scholarly journals Pre-metazoan origin of neuropeptide signalling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Alfonso Yanez-Guerra ◽  
Daniel Thiel ◽  
Gaspar Jekely
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Gene Structure ◽  
Evolutionary Conservation ◽  
Cleavage Sites ◽  
Sequence Alignments ◽  
Signalling Molecules ◽  
Prohormone Processing ◽  
Deep Homology ◽  
Salpingoeca Rosetta

Neuropeptides are a diverse class of signalling molecules in metazoans. They occur in all animals with a nervous system and also in neuron-less placozoans. However, their origin has remained unclear because no neuropeptide shows deep homology across lineages and none have been found in sponges. Here, we identify two neuropeptide precursors, phoenixin and nesfatin, with broad evolutionary conservation. By database searches, sequence alignments and gene-structure comparisons we show that both precursors are present in bilaterians, cnidarians, ctenophores and sponges. We also found phoenixin and a secreted nesfatin precursor homolog in the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta. Phoenixin in particular, is highly conserved, including its cleavage sites, suggesting that prohormone processing occurs also in choanoflagellates. In addition, based on phyletic patterns and negative pharmacological assays we question the originally proposed GPR-173 (SREB3) as a phoenixin receptor. Our findings indicate that signalling by secreted neuropeptide homologs has pre-metazoan origins and thus evolved before neurons.

IDENTIFICATION, SEQUENCE AND EXPRESSION OF A CRUSTACEAN CARDIOACTIVE PEPTIDE (CCAP) GENE IN THE MOTHMANDUCA SEXTA

2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (16) ◽  
pp. 2803-2816 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. LOI ◽  
S. A. EMMAL ◽  
Y. PARK ◽  
N. J. TUBLITZ
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Gene Structure ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Genome Database ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Crustacean Cardioactive Peptide ◽  
Embryonic Life

SUMMARYThe crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) gene was isolated from the tobacco hawkmoth Manduca sexta. The gene has an open reading frame of 125 amino acid residues containing a single, complete copy of CCAP. Analysis of the gene structure revealed three introns interrupting the coding region. A comparison of the M. sexta CCAP gene with the Drosophila melanogaster genome database reveals significant similarities in sequence and gene structure.The spatial and temporal expression patterns of the CCAP gene in the M. sexta central nervous system were determined in all major post-embryonic stages using in situ hybridization techniques. The CCAP gene is expressed in a total of 116 neurons in the post-embryonic M. sextacentral nervous system. Nine pairs of cells are observed in the brain, 4.5 pairs in the subesophageal ganglion, three pairs in each thoracic ganglion(T1-T3), three pairs in the first abdominal ganglion (A1), five pairs each in the second to sixth abdominal ganglia (A2-A6) and 7.5 pairs in the terminal ganglion. The CCAP gene is expressed in every ganglion in each post-embryonic stage, except in the thoracic ganglia of first- and second-instar larvae. The number of cells expressing the CCAP gene varies during post-embryonic life,starting at 52 cells in the first instar and reaching a maximum of 116 shortly after pupation. One set of thoracic neurons expressing CCAP mRNA shows unusual variability in expression levels immediately prior to larval ecdysis. Using previously published CCAP immunocytochemical data, it was determined that 91 of 95 CCAP-immunopositive neurons in the M. sexta central nervous system also express the M. sexta CCAP gene, indicating that there is likely to be only a single CCAP gene in M. sexta.

scholarly journals Developmental Accumulation of Gene Body and Transposon Non-CpG Methylation in the Zebrafish Brain

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel E. Ross ◽  
Daniel Hesselson ◽  
Ozren Bogdanovic
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Transcriptional Repression ◽  
System Development ◽  
Evolutionary Conservation ◽  
Nervous System Development ◽  
Zebrafish Brain ◽  
Zebrafish Larvae ◽  
And Function ◽  
Cg Dinucleotides ◽  
Embryonic Brain Development

DNA methylation predominantly occurs at CG dinucleotides in vertebrate genomes; however, non-CG methylation (mCH) is also detectable in vertebrate tissues, most notably in the nervous system. In mammals it is well established that mCH is targeted to CAC trinucleotides by DNMT3A during nervous system development where it is enriched in gene bodies and associated with transcriptional repression. Nevertheless, the conservation of developmental mCH accumulation and its deposition by DNMT3A is largely unexplored and has yet to be functionally demonstrated in other vertebrates. In this study, by analyzing DNA methylomes and transcriptomes of zebrafish brains, we identified enrichment of mCH at CAC trinucleotides (mCAC) at defined transposon motifs as well as in developmentally downregulated genes associated with developmental and neural functions. We further generated and analyzed DNA methylomes and transcriptomes of developing zebrafish larvae and demonstrated that, like in mammals, mCH accumulates during post-embryonic brain development. Finally, by employing CRISPR/Cas9 technology, we unraveled a conserved role for Dnmt3a enzymes in developmental mCAC deposition. Overall, this work demonstrates the evolutionary conservation of developmental mCH dynamics and highlights the potential of zebrafish as a model to study mCH regulation and function during normal and perturbed development.

scholarly journals Gene Structure and Expression of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus ORF56, ORF57, ORF58, and ORF59

2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (24) ◽  
pp. 11968-11981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Majerciak ◽  
Koji Yamanegi ◽  
Zhi-Ming Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Gene Structure ◽  
Kaposi's Sarcoma ◽  
Stop Codon ◽  
Kaposi’S Sarcoma ◽  
Cleavage Sites ◽  
Transcription Start ◽  
Transcription Start Sites ◽  
Kaposi's Sarcoma Associated Herpesvirus ◽  
Gene Structure And Expression ◽  
Kaposi’S Sarcoma Associated Herpesvirus

ABSTRACT Though similar to those of herpesvirus saimiri and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) genome features more splice genes and encodes many genes with bicistronic or polycistronic transcripts. In the present study, the gene structure and expression of KSHV ORF56 (primase), ORF57 (MTA), ORF58 (EBV BMRF2 homologue), and ORF59 (DNA polymerase processivity factor) were analyzed in butyrate-activated KSHV+ JSC-1 cells. ORF56 was expressed at low abundance as a bicistronic ORF56/57 transcript that utilized the same intron, with two alternative branch points, as ORF57 for its RNA splicing. ORF56 was transcribed from two transcription start sites, nucleotides (nt) 78994 (minor) and 79075 (major), but selected the same poly(A) signal as ORF57 for RNA polyadenylation. The majority of ORF56 and ORF57 transcripts were cleaved at nt 83628, although other nearby cleavage sites were selectable. On the opposite strand of the viral genome, colinear ORF58 and ORF59 were transcribed from different transcription start sites, nt 95821 (major) or 95824 (minor) for ORF58 and nt 96790 (minor) or 96794 (major) for ORF59, but shared overlapping poly(A) signals at nt 94492 and 94488. Two cleavage sites, at nt 94477 and nt 94469, could be equally selected for ORF59 polyadenylation, but only the cleavage site at nt 94469 could be selected for ORF58 polyadenylation without disrupting the ORF58 stop codon immediately upstream. ORF58 was expressed in low abundance as a monocistronic transcript, with a long 5′ untranslated region (UTR) but a short 3′ UTR, whereas ORF59 was expressed in high abundance as a bicistronic transcript, with a short 5′ UTR and a long 3′ UTR similar to those of polycistronic ORF60 and ORF62. Both ORF56 and ORF59 are targets of ORF57 and were up-regulated significantly in the presence of ORF57, a posttranscriptional regulator.

scholarly journals Fibroblast Growth Factor Signalling in the Diseased Nervous System

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Klimaschewski ◽  
Peter Claus
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Fibroblast Growth ◽  
Maintenance And Repair ◽  
Signalling Molecules ◽  
Mouse Mutants ◽  
Tissue Protection ◽  
Growth Factor Signalling ◽  
Fgf Signalling

AbstractFibroblast growth factors (FGFs) act as key signalling molecules in brain development, maintenance, and repair. They influence the intricate relationship between myelinating cells and axons as well as the association of astrocytic and microglial processes with neuronal perikarya and synapses. Advances in molecular genetics and imaging techniques have allowed novel insights into FGF signalling in recent years. Conditional mouse mutants have revealed the functional significance of neuronal and glial FGF receptors, not only in tissue protection, axon regeneration, and glial proliferation but also in instant behavioural changes. This review provides a summary of recent findings regarding the role of FGFs and their receptors in the nervous system and in the pathogenesis of major neurological and psychiatric disorders.

scholarly journals Developmental accumulation of gene body and transposon non-CpG methylation in the zebrafish brain

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel E Ross ◽  
Daniel Hesselson ◽  
Ozren Bogdanovic
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Transcriptional Repression ◽  
System Development ◽  
Evolutionary Conservation ◽  
Nervous System Development ◽  
Zebrafish Brain ◽  
Zebrafish Larvae ◽  
And Function ◽  
Cg Dinucleotides ◽  
Embryonic Brain Development

DNA methylation predominantly occurs at CG dinucleotides in vertebrate genomes; however, non-CG methylation (mCH) is also detectable in vertebrate tissues, most notably in the nervous system. In mammals it is well established that mCH is targeted to CAC trinucleotides by DNMT3A during nervous system development where it is enriched in gene bodies and associated with transcriptional repression. However, the conservation of developmental mCH accumulation and its deposition by DNMT3A is largely unexplored and has yet to be functionally demonstrated in other vertebrates. In this study, by analyzing DNA methylomes and transcriptomes of zebrafish brains, we identified enrichment of mCH at CAC trinucleotides (mCAC) at defined transposon motifs as well as in developmentally downregulated genes associated with developmental and neural functions. We further generated and analyzed DNA methylomes and transcriptomes of developing zebrafish larvae and demonstrated that, like in mammals, mCH accumulates during post-embryonic brain development. Finally, by employing CRISPR/Cas9 technology, we unraveled a conserved role for Dnmt3a enzymes in developmental mCAC deposition. Overall, this work demonstrates the evolutionary conservation of developmental mCH dynamics and highlights the potential of zebrafish as a model to study mCH regulation and function during normal and perturbed development.

scholarly journals Astrocyte and Oligodendrocyte Cross-Talk in the Central Nervous System

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Nutma ◽  
Démi van Gent ◽  
Sandra Amor ◽  
Laura A. N. Peferoen
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Cross Talk ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Cell Contact ◽  
Signalling Molecules ◽  
Direct Cell ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Health And Disease

Over the last decade knowledge of the role of astrocytes in central nervous system (CNS) neuroinflammatory diseases has changed dramatically. Rather than playing a merely passive role in response to damage it is clear that astrocytes actively maintain CNS homeostasis by influencing pH, ion and water balance, the plasticity of neurotransmitters and synapses, cerebral blood flow, and are important immune cells. During disease astrocytes become reactive and hypertrophic, a response that was long considered to be pathogenic. However, recent studies reveal that astrocytes also have a strong tissue regenerative role. Whilst most astrocyte research focuses on modulating neuronal function and synaptic transmission little is known about the cross-talk between astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells of the CNS. This communication occurs via direct cell-cell contact as well as via secreted cytokines, chemokines, exosomes, and signalling molecules. Additionally, this cross-talk is important for glial development, triggering disease onset and progression, as well as stimulating regeneration and repair. Its critical role in homeostasis is most evident when this communication fails. Here, we review emerging evidence of astrocyte-oligodendrocyte communication in health and disease. Understanding the pathways involved in this cross-talk will reveal important insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of CNS diseases.

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