Project description:ADAR proteins alter gene expression both via catalyzing adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing and in an editing-independent manner by binding to target RNAs. Loss of ADARs affects neuronal function in all animals studied to date. To identify important neuronal targets in C. elegans, we performed the first unbiased assessment of the effects of ADR-2, the C. elegans editing enzyme, on the neural transcriptome. We identified the neural editome and gene expression changes associated with the loss of adr-2. As C. elegans lacking adr-2 exhibit reduced chemotaxis, our studies focused on targets that regulate this process. We identified an edited mRNA, clec-41, whose expression is dependent on ADR-2. Expressing clec-41 in adr-2 deficient neural cells restored chemotaxis. This study is the first of its kind in the RNA editing field to span from developing novel methodology for tissue-specific target identification to organismal behavior, significantly advancing our understanding of ADAR functions in neural cells.
Project description:Here, we reveal that the Caenorhabditis elegans ADAR proteins promote survival of animals exposed to several opportunistic human pathogens. Our data indicate that ADARs help maintain proper levels of cuticular collagen genes, which in turn affects defense of the nematode to these bacteria.
Project description:The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has evolutionarily conserved EV signaling pathways. In this study, we apply a recently published method for high specificity purification of EVs from C. elegans to carry out target-independent proteomic and RNA analysis of EVs from C. elegans. Our experiments uncovered diverse coding and non-coding RNA transcripts as well as protein cargo types commonly found in human EVs.
Project description:Proper nervous system development is required for an organism’s survival and function. Defects in neurogenesis have been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. Understanding the gene regulatory networks that orchestrate neural development, specifically cascades of proneural transcription factors, can better elucidate which genes are most essential in governing early neurogenesis. Neurogenins are a family of such factors that are both sufficient and necessary for the development of neural sub-types in mice, primarily through the regulation of other factors, particularly neurod. The objective of this study was to evaluate previously established regulatory targets of neurogenin (ngn-1) and to identify unknown downstream targets, using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for these studies. We find that in C. elegans, neurogenin is required for axon outgrowth, cell fate specification, and epithelial integrity during embryonic development. Using RNA sequencing and comparative transcriptome analysis we found that ngn-1 acts primarily to repress transcription, facilitating proper embryogenesis. We also identified specific candidates for activation by ngn-1, including hlh-34(npas1) and unc-42(prop1), which we further validated using genetic methods. Our results identify novel pathways connecting ngn-1 to known terminal regulators, which maintain cell fate of terminally differentiated neural subtypes, and align neurogenins within the larger context of proneural transcription factors.
Project description:piRNAs are required to maintain germline integrity and fertility but their mechanism of action is poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that C. elegans piRNAs silence transcripts in trans through imperfectly complementary sites. We find that target silencing is independent of Piwi endonuclease activity or “slicing”. Instead, we show that piRNAs initiate a localized secondary endogenous small interfering RNA (endo-siRNA) response. Endogenous protein-coding gene, pseudogene and transposon transcripts exhibit Piwi-dependent endo-siRNAs at sites complementary to piRNAs and are derepressed in Piwi mutants. Genomic loci of piRNA biogenesis are depleted of protein-coding genes but not pseudogenes or transposons. Our data suggest that nematode piRNA clusters are evolving to generate piRNAs against active mobile elements. Thus, piRNAs provide heritable, sequence-specific triggers for RNAi in C. elegans. Affymetrix mRNA expression data from wild-type and two independent prg-1;prg-2 double mutant C. elegans strains (mRNA)
Project description:piRNAs are required to maintain germline integrity and fertility but their mechanism of action is poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that C. elegans piRNAs silence transcripts in trans through imperfectly complementary sites. We find that target silencing is independent of Piwi endonuclease activity or “slicing”. Instead, we show that piRNAs initiate a localized secondary endogenous small interfering RNA (endo-siRNA) response. Endogenous protein-coding gene, pseudogene and transposon transcripts exhibit Piwi-dependent endo-siRNAs at sites complementary to piRNAs and are derepressed in Piwi mutants. Genomic loci of piRNA biogenesis are depleted of protein-coding genes but not pseudogenes or transposons. Our data suggest that nematode piRNA clusters are evolving to generate piRNAs against active mobile elements. Thus, piRNAs provide heritable, sequence-specific triggers for RNAi in C. elegans.