ABSTRACT
How evolution at the cellular level potentiates macroevolutionary change is central to understanding biological diversification. The >66,000 rove beetle species (Staphylinidae) form the largest metazoan family. Combining genomic and cell type transcriptomic insights spanning the largest clade, Aleocharinae, we retrace evolution of two cell types comprising a defensive gland-a putative catalyst behind staphylinid megadiversity. We identify molecular evolutionary steps leading to benzoquinone production by one cell type via a mechanism convergent with plant toxin release systems, and synthesis by the second cell type of a solvent that weaponizes the total secretion. This cooperative system has been conserved since the Early Cretaceous as Aleocharinae radiated into tens of thousands of lineages. Reprogramming each cell type yielded biochemical novelties enabling ecological specialization-most dramatically in symbionts that infiltrate social insect colonies via host-manipulating secretions. Our findings uncover cell type evolutionary processes underlying the origin and evolvability of a beetle chemical innovation.
Subject(s)
Coleoptera , Animals , Coleoptera/genetics , Coleoptera/metabolism , Evolution, Molecular , Benzoquinones/metabolism , Phylogeny , Genomics , Symbiosis/genetics , Transcriptome , Genome, InsectABSTRACT
How intestinal microbes regulate metabolic syndrome is incompletely understood. We show that intestinal microbiota protects against development of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and pre-diabetic phenotypes by inducing commensal-specific Th17 cells. High-fat, high-sugar diet promoted metabolic disease by depleting Th17-inducing microbes, and recovery of commensal Th17 cells restored protection. Microbiota-induced Th17 cells afforded protection by regulating lipid absorption across intestinal epithelium in an IL-17-dependent manner. Diet-induced loss of protective Th17 cells was mediated by the presence of sugar. Eliminating sugar from high-fat diets protected mice from obesity and metabolic syndrome in a manner dependent on commensal-specific Th17 cells. Sugar and ILC3 promoted outgrowth of Faecalibaculum rodentium that displaced Th17-inducing microbiota. These results define dietary and microbiota factors posing risk for metabolic syndrome. They also define a microbiota-dependent mechanism for immuno-pathogenicity of dietary sugar and highlight an elaborate interaction between diet, microbiota, and intestinal immunity in regulation of metabolic disorders.
Subject(s)
Metabolic Syndrome , Microbiota , Animals , Diet, High-Fat , Dietary Sugars , Interleukin-17 , Intestinal Mucosa , Lipids , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Obesity , Th17 CellsABSTRACT
Peptidoglycan (PG) is a defining feature of bacteria, involved in cell division, shape, and integrity. We previously reported that several genes related to PG biosynthesis were horizontally transferred from bacteria to the nuclear genome of mealybugs. Mealybugs are notable for containing a nested bacteria-within-bacterium endosymbiotic structure in specialized insect cells, where one bacterium, Moranella, lives in the cytoplasm of another bacterium, Tremblaya. Here we show that horizontally transferred genes on the mealybug genome work together with genes retained on the Moranella genome to produce a PG layer exclusively at the Moranella cell periphery. Furthermore, we show that an insect protein encoded by a horizontally transferred gene of bacterial origin is transported into the Moranella cytoplasm. These results provide a striking parallel to the genetic and biochemical mosaicism found in organelles, and prove that multiple horizontally transferred genes can become integrated into a functional pathway distributed between animal and bacterial endosymbiont genomes.
Subject(s)
Bacteria/genetics , Gene Transfer, Horizontal , Hemiptera/genetics , Peptidoglycan/biosynthesis , Symbiosis , Animals , Bacteria/pathogenicity , Genes, Bacterial , Hemiptera/microbiology , Host-Pathogen Interactions , Insect Proteins/genetics , Insect Proteins/metabolism , Peptidoglycan/geneticsABSTRACT
Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) are effective in treating COVID-19, but the mechanism of immune protection is not fully understood. Here, we applied live bioluminescence imaging (BLI) to monitor the real-time effects of NAb treatment during prophylaxis and therapy of K18-hACE2 mice intranasally infected with SARS-CoV-2-nanoluciferase. Real-time imaging revealed that the virus spread sequentially from the nasal cavity to the lungs in mice and thereafter systemically to various organs including the brain, culminating in death. Highly potent NAbs from a COVID-19 convalescent subject prevented, and also effectively resolved, established infection when administered within three days. In addition to direct neutralization, depletion studies indicated that Fc effector interactions of NAbs with monocytes, neutrophils, and natural killer cells were required to effectively dampen inflammatory responses and limit immunopathology. Our study highlights that both Fab and Fc effector functions of NAbs are essential for optimal in vivo efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Neutralizing/metabolism , Antibodies, Viral/metabolism , Brain/pathology , COVID-19/immunology , Lung/pathology , SARS-CoV-2/physiology , Testis/pathology , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/genetics , Animals , Antibodies, Neutralizing/genetics , Antibodies, Viral/genetics , Brain/virology , COVID-19/therapy , Cells, Cultured , Disease Models, Animal , Humans , Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments/genetics , Luciferases/genetics , Luminescent Measurements , Lung/virology , Male , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Testis/virologyABSTRACT
Integration of sensory and molecular inputs from the environment shapes animal behaviour. A major site of exposure to environmental molecules is the gastrointestinal tract, in which dietary components are chemically transformed by the microbiota1 and gut-derived metabolites are disseminated to all organs, including the brain2. In mice, the gut microbiota impacts behaviour3, modulates neurotransmitter production in the gut and brain4,5, and influences brain development and myelination patterns6,7. The mechanisms that mediate the gut-brain interactions remain poorly defined, although they broadly involve humoral or neuronal connections. We previously reported that the levels of the microbial metabolite 4-ethylphenyl sulfate (4EPS) were increased in a mouse model of atypical neurodevelopment8. Here we identified biosynthetic genes from the gut microbiome that mediate the conversion of dietary tyrosine to 4-ethylphenol (4EP), and bioengineered gut bacteria to selectively produce 4EPS in mice. 4EPS entered the brain and was associated with changes in region-specific activity and functional connectivity. Gene expression signatures revealed altered oligodendrocyte function in the brain, and 4EPS impaired oligodendrocyte maturation in mice and decreased oligodendrocyte-neuron interactions in ex vivo brain cultures. Mice colonized with 4EP-producing bacteria exhibited reduced myelination of neuronal axons. Altered myelination dynamics in the brain have been associated with behavioural outcomes7,9-14. Accordingly, we observed that mice exposed to 4EPS displayed anxiety-like behaviours, and pharmacological treatments that promote oligodendrocyte differentiation prevented the behavioural effects of 4EPS. These findings reveal that a gut-derived molecule influences complex behaviours in mice through effects on oligodendrocyte function and myelin patterning in the brain.
Subject(s)
Anxiety , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Microbiota , Animals , Anxiety/metabolism , Bacteria , Brain/metabolism , Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Microbiota/physiology , Myelin Sheath , Phenols/metabolismABSTRACT
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, recently renamed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is a progressive metabolic disorder that begins with aberrant triglyceride accumulation in the liver and can lead to cirrhosis and cancer. A common variant in the gene PNPLA3, encoding the protein PNPLA3-I148M, is the strongest known genetic risk factor for MASLD. Despite its discovery 20 y ago, the function of PNPLA3, and now the role of PNPLA3-I148M, remain unclear. In this study, we sought to dissect the biogenesis of PNPLA3 and PNPLA3-I148M and characterize changes induced by endogenous expression of the disease-causing variant. Contrary to bioinformatic predictions and prior studies with overexpressed proteins, we demonstrate here that PNPLA3 and PNPLA3-I148M are not endoplasmic reticulum-resident transmembrane proteins. To identify their intracellular associations, we generated a paired set of isogenic human hepatoma cells expressing PNPLA3 and PNPLA3-I148M at endogenous levels. Both proteins were enriched in lipid droplet, Golgi, and endosomal fractions. Purified PNPLA3 and PNPLA3-I148M proteins associated with phosphoinositides commonly found in these compartments. Despite a similar fractionation pattern as the wild-type variant, PNPLA3-I148M induced morphological changes in the Golgi apparatus, including increased lipid droplet-Golgi contact sites, which were also observed in I148M-expressing primary human patient hepatocytes. In addition to lipid droplet accumulation, PNPLA3-I148M expression caused significant proteomic and transcriptomic changes that resembled all stages of liver disease. Cumulatively, we validate an endogenous human cellular system for investigating PNPLA3-I148M biology and identify the Golgi apparatus as a central hub of PNPLA3-I148M-driven cellular change.
Subject(s)
Acyltransferases , Golgi Apparatus , Lipid Droplets , Phospholipases A2, Calcium-Independent , Humans , Acyltransferases/metabolism , Golgi Apparatus/metabolism , Lipase/metabolism , Lipase/genetics , Lipid Droplets/metabolism , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Membrane Proteins/genetics , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/genetics , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/metabolism , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/pathology , Phospholipases A2, Calcium-Independent/metabolismABSTRACT
Male germline development involves choreographed changes to mitochondrial number, morphology and organization. Mitochondrial reorganization during spermatogenesis was recently shown to require mitochondrial fusion and fission. Mitophagy, the autophagic degradation of mitochondria, is another mechanism for controlling mitochondrial number and physiology, but its role during spermatogenesis is largely unknown. During post-meiotic spermatid development, restructuring of the mitochondrial network results in packing of mitochondria into a tight array in the sperm midpiece to fuel motility. Here, we show that disruption of mouse Fis1 in the male germline results in early spermatid arrest that is associated with increased mitochondrial content. Mutant spermatids coalesce into multinucleated giant cells that accumulate mitochondria of aberrant ultrastructure and numerous mitophagic and autophagic intermediates, suggesting a defect in mitophagy. We conclude that Fis1 regulates mitochondrial morphology and turnover to promote spermatid maturation.
Subject(s)
Mitochondria/metabolism , Mitochondrial Dynamics/genetics , Mitochondrial Proteins/metabolism , Mitophagy/genetics , Spermatids/metabolism , Spermatogenesis/genetics , Animals , Gene Knockout Techniques , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Mitochondrial Proteins/geneticsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral RNA (vRNA) is detected in the bloodstream of some patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but it is not clear whether this RNAemia reflects viremia (ie, virus particles) and how it relates to host immune responses and outcomes. METHODS: SARS-CoV-2 vRNA was quantified in plasma samples from observational cohorts of 51 COVID-19 patients including 9 outpatients, 19 hospitalized (non-intensive care unit [ICU]), and 23 ICU patients. vRNA levels were compared with cross-sectional indices of COVID-19 severity and prospective clinical outcomes. We used multiple imaging methods to visualize virions in plasma. RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 vRNA was detected in plasma of 100%, 52.6%, and 11.1% of ICU, non-ICU, and outpatients, respectively. Virions were detected in plasma pellets using electron tomography and immunostaining. Plasma vRNA levels were significantly higher in ICUâ >â non-ICUâ >â outpatients (Pâ <â .0001); for inpatients, plasma vRNA levels were strongly associated with higher World Health Organization (WHO) score at admission (Pâ =â .01), maximum WHO score (Pâ =â .002), and discharge disposition (Pâ =â .004). A plasma vRNA level >6000 copies/mL was strongly associated with mortality (hazard ratio, 10.7). Levels of vRNA were significantly associated with several inflammatory biomarkers (Pâ <â .01) but not with plasma neutralizing antibody titers (Pâ =â .8). CONCLUSIONS: Visualization of virus particles in plasma indicates that SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia is due, at least in part, to viremia. The levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia correlate strongly with disease severity, patient outcome, and specific inflammatory biomarkers but not with neutralizing antibody titers.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Antibodies, Neutralizing , Biomarkers , COVID-19/diagnosis , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Prospective Studies , RNA, Viral , SARS-CoV-2 , ViremiaABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Given that gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are a prominent extrapulmonary manifestation of COVID-19, we investigated intestinal infection with SARS-CoV-2, its effect on pathogenesis, and clinical significance. METHODS: Human intestinal biopsy tissues were obtained from patients with COVID-19 (n = 19) and uninfected control individuals (n = 10) for microscopic examination, cytometry by time of flight analyses, and RNA sequencing. Additionally, disease severity and mortality were examined in patients with and without GI symptoms in 2 large, independent cohorts of hospitalized patients in the United States (N = 634) and Europe (N = 287) using multivariate logistic regressions. RESULTS: COVID-19 case patients and control individuals in the biopsy cohort were comparable for age, sex, rates of hospitalization, and relevant comorbid conditions. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in small intestinal epithelial cells by immunofluorescence staining or electron microscopy in 15 of 17 patients studied. High-dimensional analyses of GI tissues showed low levels of inflammation, including down-regulation of key inflammatory genes including IFNG, CXCL8, CXCL2, and IL1B and reduced frequencies of proinflammatory dendritic cells compared with control individuals. Consistent with these findings, we found a significant reduction in disease severity and mortality in patients presenting with GI symptoms that was independent of sex, age, and comorbid illnesses and despite similar nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral loads. Furthermore, there was reduced levels of key inflammatory proteins in circulation in patients with GI symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight the absence of a proinflammatory response in the GI tract despite detection of SARS-CoV-2. In parallel, reduced mortality in patients with COVID-19 presenting with GI symptoms was observed. A potential role of the GI tract in attenuating SARS-CoV-2-associated inflammation needs to be further examined.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/virology , Gastrointestinal Diseases/virology , Immunity, Mucosal , Intestinal Mucosa/virology , SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/mortality , Case-Control Studies , Cells, Cultured , Cytokines/blood , Female , Gastrointestinal Diseases/diagnosis , Gastrointestinal Diseases/immunology , Gastrointestinal Diseases/mortality , Host-Pathogen Interactions , Humans , Inflammation Mediators/blood , Intestinal Mucosa/immunology , Italy , Male , Middle Aged , New York City , Prognosis , Risk Assessment , Risk Factors , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Viral LoadABSTRACT
A chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cell therapy recipient developed severe coronavirus disease 2019, intractable RNAemia, and viral replication lasting >2 months. Premortem endotracheal aspirate contained >2 × 1010 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA copies/mL and infectious virus. Deep sequencing revealed multiple sequence variants consistent with intrahost virus evolution. SARS-CoV-2 humoral and cell-mediated immunity were minimal. Prolonged transmission from immunosuppressed patients is possible.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Receptors, Chimeric Antigen , Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Virus ReplicationABSTRACT
Cell division in many eukaryotes is driven by a ring containing actin and myosin. While much is known about the main proteins involved, the precise arrangement of actin filaments within the contractile machinery, and how force is transmitted to the membrane, remains unclear. Here we use cryosectioning and cryofocused ion beam milling to gain access to cryopreserved actomyosin rings in Schizosaccharomyces pombe for direct 3D imaging by electron cryotomography. Our results show that straight, overlapping actin filaments, running nearly parallel to each other and to the membrane, form a loose bundle of â¼150 nm in diameter that "saddles" the inward-bending membrane at the leading edge of the division septum. The filaments do not make direct contact with the membrane. Our analysis of the actin filaments reveals the variability in filament number, nearest-neighbor distances between filaments within the bundle, their distance from the membrane, and angular distribution with respect to the membrane.
Subject(s)
Actin Cytoskeleton/metabolism , Actins/metabolism , Actomyosin/metabolism , Cytokinesis/physiology , Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins/chemistry , Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins/metabolism , Schizosaccharomyces/metabolism , Protein Conformation , Schizosaccharomyces/growth & developmentABSTRACT
Endosomal sorting complexes required for transport III (ESCRT-III) proteins have been implicated in sealing the nuclear envelope in mammals, spindle pole body dynamics in fission yeast, and surveillance of defective nuclear pore complexes in budding yeast. Here, we report that Lem2p (LEM2), a member of the LEM (Lap2-Emerin-Man1) family of inner nuclear membrane proteins, and the ESCRT-II/ESCRT-III hybrid protein Cmp7p (CHMP7), work together to recruit additional ESCRT-III proteins to holes in the nuclear membrane. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, deletion of the ATPase vps4 leads to severe defects in nuclear morphology and integrity. These phenotypes are suppressed by loss-of-function mutations that arise spontaneously in lem2 or cmp7, implying that these proteins may function upstream in the same pathway. Building on these genetic interactions, we explored the role of LEM2 during nuclear envelope reformation in human cells. We found that CHMP7 and LEM2 enrich at the same region of the chromatin disk periphery during this window of cell division and that CHMP7 can bind directly to the C-terminal domain of LEM2 in vitro. We further found that, during nuclear envelope formation, recruitment of the ESCRT factors CHMP7, CHMP2A, and IST1/CHMP8 all depend on LEM2 in human cells. We conclude that Lem2p/LEM2 is a conserved nuclear site-specific adaptor that recruits Cmp7p/CHMP7 and downstream ESCRT factors to the nuclear envelope.
Subject(s)
Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport/metabolism , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Nuclear Envelope/metabolism , Nuclear Proteins/metabolism , Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins/metabolism , Schizosaccharomyces/metabolism , Alleles , Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport/genetics , HeLa Cells , Humans , Membrane Proteins/genetics , Microscopy, Fluorescence , Mitosis/genetics , Models, Biological , Nuclear Proteins/genetics , Phenotype , Protein Binding , Schizosaccharomyces/genetics , Schizosaccharomyces/ultrastructure , Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins/genetics , Sequence Deletion , Time-Lapse ImagingABSTRACT
Lipid droplets (LD) are dynamically-regulated organelles that originate from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and function in the storage, trafficking and metabolism of neutral lipids. In mammary epithelial cells (MEC) of lactating animals, intact LD are secreted intact into milk to form milk lipids by a novel apocrine mechanism. The secretion of intact LD and the relatively large amounts of lipid secreted by lactating MEC increase demands on the cellular processes responsible for lipid synthesis and LD formation. As yet these processes are poorly defined due to limited understanding of LD-ER interactions. To overcome these limitations, we used rapid-freezing and freeze-substitution methods in conjunction with 3D electron tomography and high resolution immunolocalization to define interactions between LD with ER in MEC of pregnant and lactating rats. Using these approaches, we identified distinct ER domains that contribute to lipid droplet formation and stabilization and which possess unique features previously unrecognized or not fully appreciated. Our results show nascent lipid droplets within the ER lumen and the association of both forming and mature droplets with structurally unique regions of ER cisternae, characterized by the presence of perilipin-2, a protein implicated in lipid droplet formation, and enzymes involved in lipid synthesis. These data demonstrate that milk lipids originate from LD-ER domains with novel structural features and suggest a mechanism for initial droplet formation in the ER lumen and subsequent maturation of the droplets in association with ER cisternae.
Subject(s)
Electron Microscope Tomography/methods , Endoplasmic Reticulum/metabolism , Lipid Droplets/metabolism , Lipids/analysis , Mammary Glands, Animal/ultrastructure , Milk/chemistry , Animals , Endoplasmic Reticulum/ultrastructure , Female , Lactation , Lipid Droplets/ultrastructure , Mammary Glands, Animal/metabolism , Perilipin-1/metabolism , Pregnancy , RatsABSTRACT
Critical aspects of HIV-1 infection occur in mucosal tissues, particularly in the gut, which contains large numbers of HIV-1 target cells that are depleted early in infection. We used electron tomography (ET) to image HIV-1 in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) of HIV-1-infected humanized mice, the first three-dimensional ultrastructural examination of HIV-1 infection in vivo. Human immune cells were successfully engrafted in the mice, and following infection with HIV-1, human T cells were reduced in GALT. Virions were found by ET at all stages of egress, including budding immature virions and free mature and immature viruses. Immuno-electron microscopy verified the virions were HIV-1 and showed CD4 sequestration in the endoplasmic reticulum of infected cells. Observation of HIV-1 in infected GALT tissue revealed that most HIV-1-infected cells, identified by immunolabeling and/or the presence of budding virions, were localized to intestinal crypts with pools of free virions concentrated in spaces between cells. Fewer infected cells were found in mucosal regions and the lamina propria. The preservation quality of reconstructed tissue volumes allowed details of budding virions, including structures interpreted as host-encoded scission machinery, to be resolved. Although HIV-1 virions released from infected cultured cells have been described as exclusively mature, we found pools of both immature and mature free virions within infected tissue. The pools could be classified as containing either mostly mature or mostly immature particles, and analyses of their proximities to the cell of origin supported a model of semi-synchronous waves of virion release. In addition to HIV-1 transmission by pools of free virus, we found evidence of transmission via virological synapses. Three-dimensional EM imaging of an active infection within tissue revealed important differences between cultured cell and tissue infection models and furthered the ultrastructural understanding of HIV-1 transmission within lymphoid tissue.
Subject(s)
Electron Microscope Tomography , HIV Infections , HIV-1/metabolism , Intestinal Mucosa , Intestines , Lymphoid Tissue , Virion/metabolism , Animals , Female , HIV Infections/metabolism , HIV Infections/pathology , Humans , Intestinal Mucosa/metabolism , Intestines/pathology , Intestines/virology , Lymphoid Tissue/metabolism , Lymphoid Tissue/pathology , Lymphoid Tissue/virology , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred NOD , Mice, Knockout , Mice, SCIDABSTRACT
Chromatin organization is central to many conserved biological processes, but it is generally unknown how the underlying nucleosomes are arranged in situ. Here, we have used electron cryotomography to study chromatin in the picoplankton Ostreococcus tauri, the smallest known free-living eukaryote. By visualizing the nucleosome densities directly, we find that O. tauri chromosomes do not arrange into discrete, compact bodies or any other higher level of order. In contrast to the textbook 30-nm fiber model, O. tauri chromatin resembles a disordered assemblage of nucleosomes akin to the polymer melt model. This disorganized nucleosome arrangement has important implications for potentially conserved functions in tiny eukaryotes such as the clustering of nonhomologous chromosomes at the kinetochore during mitosis and the independent regulation of closely positioned adjacent genes.
Subject(s)
Chlorophyta/genetics , Chromatin/ultrastructure , Nucleosomes/genetics , Chromatin/genetics , Chromosomes/genetics , Cryoelectron Microscopy , Eukaryotic Cells , Kinetochores , Mitosis/geneticsABSTRACT
Chlamydiae comprise important pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria that alternate between morphologically and physiologically different life stages during their developmental cycle. Using electron cryotomography, we characterize the ultrastructure of the developmental stages of three environmental chlamydiae: Parachlamydia acanthamoebae, Protochlamydia amoebophila and Simkania negevensis. We show that chemical fixation and dehydration alter the cell shape of Parachlamydia and that the crescent body is not a developmental stage, but an artefact of conventional electron microscopy. We further reveal type III secretion systems of environmental chlamydiae at macromolecular resolution and find support for a chlamydial needle-tip protein. Imaging bacteria inside their host cells by cryotomography for the first time, we observe marked differences in inclusion morphology and development as well as host organelle recruitment between the three chlamydial organisms, with Simkania inclusions being tightly enveloped by the host endoplasmic reticulum. The study demonstrates the power of electron cryotomography to reveal structural details of bacteria-host interactions that are not accessible using traditional methods.
Subject(s)
Chlamydiales/ultrastructure , Cryoultramicrotomy/methods , Acanthamoeba castellanii/microbiology , Bacterial Secretion Systems , Endoplasmic Reticulum/microbiology , Host-Pathogen Interactions , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Microscopy, Electron, Transmission , Mitochondria/microbiologyABSTRACT
Microtubules play crucial roles in cytokinesis, transport, and motility, and are therefore superb targets for anti-cancer drugs. All tubulins evolved from a common ancestor they share with the distantly related bacterial cell division protein FtsZ, but while eukaryotic tubulins evolved into highly conserved microtubule-forming heterodimers, bacterial FtsZ presumably continued to function as single homopolymeric protofilaments as it does today. Microtubules have not previously been found in bacteria, and we lack insight into their evolution from the tubulin/FtsZ ancestor. Using electron cryomicroscopy, here we show that the tubulin homologs BtubA and BtubB form microtubules in bacteria and suggest these be referred to as "bacterial microtubules" (bMTs). bMTs share important features with their eukaryotic counterparts, such as straight protofilaments and similar protofilament interactions. bMTs are composed of only five protofilaments, however, instead of the 13 typical in eukaryotes. These and other results suggest that rather than being derived from modern eukaryotic tubulin, BtubA and BtubB arose from early tubulin intermediates that formed small microtubules. Since we show that bacterial microtubules can be produced in abundance in vitro without chaperones, they should be useful tools for tubulin research and drug screening.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Cytoskeleton/metabolism , Tubulin/metabolism , Bacterial Proteins/chemistry , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Cryoelectron Microscopy , Cytoskeletal Proteins/metabolism , Cytoskeleton/ultrastructure , Gene Expression , Phylogeny , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Recombinant Proteins/chemistry , Recombinant Proteins/metabolism , Tubulin/chemistry , Tubulin/genetics , Verrucomicrobia/metabolism , Verrucomicrobia/ultrastructureABSTRACT
The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) transports maternal IgG across epithelial barriers, thereby providing the fetus or newborn with humoral immunity before its immune system is fully functional. In newborn rats, FcRn transfers IgG from milk to blood by apical-to-basolateral transcytosis across intestinal epithelial cells. The pH difference between the apical (pH 6.0-6.5) and basolateral (pH 7.4) sides of intestinal epithelial cells facilitates the efficient unidirectional transport of IgG, because FcRn binds IgG at pH 6.0-6.5 but not at pH 7 or more. As milk passes through the neonatal intestine, maternal IgG is removed by FcRn-expressing cells in the proximal small intestine (duodenum and jejunum); remaining proteins are absorbed and degraded by FcRn-negative cells in the distal small intestine (ileum). Here we use electron tomography to make jejunal transcytosis visible directly in space and time, developing new labelling and detection methods to map individual nanogold-labelled Fc within transport vesicles and simultaneously to characterize these vesicles by immunolabelling. Combining electron tomography with a non-perturbing endocytic label allowed us to conclusively identify receptor-bound ligands, resolve interconnecting vesicles, determine whether a vesicle was microtubule-associated, and accurately trace FcRn-mediated transport of IgG. Our results present a complex picture in which Fc moves through networks of entangled tubular and irregular vesicles, only some of which are microtubule-associated, as it migrates to the basolateral surface. New features of transcytosis are elucidated, including transport involving multivesicular body inner vesicles/tubules and exocytosis through clathrin-coated pits. Markers for early, late and recycling endosomes each labelled vesicles in different and overlapping morphological classes, revealing spatial complexity in endo-lysosomal trafficking.
Subject(s)
Antibodies/metabolism , Epithelial Cells/metabolism , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/metabolism , Intestines/cytology , Receptors, Fc/metabolism , Animals , Animals, Newborn , Electrons , Gold , Humans , Imaging, Three-Dimensional , Immunity, Maternally-Acquired , Immunoglobulin G/metabolism , Intestinal Mucosa/metabolism , Jejunum/cytology , Protein Transport , Rats , TomographyABSTRACT
As daughter centrioles assemble during G2, they recruit conserved Ana3/RTTN followed by its partner Rcd4/PPP1R35. Together, this contributes to the subsequent recruitment of Ana1/CEP295, required for the centriole's conversion to a centrosome. Here, we show that Rcd4/PPP1R35 is also required to maintain 9-fold centriole symmetry in the Drosophila male germline; its absence causes microtubule triplets to disperse into a reduced number of doublet or singlet microtubules. rcd4-null mutant spermatocytes display skinny centrioles that elongate normally and localize centriolar components correctly. Mutant spermatocytes also have centrioles of normal girth that splay at their proximal ends when induced to elongate by Ana1 overexpression. Skinny and splayed spermatid centrioles can still recruit a proximal centriole-like (PCL) structure marking a capability to initiate features of centriole duplication in developing sperm. Thus, stable 9-fold symmetry of microtubule triplets is not essential for centriole growth, correct longitudinal association of centriole components, and aspects of centriole duplication.
Subject(s)
Centrioles , Drosophila Proteins , Microtubules , Spermatocytes , Centrioles/metabolism , Centrioles/ultrastructure , Centrioles/genetics , Animals , Male , Drosophila Proteins/metabolism , Drosophila Proteins/genetics , Spermatocytes/metabolism , Microtubules/metabolism , Drosophila melanogaster/genetics , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolism , Spermatids/metabolism , Spermatids/cytology , Cell Cycle Proteins/metabolism , Cell Cycle Proteins/genetics , Microtubule-Associated Proteins/metabolism , Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics , Mutation , DrosophilaABSTRACT
The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants and their respective phenotypes represents an important set of tools to understand basic coronavirus biology as well as the public health implications of individual mutations in variants of concern. While mutations outside of Spike are not well studied, the entire viral genome is undergoing evolutionary selection, particularly the central disordered linker region of the nucleocapsid (N) protein. Here, we identify a mutation (G215C), characteristic of the Delta variant, that introduces a novel cysteine into this linker domain, which results in the formation of a disulfide bond and a stable N-N dimer. Using reverse genetics, we determined that this cysteine residue is necessary and sufficient for stable dimer formation in a WA1 SARS-CoV-2 background, where it results in significantly increased viral growth both in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we demonstrate that the N:G215C virus packages more nucleocapsid per virion and that individual virions are larger, with elongated morphologies.