From Genes to Behavior: The Question of Evolutionary Conservation and the Role of Ethology in the Analysis of the Zebrafish

The YIP1 family comprises an evolutionarily conserved group of membrane proteins, which share the ability to bind di-prenylated Rab proteins. The biochemical capability of YIP1 family proteins suggests a possible role in the cycle of physical localization of Rab proteins between their cognate membranes and the cytosol. YIP1 is essential for viability in yeast and a deletion of YIP1 can be rescued with the human homologue YIP1A. We have made use of this evolutionary conservation of function to generate a series of mutant alleles of YIP1 to investigate the biological role of Yip1p. Our findings indicate evidence for the participation of Yip1p in both Rab and COPII protein function; at present, we are not able to distinguish between the models that these roles represent, i.e. independent or dependent activities of Yip1p.

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Evolutionary Conservation of MKRN3 and Other Makorins and Their Roles in Puberty Initiation and Endocrine Functions

Seminars in Reproductive Medicine ◽

10.1055/s-0039-3400965 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (04) ◽

pp. 166-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lydie Naulé ◽

Ursula B. Kaiser

Keyword(s):

Wide Spectrum ◽

Pubertal Timing ◽

Pubertal Development ◽

Protein Structures ◽

Ring Finger ◽

Central Precocious Puberty ◽

Evolutionary Conservation ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

AbstractPuberty is a critical period of development regulated by genetic, nutritional, and environmental factors. The role of makorin ring finger protein 3 (MKRN3) in the regulation of pubertal timing was revealed when loss-of-function mutations were identified in patients with central precocious puberty (CPP). To date, MKRN3 mutations are the most common known genetic cause of CPP. MKRN3 is a member of the makorin family of ubiquitin ligases, together with MKRN1 and MKRN2. The Mkrn genes have been identified in both vertebrates and invertebrates and show high evolutionary conservation of their gene and protein structures. While the existence of Mkrn orthologues in a wide spectrum of species suggests a vital cellular role of the makorins, their role in puberty initiation and endocrine functions is just beginning to be investigated. In this review, we discuss recent studies that have shown the involvement of Mkrn3 and other makorins in the regulation of pubertal development and other endocrine functions, including metabolism and fertility, as well as their underlying mechanisms of action.

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SLC6A4 binding site and acute prosocial effects of (+/-)-3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) are evolutionarily conserved in Octopus bimaculoides

10.1101/301192 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Eric Edsinger ◽

Gül Dölen

Keyword(s):

Binding Site ◽

Social Behaviors ◽

Evolutionary Conservation ◽

Neural Mechanisms ◽

Social Approach ◽

Brain Organization ◽

Invertebrate Species ◽

Evolutionarily Conserved ◽

Approach Behaviors

ABSTRACT:Human and octopus lineages are separated by over 500 million years of evolution, and show divergent anatomical patterns of brain organization. Moreover, while humans exhibit highly complex social behaviors, octopuses are thought to be largely asocial and solitary. Despite these differences, growing evidence suggests that ancient neurotransmitter systems are shared across vertebrate and invertebrate species, and in many cases enable overlapping functions. Here we provide evidence that, as in humans, the atypical amphetamine derivative (+/-)-3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) enhances acute prosocial behaviors in Octopus bimaculoides. This finding is paralleled by the evolutionary conservation of the serotonin transporter (SERT, encoded by the Slc6A4 gene) binding site of MDMA in the O. bimaculoides genome. Taken together, these data provide evidence that the neural mechanisms subserving social behaviors exist in O. bimaculoides, and indicate that the role of serotonergic neurotransmission in regulating social behaviors is evolutionarily conserved.ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:Here we provide evidence that the atypical amphetamine derivative (+/-)-3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) increases acute social approach behaviors in Octopus bimaculoides, a finding that is paralleled by the evolutionary conservation of the SLC6A4 binding site of MDMA.

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Development of pigment-cup eyes in the polychaetePlatynereis dumeriliiand evolutionary conservation of larval eyes in Bilateria

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.129.5.1143 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 129 (5) ◽

pp. 1143-1154 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Detlev Arendt ◽

Kristin Tessmar ◽

Maria-Ines Medeiros de Campos-Baptista ◽

Adriaan Dorresteijn ◽

Joachim Wittbrodt

Keyword(s):

Visual System ◽

Early Development ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Photoreceptor Cells ◽

Evolutionary Conservation ◽

Early Developmental Stages ◽

Platynereis Dumerilii ◽

Differentiation Marker ◽

Early Developmental

The role of Pax6 in eye development in insects and vertebrates supports the view that their eyes evolved from simple pigment-cup ocelli present in their last common ancestors (Urbilateria). The cerebral eyes in errant polychaetes represent prototype invertebrate pigment-cup ocelli and thus resemble the presumed ancestral eyes. We have analysed expression of conserved eye specification genes in the early development of larval and adult pigment-cup eyes in Platynereis dumerilii (Polychaeta, Annelida, Lophotrochozoa). Both larval and adult eyes form in close vicinity of the optic anlagen on both sides of the developing brain ganglia. While pax6 is expressed in the larval, but not in the developing, adult eyes, expression of six1/2 from trochophora stages onwards specifically outlines the optic anlagen and thus covers both the developing larval and adult eyes. Using Platynereis rhabdomeric opsin as differentiation marker, we show that the first pair of adult eye photoreceptor cells is detected within bilateral clusters that transitorily express ath, the Platynereis atonal orthologue, thus resembling proneural sensory clusters. Our data indicate that – similar to insects, but different from the vertebrates – polychaete six1/2 expression outlines the entire visual system from early developmental stages onwards and ath-positive clusters generate the first photoreceptor cells to appear. We propose that pax6-, six1/2- and ath-positive larval eyes, as found in today’s trochophora, were present already in Urbilateria.

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HyBra1, a Brachyury homologue, acts during head formation in Hydra

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.126.5.999 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 126 (5) ◽

pp. 999-1010 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

U. Technau ◽

H.R. Bode

Keyword(s):

Small Area ◽

Evolutionary Conservation ◽

Apical Part ◽

T Box ◽

Head Formation ◽

Morphological Sign ◽

Asexual Form ◽

Head Regeneration ◽

Transplantation Experiments

A homologue of the T-box gene, Brachyury, has been isolated from hydra. The gene, termed HyBra1, is expressed in the endoderm and is associated with the formation of the hypostome, the apical part of the head in four different developmental situations. In adults, which are continuously undergoing patterning, HyBra1 is continuously expressed in the hypostome. During budding, hydra's asexual form of reproduction, the gene is expressed in a small area that will eventually form the hypostome of the developing bud before any morphological sign of budding is apparent. The gene is also expressed very early during head regeneration and is confined to the region that will form the hypostome. During embryogenesis, HyBra1 is expressed shortly before hatching in the region that will form the apical end of the animal, the hypostome. The absence of expression at the apical end of decapitated animals of reg-16, a head formation-deficient mutant, provides additional evidence for a role of HyBra1 during head formation. Further, treatments that alter the head activation gradient have no effect on HyBra1 expression indicating the role of the gene is confined to head formation. Transplantation experiments indicate that the expression occurs before head determination has occurred, but expression does not irreversibly commit tissue to forming a head. A comparison of the function of the Brachyury homologues suggests an evolutionary conservation of a molecular mechanism that has been co-opted for a number of developmental processes throughout evolution.

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Different classes of small RNAs are essential for head regeneration in the planarian Dugesia japonica

BMC Genomics ◽

10.1186/s12864-020-07234-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhonghong Cao ◽

David Rosenkranz ◽

Suge Wu ◽

Hongjin Liu ◽

Qiuxiang Pang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Small Rna ◽

Small Rnas ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Evolutionary Conservation ◽

Body Parts ◽

Promising Candidate ◽

Dugesia Japonica ◽

Head Regeneration

Abstract Background Planarians reliably regenerate all body parts after injury, including a fully functional head and central nervous system. But until now, the expression dynamics and functional role of miRNAs and other small RNAs during the process of head regeneration are not well understood. Furthermore, little is known about the evolutionary conservation of the relevant small RNAs pathways, rendering it difficult to assess whether insights from planarians will apply to other taxa. Results In this study, we applied high throughput sequencing to identify miRNAs, tRNA fragments and piRNAs that are dynamically expressed during head regeneration in Dugesia japonica. We further show that knockdown of selected small RNAs, including three novel Dugesia-specific miRNAs, during head regeneration induces severe defects including abnormally small-sized eyes, cyclopia and complete absence of eyes. Conclusions Our findings suggest that a complex pool of small RNAs takes part in the process of head regeneration in Dugesia japonica and provide novel insights into global small RNA expression profiles and expression changes in response to head amputation. Our study reveals the evolutionary conserved role of miR-124 and brings further promising candidate small RNAs into play that might unveil new avenues for inducing restorative programs in non-regenerative organisms via small RNA mimics based therapies.

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The hourglass model of evolutionary conservation during embryogenesis extends to developmental enhancers with signatures of positive selection

10.1101/2020.11.02.364505 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jialin Liu ◽

Rebecca R. Viales ◽

Pierre Khoueiry ◽

James P. Reddington ◽

Charles Girardot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Positive Selection ◽

Evolutionary Conservation ◽

Animal Evolution ◽

Species Comparisons ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

Hourglass Model ◽

Late Stages ◽

Developmental Hourglass

Inter-species comparisons of both morphology and gene expression within a phylum have revealed a period in the middle of embryogenesis with more similarity between species compared to earlier and later time-points. This developmental hourglass pattern has been observed in many phyla, yet the evolutionary constraints on gene expression, and underlying mechanisms of how this is regulated, remains elusive. Moreover, the role of positive selection on gene regulation in the more diverged earlier and later stages of embryogenesis remains unknown. Here, using DNase-seq to identify regulatory regions in two distant Drosophila species (D. melanogaster and D. virilis), we assessed the evolutionary conservation and adaptive evolution of enhancers throughout multiple stages of embryogenesis. This revealed a higher proportion of conserved enhancers at the phylotypic period, providing a regulatory basis for the hourglass expression pattern. Using an in silico mutagenesis approach, we detect signatures of positive selection on developmental enhancers at early and late stages of embryogenesis, with a depletion at the phylotypic period, suggesting positive selection as one evolutionary mechanism underlying the hourglass pattern of animal evolution.

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Leptin inhibits prehibernation hyperphagia and reduces body weight in arctic ground squirrels

AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpregu.1996.271.6.r1775 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 271 (6) ◽

pp. R1775-R1779 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

O. A. Ormseth ◽

M. Nicolson ◽

M. A. Pelleymounter ◽

B. B. Boyer

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Physiological Role ◽

Evolutionary Conservation ◽

Ground Squirrels ◽

Fine Tuning ◽

Satiety Hormone ◽

Arctic Ground Squirrels ◽

Total Body

The ob gene product leptin is thought to play a physiological role in the fine tuning of a homeostatic mechanism regulating satiety and adiposity. Mouse recombinant leptin was administered to seasonally hyperphagic arctic ground squirrels as a first step in demonstrating the evolutionary conservation of leptin function and the potential involvement of leptin in the seasonal regulation of adiposity in hibernators. Continuous infusion of leptin for 3 wk via miniosmotic pumps resulted in a reduction in food intake and body weight in a manner consistent with its proposed role as a satiety hormone. During the recovery period after leptin administration, squirrels that had received leptin became hyperphagic relative to controls. Percent body fat was estimated at weekly intervals by measuring total body electrical conductivity and decreased after 3 wk of leptin administration. Our observations support the role of leptin as a regulatory hormone involved in the control of satiety, adiposity, and possibly energy expenditure in hibernating mammals.

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Transcriptional regulation of cell shape during organ morphogenesis

The Journal of Cell Biology ◽

10.1083/jcb.201612115 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 217 (9) ◽

pp. 2987-3005 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Aravind Sivakumar ◽

Natasza A. Kurpios

Keyword(s):

Transcriptional Regulation ◽

Cell Shape ◽

Evolutionary Conservation ◽

Model Organisms ◽

Critical Question ◽

Organ Morphogenesis ◽

Open Questions ◽

Cell Shape Changes ◽

Shape Changes

The emerging field of transcriptional regulation of cell shape changes aims to address the critical question of how gene expression programs produce a change in cell shape. Together with cell growth, division, and death, changes in cell shape are essential for organ morphogenesis. Whereas most studies of cell shape focus on posttranslational events involved in protein organization and distribution, cell shape changes can be genetically programmed. This review highlights the essential role of transcriptional regulation of cell shape during morphogenesis of the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and kidneys. We emphasize the evolutionary conservation of these processes across different model organisms and discuss perspectives on open questions and research avenues that may provide mechanistic insights toward understanding birth defects.

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An evolutionarily conserved enzyme degrades transforming growth factor-alpha as well as insulin.

The Journal of Cell Biology ◽

10.1083/jcb.109.3.1301 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 109 (3) ◽

pp. 1301-1307 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

J V Garcia ◽

B D Gehm ◽

M R Rosner

Keyword(s):

Growth Factor ◽

Mammalian Cells ◽

Transforming Growth Factor ◽

Physiological Role ◽

Evolutionary Conservation ◽

Transforming Growth Factor Alpha ◽

Evolutionarily Conserved ◽

Factor Alpha ◽

Single Enzyme

A single enzyme found in both Drosophila and mammalian cells is able to selectively bind and degrade transforming growth factor (TGF)-alpha and insulin, but not EGF, at physiological concentrations. These growth factors are also able to inhibit binding and degradation of one another by the enzyme. Although there are significant immunological differences between the mammalian and Drosophila enzymes, the substrate specificity has been highly conserved. These results demonstrate the existence of a selective TGF-alpha-degrading enzyme in both Drosophila and mammalian cells. The evolutionary conservation of the ability to degrade both insulin and TGF-alpha suggests that this property is important for the physiological role of the enzyme and its potential for regulating growth factor levels.

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