scholarly journals Ubiquitin-dependent regulation of a conserved DMRT protein controls sexually dimorphic synaptic connectivity and behavior

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily A Bayer ◽  
Rebecca C Stecky ◽  
Lauren Neal ◽  
Phinikoula S Katsamba ◽  
Goran Ahlsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Specific Protein ◽  
Protein Stabilization ◽  
Protein Domain ◽  
Synaptic Connectivity ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Posttranslational Regulation ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Related Transcription Factor ◽  
Sex Specificity ◽  
And Behavior

Sex-specific synaptic connectivity is beginning to emerge as a remarkable, but little explored feature of animal brains. We describe here a novel mechanism that promotes sexually dimorphic neuronal function and synaptic connectivity in the nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We demonstrate that a phylogenetically conserved, but previously uncharacterized Doublesex/Mab-3 related transcription factor (DMRT), dmd-4, is expressed in two classes of sex-shared phasmid neurons specifically in hermaphrodites but not in males. We find dmd-4 to promote hermaphrodite-specific synaptic connectivity and neuronal function of phasmid sensory neurons. Sex-specificity of DMD-4 function is conferred by a novel mode of posttranslational regulation that involves sex-specific protein stabilization through ubiquitin binding to a phylogenetically conserved but previously unstudied protein domain, the DMA domain. A human DMRT homolog of DMD-4 is controlled in a similar manner, indicating that our findings may have implications for the control of sexual differentiation in other animals as well.

scholarly journals Author response: Ubiquitin-dependent regulation of a conserved DMRT protein controls sexually dimorphic synaptic connectivity and behavior

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily A Bayer ◽  
Rebecca C Stecky ◽  
Lauren Neal ◽  
Phinikoula S Katsamba ◽  
Goran Ahlsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Author Response ◽  
Synaptic Connectivity ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
And Behavior

scholarly journals EpCAM promotes endosomal modulation of the cortical RhoA zone for epithelial organization

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cécile Gaston ◽  
Simon De Beco ◽  
Bryant Doss ◽  
Meng Pan ◽  
Estelle Gauquelin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Shape ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Cell Polarization ◽  
Stress Fiber ◽  
Fiber Formation ◽  
Endosomal Trafficking ◽  
Transient Zone ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Fine Tune

AbstractAt the basis of cell shape and behavior, the organization of actomyosin and its ability to generate forces are widely studied. However, the precise regulation of this contractile network in space and time is unclear. Here, we study the role of the epithelial-specific protein EpCAM, a contractility modulator, in cell shape and motility. We show that EpCAM is required for stress fiber generation and front-rear polarity acquisition at the single cell level. In fact, EpCAM participates in the remodeling of a transient zone of active RhoA at the cortex of spreading epithelial cells. EpCAM and RhoA route together through the Rab35/EHD1 fast recycling pathway. This endosomal pathway spatially organizes GTP-RhoA to fine tune the activity of actomyosin resulting in polarized cell shape and development of intracellular stiffness and traction forces. Impairment of GTP-RhoA endosomal trafficking either by silencing EpCAM or by expressing Rab35/EHD1 mutants prevents proper myosin-II activity, stress fiber formation and ultimately cell polarization. Collectively, this work shows that the coupling between co-trafficking of EpCAM and RhoA, and actomyosin rearrangement is pivotal for cell spreading, and advances our understanding of how biochemical and mechanical properties promote cell plasticity.

scholarly journals The maintenance of specific aspects of neuronal function and behavior is dependent on programmed cell death of adult-generated neurons in the dentate gyrus

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1408-1421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Woon Ryoung Kim ◽  
Ok-hee Park ◽  
Sukwoo Choi ◽  
Se-Young Choi ◽  
Soon Kwon Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Programmed Cell Death ◽  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
And Behavior

Neonatal exposure to estradiol-17β modulates tumour necrosis factor alpha and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in brain and also in ovaries of adult female rats

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radhika Nagamangalam Shridharan ◽  
Harshini Krishnagiri ◽  
Vijayakumar Govindaraj ◽  
SitiKantha Sarangi ◽  
Addicam Jagannadha Rao
Keyword(s):  
Recent Observation ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Neonatal Exposure ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Necrosis Factor Alpha ◽  
Factor Alpha ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Estradiol 17Β

AbstractThe sexually dimorphic organization in perinatal rat brain is influenced by steroid hormones. Exposure to high levels of estrogen or endocrine-disrupting compounds during perinatal period may perturb this process, resulting in compromised reproductive physiology and behavior as observed in adult In our recent observation neonatal exposure of the female rats to estradiol-17β resulted in down-regulation of

Neuropeptide signalling shapes feeding and reproductive behaviours in male C. elegans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J Gadenne ◽  
Iris Hardege ◽  
Djordji Suleski ◽  
Paris Jaggers ◽  
Isabel Beets ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Connectivity ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Mating Efficiency ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic Expression ◽  
Pharyngeal Pumping ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Feeding Behaviours ◽  
Dimorphic Expression

Sexual dimorphism occurs where different sexes of the same species display differences in characteristics not limited to reproduction. For the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, in which the complete neuroanatomy has been solved for both hermaphrodites and males, sexually dimorphic features have been observed both in terms of the number of neurons and in synaptic connectivity. In addition, male behaviours, such as food-leaving to prioritise searching for mates, have been attributed to neuropeptides released from sex-shared or sex-specific neurons. In this study, we show that the lury-1 neuropeptide gene shows a sexually dimorphic expression pattern; being expressed in pharyngeal neurons in both sexes but displaying additional expression in tail neurons only in the male. We also show that lury-1 mutant animals show sex differences in feeding behaviours, with pharyngeal pumping elevated in hermaphrodites but reduced in males. LURY-1 also modulates male mating efficiency, influencing motor events during contact with a hermaphrodite. Our findings indicate sex-specific roles of this peptide in feeding and reproduction in C. elegans, providing further insight into neuromodulatory control of sexually dimorphic behaviours.

Evolution, Societal Sexism, and Universal Average Sex Differences in Cognition and Behavior

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Industrial Countries ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Industrial Societies ◽  
Shed Light

During the past century, social scientists have documented many cross-cultural sex differences in personality and behavior, quite a few of which now appear to be found in all human societies. However, contrary to most scientists’ expectations, these so-called universal sex differences have been shown to be more pronounced in Western industrial societies than in most non-Western developing societies. This chapter briefly reviews the evidence bearing on these findings and offers a biologically based theory that could help shed light on why cross-cultural sex differences exist. The following hypothesis is offered: The expression of many genes influencing sexually dimorphic traits is more likely among descendants of couples who are least closely related to one another. If so, societies in which out-marriage is normative (i.e., Western industrial countries) will exhibit a stronger expression of genes for sexually dimorphic traits compared to societies in which consanguineal marriages are common.

Transcriptome profiling of Trichoplax adhaerens highlights its digestive epithelium and a rich set of genes for fast electrogenic and slow neuromodulatory cellular signaling

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuen Yan Wong ◽  
Phuong Le ◽  
Wassim Elkhatib ◽  
Thomas Piekut ◽  
Adriano Senatore
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Intracellular Signaling ◽  
Cellular Signaling ◽  
Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽  
Regulatory Peptides ◽  
Transcriptome Profiling ◽  
Protein Domain ◽  
Trichoplax Adhaerens ◽  
Interaction Domains ◽  
And Behavior

Abstract Background Trichoplax adhaerens is a fascinating early-diverging animal that lacks a nervous system and synapses, and yet is capable of directed motile feeding behavior culminating in the external digestion of microorganisms by secreted hydrolytic enzymes. The mechanisms by which Trichoplax cells communicate with each other to coordinate their activity and behavior is unclear, though recent studies have suggested that secreted regulatory peptides might be involved.Results Here, we generated a high quality mRNA transcriptome of Trichoplax adhaerens , and predicted secreted proteins to identify gene homologues for digestion, development, immunity, cell adhesion, and peptide signaling. Detailed annotation of the expressed Trichoplax gene set also identified a nearly complete set of electrogenic genes involved in fast neural signalling, plus a set of 665 G-protein coupled receptors that in the nervous system integrate with fast signalling machinery to modulate cellular excitability. Furthermore, Trichoplax expresses an array of genes involved in intracellular signaling, including the key effector enzymes protein kinases A and C that functionally link fast and slow cellular signaling. Also identified were nearly complete sets of pre- and post-synaptic scaffolding genes, most encoding appropriate protein domain architectures. Notably, the Trichoplax proteome was found to bear slightly reduced counts of synaptic protein interaction domains such as PDZ, SH3 and C2 compared to other animals, but abundance of these domains did not appear to predict the presence of synapses in early-diverging groups.Conclusions Despite its apparent cellular and morphological simplicity, Trichoplax expresses a rich set of genes involved in complex animal traits. The transcriptome presented here adds a valuable additional resource for molecular studies on Trichoplax genes, exemplified by our ability to clone cDNAs for nine full-length acid sensing ion channel proteins with almost perfect matches with their corresponding transcriptome sequences.

RETHINKING INNATENESS: A CONNECTIONIST PERSPECTIVE ON DEVELOPMENT.Jeffrey L. Elman, Elizabeth A. Bates, Mark H. Johnson, Annette Karmiloff-Smith, Domenico Parisi, & Kim Plunkett. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996. Pp. xviii + 447. $45.00 cloth.

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-451
Author(s):  
Nick Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Dynamical Systems ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Regulatory Control ◽  
Synaptic Connectivity ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Human Cortex ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Molecular Arrangement ◽  
And Behavior

In this provocative book, six coauthors, representing cognitive psychology, connectionism, neurobiology, and dynamical-systems theory, synthesize a new theoretical framework for cognitive development with special focus on language acquisition. In the Emergentist perspective, interactions occurring at all levels, from genes to environment, give rise to emergent forms and behavior. These outcomes may be highly constrained and universal, but they are not themselves directly contained in the genes in any domain-specific way. The human body contains perhaps 5 × 1028 bits of information in its molecular arrangement, but our genome contains only about 105 bits of information. Thus, we are over 20 orders of magnitude short of being mosaic organisms, where development is prespecified in the genes. Our development is under regulatory control, where precise pathways to adulthood reflect numerous interactions at the cellular level occurring throughout development. The human cortex is plastic, its architecture reflects experience; innate specification of synaptic connectivity in the cortex is highly unlikely. Theories of language must reflect this—they must be biologically, developmentally, and ecologically plausible. Linguistic representational nativism is just not tenable. It is so implausible that UG could be directly encoded in the genotype that we must explore the alternatives. So the answer is not “Nature.” Nor, as the authors so clearly argue, is it “Nature or Nuture.” Rather, it is “Nature and Nurture.”

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