Cell cycle-dependent sequencing of cell fate decisions in Caenorhabditis elegans vulva precursor cells

Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (9) ◽  
pp. 1947-1956 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Ambros

In Caenorhabditis elegans, the fates of the six multipotent vulva precursor cells (VPCs) are specified by extracellular signals. One VPC expresses the primary (1 degrees) fate in response to a Ras-mediated inductive signal from the gonad. The two VPCs flanking the 1 degrees cell each express secondary (2 degrees) fates in response to lin-12-mediated lateral signaling. The remaining three VPCs each adopt the non-vulval tertiary (3 degrees) fate. Here I describe experiments examining how the selection of these vulval fates is affected by cell cycle arrest and cell cycle-restricted lin-12 activity. The results suggest that lin-12 participates in two developmental decisions separable by cell cycle phase: lin-12 must act prior to the end of VPC S phase to influence a 1 degrees versus 2 degrees cell fate choice, but must act after VPC S phase to influence a 3 degrees versus 2 degrees cell fate choice. Coupling developmental decisions to cell cycle transitions may provide a mechanism for prioritizing or ordering choices of cell fates for multipotential cells.

Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. SCI-20-SCI-20
Author(s):  
Merav Socolovsky

The manner by which multipotent hematopoietic progenitors commit to the erythroid lineage, and the subsequent processes that govern early erythroid progenitor development, are not well understood. Part of the challenge for investigating these was the lack of a rigorous strategy for isolating directly from tissue the early erythroid progenitors, which are functionally defined as the cell 'units' that give rise to erythroid colonies (CFU-e) or bursts (BFU-e) in culture. Indeed, the early erythroid trajectory, that starts with multi-potential progenitors and gives rise to BFU-e, CFU-e and to erythroblasts undergoing terminal differentiation, was not fully elucidated. We addressed these gaps using single cell transcriptomics, combined with functional assays that validated computational predictions 1. These showed that early hematopoietic progenitors form a continuous, hierarchical branching structure, in which the erythroid and basophil/mast cell fates are unexpectedly coupled. We delineated a novel flow-cytometric strategy that prospectively isolates CFU-e and BFU-e progenitors with high purity, and in combination with computational predictions, identified novel growth factor receptors that regulate early erythropoiesis. We further discovered that early erythroid development entails profound remodeling of both G1 and S phases of the cycle, resulting in cell cycle specializations that orchestrate the developmental process, including a gradual shortening of G1 during the CFU-e phase, followed by a sharp increase in the speed of S phase during the S-phase dependent activation of the erythroid terminal differentiation program 1-3(Figure 2). 1. Tusi BK, Wolock SL, Weinreb C, et al. Population snapshots predict early haematopoietic and erythroid hierarchies. Nature. 2018;555(7694):54-60. 2. Hwang Y, Futran M, Hidalgo D, et al. Global increase in replication fork speed during a p57KIP2-regulated erythroid cell fate switch. Science Advances. 2017;3:e1700298. 3. Pop R, Shearstone JR, Shen Q, et al. A key commitment step in erythropoiesis is synchronized with the cell cycle clock through mutual inhibition between PU.1 and S-phase progression. PLoS Biol. 2010;8(9). Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Farkas ◽  
Hideharu Hashimoto ◽  
Yingtao Bi ◽  
Ramana V. Davuluri ◽  
Lois Resnick-Silverman ◽  
...  

AbstractThe tumor suppressor p53 integrates stress response pathways by selectively engaging one of several potential transcriptomes, thereby triggering cell fate decisions (e.g., cell cycle arrest, apoptosis). Foundational to this process is the binding of tetrameric p53 to 20-bp response elements (REs) in the genome (RRRCWWGYYYN0-13RRRCWWGYYY). In general, REs at cell cycle arrest targets (e.g. p21) are of higher affinity than those at apoptosis targets (e.g., BAX). However, the RE sequence code underlying selectivity remains undeciphered. Here, we identify molecular mechanisms mediating p53 binding to high- and low-affinity REs by showing that key determinants of the code are embedded in the DNA shape. We further demonstrate that differences in minor/major groove widths, encoded by G/C or A/T bp content at positions 3, 8, 13, and 18 in the RE, determine distinct p53 DNA-binding modes by inducing different Arg248 and Lys120 conformations and interactions. The predictive capacity of this code was confirmed in vivo using genome editing at the BAX RE to interconvert the DNA-binding modes, transcription pattern, and cell fate outcome.


Genetics ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 765-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Sundaram ◽  
I Greenwald

Abstract The lin-12 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans is thought to encode a receptor which mediates cell-cell interactions required to specify certain cell fates. Reversion of the egg-laying defective phenotype caused by a hypomorphic lin-12 allele identified rare extragenic suppressor mutations in five genes, sel-1, sel-9, sel-10, sel-11 and sel(ar40) (sel = suppressor and/or enhancer of lin-12). Mutations in each of these sel genes suppress defects associated with reduced lin-12 activity, and enhance at least one defect associated with elevated lin-12 activity. None of the sel mutations cause any obvious phenotype in a wild-type background. Gene dosage experiments suggest that sel-1 and sel(ar40) mutations are reduction-of-function mutations, while sel-9 and sel-11 mutations are gain-of-function mutations. sel-1, sel-9, sel-11 and sel(ar40) mutations do not suppress amorphic lin-12 alleles, while sel-10 mutations are able to bypass partially the requirement for lin-12 activity in at least one cell fate decision. sel-1, sel-9, sel-10, sel-11 and sel(ar40) mutations are also able to suppress the maternal-effect lethality caused by a partial loss-of-function allele of glp-1, a gene that is both structurally and functionally related to lin-12. These sel genes may therefore function in both lin-12 and glp-1 mediated cell fate decisions.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Gemble ◽  
Géraldine Buhagiar-Labarchède ◽  
Rosine Onclercq-Delic ◽  
Sarah Lambert ◽  
Mounira Amor-Guéret

AbstractTopoisomerase IIα (Topo IIα), a well-conserved double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)-specific decatenase, processes dsDNA catenanes resulting from DNA replication during mitosis. Topo IIα defects lead to an accumulation of ultrafine anaphase bridges (UFBs), a type of chromosome non-disjunction. Topo IIα has been reported to resolve DNA anaphase threads, possibly accounting for the increase in UFB frequency upon Topo IIα inhibition. We hypothesized that the excess UFBs might also result, at least in part, from an impairment of the prevention of UFB formation by Topo IIα. We found that Topo IIα inhibition promotes UFB formation without affecting UFB resolution during anaphase. Moreover, we showed that Topo IIα inhibition promotes the formation of two types of UFBs depending on cell-cycle phase. Topo IIα inhibition during S-phase compromises complete DNA replication, leading to the formation of UFB-containing unreplicated DNA, whereas Topo IIα inhibition during mitosis impedes DNA decatenation at metaphase-anaphase transition, leading to the formation of UFB-containing DNA catenanes. Thus, Topo IIα activity is essential to prevent UFB formation in a cell-cycle dependent manner, but dispensable for UFB resolution during anaphase.


Author(s):  
Fatma Ismail Alhmied ◽  
Ali Hassan Alammar ◽  
Bayan Mohammed Alsultan ◽  
Marooj Alshehri ◽  
Faheem Hyder Pottoo

Abstract:: Thymoquinone (TQ), the bioactive constituent of Nigella Sativa seeds is a well-known natural compound for the management of several types of cancers. The anti-cancer properties of thymoquinone are thought to be operated via intervening with various oncogenic pathways including cell cycle arrest, prevention of inflammation and oxidative stress, induction of invasion, metastasis, inhibition of angiogenesis, and apoptosis. As well as up-regulation and down-regulation of specific tumor suppressor genes and tumor promoting genes, respectively. Proliferation of various tumor cells is inhibited by TQ via induction of cell cycle arrest, disruption of the microtubule organization, and down regulating cell survival protein expression. TQ induces G1 phase cell cycle arrest in human breast cancer, colon cancer and osteosarcoma cells through inhibiting the activation of cyclin E or cyclin D and up-regulating p27and p21 a cyclin dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor. TQ concentration is a significant factor in targeting a particular cell cycle phase. While high concentration of TQ induced G2 phase arrest in human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells, low concentration causes S phase arrest. This review article provides mechanistic insights into the anti-cancer properties of thymoquinone.


Genetics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
pp. 1491-1505
Author(s):  
D F Lyman ◽  
B Yedvobnick

Abstract The neurogenic Notch locus of Drosophila encodes a receptor necessary for cell fate decisions within equivalence groups, such as proneural clusters. Specification of alternate fates within clusters results from inhibitory communication among cells having comparable neural fate potential. Genetically, Hairless (H) acts as an antagonist of most neurogenic genes and may insulate neural precursor cells from inhibition. H function is required for commitment to the bristle sensory organ precursor (SOP) cell fate and for daughter cell fates. Using Notch gain-of-function alleles and conditional expression of an activated Notch transgene, we show that enhanced signaling produces H-like loss-of-function phenotypes by suppressing bristle SOP cell specification or by causing an H-like transformation of sensillum daughter cell fates. Furthermore, adults carrying Notch gain of function and H alleles exhibit synergistic enhancement of mutant phenotypes. Over-expression of an H+ transgene product suppressed virtually all phenotypes generated by Notch gain-of-function genotypes. Phenotypes resulting from over-expression of the H+ transgene were blocked by the Notch gain-of-function products, indicating a balance between Notch and H activity. The results suggest that H insulates SOP cells from inhibition and indicate that H activity is suppressed by Notch signaling.


2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 1500-1505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Sun ◽  
Shusheng Tang ◽  
Xi Jin ◽  
Chaoming Zhang ◽  
Wenxia Zhao ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 157 (7) ◽  
pp. 1113-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian P. Chadwick ◽  
Huntington F. Willard

One of several features acquired by chromatin of the inactive X chromosome (Xi) is enrichment for the core histone H2A variant macroH2A within a distinct nuclear structure referred to as a macrochromatin body (MCB). In addition to localizing to the MCB, macroH2A accumulates at a perinuclear structure centered at the centrosome. To better understand the association of macroH2A1 with the centrosome and the formation of an MCB, we investigated the distribution of macroH2A1 throughout the somatic cell cycle. Unlike Xi-specific RNA, which associates with the Xi throughout interphase, the appearance of an MCB is predominantly a feature of S phase. Although the MCB dissipates during late S phase and G2 before reforming in late G1, macroH2A1 remains associated during mitosis with specific regions of the Xi, including at the X inactivation center. This association yields a distinct macroH2A banding pattern that overlaps with the site of histone H3 lysine-4 methylation centered at the DXZ4 locus in Xq24. The centrosomal pool of macroH2A1 accumulates in the presence of an inhibitor of the 20S proteasome. Therefore, targeting of macroH2A1 to the centrosome is likely part of a degradation pathway, a mechanism common to a variety of other chromatin proteins.


2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1352-1366 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Alexander Abel ◽  
Gabriela M. Wochnik ◽  
Joëlle Rüegg ◽  
Audrey Rouyer ◽  
Florian Holsboer ◽  
...  

Abstract To elucidate the mechanisms mediating the reported transient physiological glucocorticoid resistance in G2/M cell cycle phase, we sought to establish a model system of glucocorticoid-resistant cells in G2. We synchronized various cell lines in G2 to measure dexamethasone (DEX)-induced transactivation of either two endogenous promoters (rat tyrosine aminotransferase and mouse metallothionein I) or the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter stably or transiently transfected. To circumvent the need for synchronization drugs, we stably transfected an MMTV-driven green fluorescent protein to directly correlate DEX-induced transactivation with the cell cycle position for each cell of an asynchronous population using flow cytometry. Surprisingly, all promoters tested were DEX-inducible in G2. Even in mitotic cells, only the stably transfected MMTV promoter was repressed, whereas the same promoter transiently transfected was inducible. The use of Hoechst 33342 for synchronization in previous studies probably caused a misinterpretation, because we detected interference of this drug with GR-dependent transcription independent of the cell cycle. Finally, GR activated a simple promoter in G2, excluding a functional effect of cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of GR, as implied previously. We conclude that GR itself is fully functional throughout the entire cell cycle, but GR responsiveness is repressed in mitosis due to chromatin condensation rather than to specific modification of GR.


Author(s):  
Lucy LeBlanc ◽  
Nereida Ramirez ◽  
Jonghwan Kim

AbstractHippo effectors YAP and TAZ control cell fate and survival through various mechanisms, including transcriptional regulation of key genes. However, much of this research has been marked by conflicting results, as well as controversy over whether YAP and TAZ are redundant. A substantial portion of the discordance stems from their contradictory roles in stem cell self-renewal vs. differentiation and cancer cell survival vs. apoptosis. In this review, we present an overview of the multiple context-dependent functions of YAP and TAZ in regulating cell fate decisions in stem cells and organoids, as well as their mechanisms of controlling programmed cell death pathways in cancer.


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