Dataset Information

Pathways that affect anterior morphogenesis in C. elegans embryos.

ABSTRACT: During embryogenesis the nascent Caenorhabditis elegans epidermis secretes an apical extracellular matrix (aECM) that serves as an external stabilizer, preventing deformation of the epidermis by mechanical forces exerted during morphogenesis. We showed that two conserved proteins linked to this process, SYM-3/FAM102A and SYM-4/WDR44, colocalize to intracellular and membrane-associated puncta and likely function together in a complex. Proteomics data also suggested potential roles for FAM102A and WDR44 family proteins in intracellular trafficking, consistent with their localization patterns. Nonetheless, we found no evidence to support a clear function for SYM-3 or SYM-4 in the apical deposition of two aECM components, FBN-1 and NOAH. Surprisingly, loss of MEC-8/RBPMS2, a conserved splicing factor and regulator of fbn-1 , had little effect on the abundance or deposition of FBN-1 to the aECM. Using a focused screening approach, we identified 32 additional proteins that likely contribute to the structure and function of the embryonic aECM. Lastly, we examined morphogenesis defects in embryos lacking mir-51 microRNA family members, which display a related embryonic phenotype to mec-8; sym double mutants. Collectively, our findings add to our knowledge of pathways controlling embryonic morphogenesis.

Summary statement

We identify new proteins in apical ECM biology in C. elegans and provide evidence that SYM-3/FAM102A and SYM-4/WDR44 function together in trafficking but do not regulate apical ECM protein deposition.

SUBMITTER: Boopathi B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10168279 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Pathways that affect anterior morphogenesis in <i>C. elegans</i> embryos.

Boopathi Balasubramaniam B Topalidou Irini I Kelley Melissa M Meadows Sarina M SM Funk Owen O Ailion Michael M Fay David S DS

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 20230424

During embryogenesis the nascent <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> epidermis secretes an apical extracellular matrix (aECM) that serves as an external stabilizer, preventing deformation of the epidermis by mechanical forces exerted during morphogenesis. We showed that two conserved proteins linked to this process, SYM-3/FAM102A and SYM-4/WDR44, colocalize to intracellular and membrane-associated puncta and likely function together in a complex. Proteomics data also suggested potential roles for FAM1 ...[more]

PMID: 37163004

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundOne of the least understood and most central questions confronting biologists is how initially simple clusters or sheet-like cell collectives can assemble into highly complex three-dimensional functional tissues and organs. Due to the limits of oxygen diffusion, blood vessels are an essential and ubiquitous presence in all amniote tissues and organs. Vasculogenesis, the de novo self-assembly of endothelial cell (EC) precursors into endothelial tubes, is the first step in blood vessel formation. Static imaging and in vitro models are wholly inadequate to capture many aspects of vascular pattern formation in vivo, because vasculogenesis involves dynamic changes of the endothelial cells and of the forming blood vessels, in an embryo that is changing size and shape.Methodology/principal findingsWe have generated Tie1 transgenic quail lines Tg(tie1:H2B-eYFP) that express H2B-eYFP in all of their endothelial cells which permit investigations into early embryonic vascular morphogenesis with unprecedented clarity and insight. By combining the power of molecular genetics with the elegance of dynamic imaging, we follow the precise patterning of endothelial cells in space and time. We show that during vasculogenesis within the vascular plexus, ECs move independently to form the rudiments of blood vessels, all while collectively moving with gastrulating tissues that flow toward the embryo midline. The aortae are a composite of somatic derived ECs forming its dorsal regions and the splanchnic derived ECs forming its ventral region. The ECs in the dorsal regions of the forming aortae exhibit variable mediolateral motions as they move rostrally; those in more ventral regions show significant lateral-to-medial movement as they course rostrally.Conclusions/significanceThe present results offer a powerful approach to the major challenge of studying the relative role(s) of the mechanical, molecular, and cellular mechanisms of vascular development. In past studies, the advantages of the molecular genetic tools available in mouse were counterbalanced by the limited experimental accessibility needed for imaging and perturbation studies. Avian embryos provide the needed accessibility, but few genetic resources. The creation of transgenic quail with labeled endothelia builds upon the important roles that avian embryos have played in previous studies of vascular development.

Project description:Chicks are bipedal precocious vertebrates that achieve adaptive locomotor skill within hours after hatching. Development of limb movement has been extensively studied in the chicken embryo, but few studies have focused on the preparations leading to precocious locomotor skill. Chicks typically hatch after 21 days of incubation, and recent studies provided evidence that the neural circuits for intralimb control of stepping are established between embryonic days (E) 18-20. It has also been shown that variations in light exposure during embryogenesis can accelerate or delay the onset of hatching and walking by 1 to 2 days. Our earlier work revealed that despite these differences in time to hatch, chicks incubated in different light conditions achieved similar locomotor skill on the day of hatching. Results suggested to us that light exposure during incubation may have accelerated development of locomotor circuits in register with earlier hatching. Thus, in this study, embryos were incubated in 1 of 3 light conditions to determine if development of interlimb coordination at a common time point, 19 days of incubation, varied with light exposure during embryogenesis. Leg muscle activity was recorded bilaterally and burst analyses were performed for sequences of spontaneous locomotor-related activity in one or more ankle muscles to quantify the extent of interlimb coordination in ovo. We report findings indicating that the extent of interlimb coordination varied with light exposure, and left-right alternating steps were a more reliable attribute of interlimb coordination for embryos incubated in constant bright light. We provide evidence that morphological development of the leg varied with light exposure. Based on these findings, we propose that light can accelerate the development of interlimb coordination in register with earlier hatching. Our results lead us to further propose that alternating left-right stepping is the default pattern of interlimb coordination produced by locomotor circuits during embryogenesis.