Project description:Germ cells are regulated by local microenvironments (niches), which secrete instructive cues. Conserved developmental signaling molecules act as niche-derived regulatory factors, yet other types of niche signals remain to be identified. Single-cell RNA-sequencing of sexual planarians revealed niche cells expressing a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (nrps). Inhibiting nrps led to loss of female reproductive organs and testis hyperplasia. Mass spectrometry detected the dipeptide β-alanyl-tryptamine (BATT), which is associated with reproductive system development and requires nrps and a monoamine-transmitter-synthetic enzyme (AADC) for its production. Exogenous BATT rescued the reproductive defects after nrps or aadc inhibition, restoring fertility. Thus, a non-ribosomal, monoamine-derived peptide provided by niche cells acts as a critical signal to trigger planarian reproductive development. These findings reveal an unexpected function for monoamines in niche-germ cell signaling. Furthermore, given the recently reported role for BATT as a male-derived factor required for reproductive maturation of female schistosomes, these results have important implications for the evolution of parasitic flatworms and suggest a potential role for non-ribosomal peptides as signaling molecules in other organisms.
Project description:βAlanyl-tryptamine (BATT) is a peptide secreted by male S. mansoni upon pairing with a female parasite. Treatment of synthetic BATT on virgin females wihtout any pairing is sufficient to induce sexual development and egg depostiion.
Project description:Investigation of differences in gene expression between two strains of the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. The sexual strain are cross-fertilizing hermaphrodites with reproductive organs that develop post-embryonically and the asexual strain reproduces exclusively by transverse fission and fail to develop reproductive organs. A two chip study using total RNA recovered from asexual and sexual animals. Each chip measures the expression level of 16,797 ESTs from S. mediterranea with 10 60-mer probe pairs (PM/MM) per gene, with two-fold technical redundancy.
Project description:Investigation of differences in gene expression between two strains of the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. The sexual strain are cross-fertilizing hermaphrodites with reproductive organs that develop post-embryonically and the asexual strain reproduces exclusively by transverse fission and fail to develop reproductive organs.
Project description:Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites that proliferate through iterative cycles of intra-erythrocytic replication. During each cycle a small number of parasites differentiate into gametocytes, the only forms able to infect the mosquito vector and transmit malaria. Sexual commitment is triggered by activation of AP2-G, the master transcriptional regulator of gametocytogenesis. Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1)-dependent silencing of ap2-g prevents sexual conversion and secures proliferation. Here, we identify gametocyte development 1 (GDV1) as the first upstream activator of the sexual differentiation pathway in P. falciparum. Induction of GDV1 expression is sufficient to activate AP2-G expression and sexual differentiation. We found that GDV1 targets heterochromatin and triggers HP1 eviction preferentially at ap2-g and other gametocyte-specific genes. We further demonstrate that GDV1-dependent activation of ap2-g is controlled via a gdv1 antisense RNA. In summary, we identify GDV1 as an unprecedented cell fate decision factor that induces sexual differentiation by antagonizing HP1-dependent gene silencing.
Project description:Mating pheromone is the best-known fungal paracrine signal whose essentiality in determining sexual reproduction has been recognized since six decades ago. We demonstrate that the pheromone cannot induce mating response during unisexual mating due to the lack of a compatible receptor from the same unisexual population. We identify a quorum sensing (QS) peptide Qsp1 in place of pheromone as a specific intercellular signal directing Cryptococcus unisexual reproduction. A typical zinc finger regulator Cqs2 as the master regulator of QS signaling induces unisexual reproduction in response to Qsp1. Collectively, these data demonstrate that QS activation rather than pheromone induction as the pivotal social control mechanism underlies unisexual reproduction in C .neoformans.
Project description:The MHC class I antigen presentation system enables T cell immunosurveillance of cancers and viruses. Rapidly degraded nascent polypeptides (DRiPs) provide many class I peptide ligands. By knocking down each of the 80 ribosomal proteins, we identified proteins that modulate peptide generation without altering source protein expression. We show that 60S ribosomal proteins L6 (RPL6) and RPL28, which are adjacent on the ribosome, play opposite roles in generating an influenza A virus encoded peptide. RPL6 depletion decreases ubiquitin-dependent peptide presentation, while RPL28 depletion increases ubiquitin-dependent and -independent peptide presentation. 40S ribosomal protein S28 (RPS28) knockdown increases total peptide supply in uninfected cells by increasing DRiP synthesis from non-canonical translation of “untranslated” regions and non-AUG start codons, and sensitizes tumor cells for T cell targeting. RPL23 knocKDut decreases overall peptide supply, impairing T cell recognition of tumor cells. Our findings raise the possibility of modulating immunosurveillance by pharmacologically targeting ribosomes.
Project description:Transcriptomic analyses showed that Ebola virus delta peptide triggers damage response and cell survival pathways. Delta peptide also downregulates the expression of transporters and exchangers that mediate absorption of ions, sugars, and small chain fatty acids.