation reprogramming, which methylates genes de novo and thereby alters gene expression and facilitates meiosis. Why reprogramming is limited to the germline and how specific genes are chosen is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that genic methylation in the male germline, from meiocytes to sperm, is established by germline-specific siRNAs transcribed from transposons with imperfect sequence homology. These siRNAs are synthesized by meiocyte nurse cells (tapetum) via activity of the tapetum-specific chromatin remodeler CLASSY3. Remarkably, tapetal siRNAs govern germline methylation throughout the genome, including the inherited methylation patterns in sperm. Finally, we demonstrate that these nurse cell-derived siRNAs (niRNAs) silence germline transposons, thereby safeguarding genome integrity. Our results reveal that tapetal niRNAs are sufficient to reconstitute germline methylation patterns and drive extensive, functional methylation reprogramming analogous to piRNA-mediated reprogramming in animal germlines.

scholarly journals An RNAi screen for genes that affect nuclear morphology in Caenorhabditis elegans reveals the involvement of unexpected processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richa Maheshwari ◽  
Mohammad M Rahman ◽  
Daphna Joseph-Strauss ◽  
Orna Cohen-Fix
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complex ◽  
Cellular Transformation ◽  
Rnai Screen ◽  
Nuclear Shape ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Morphology ◽  
Anaphase Bridges ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Embryonic Viability

Abstract Aberration in nuclear morphology is one of the hallmarks of cellular transformation. However, the processes that, when mis-regulated, result aberrant nuclear morphology are poorly understood. In this study we carried out a systematic, high-throughput RNAi screen for genes that affect nuclear morphology in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. The screen employed over 1700 RNAi constructs against genes required for embryonic viability. Nuclei of early embryos are typically spherical, and their NPCs are evenly distributed. The screen was performed on early embryos expressing a fluorescently tagged component of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), allowing visualization of nuclear shape as well as the distribution of NPCs around the nuclear envelope. Our screen uncovered 182 genes whose down-regulation resulted in one or more abnormal nuclear phenotypes, including multiple nuclei, micronuclei, abnormal nuclear shape, anaphase bridges and abnormal NPC distribution. Many of these genes fall into common functional groups, including some that were not previously known to affect nuclear morphology, such as genes involved in mitochondrial function, the vacuolar ATPase and the CCT chaperonin complex. The results of this screen add to our growing knowledge of processes that affect nuclear morphology and that may be altered in cancer cells that exhibit abnormal nuclear shape.

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