Project description:Spiders are renowned for their efficient capture of flying insects using intricate aerial webs. How the spider nervous systems evolved to cope with this specialized hunting strategy and various environmental clues in an aerial space remains unknown. Here, we report a brain cell atlas of >30,000 single-cell transcriptomes from a web-building spider (Hylyphantes graminicola). Our analysis revealed the preservation of ancestral neuron types in spiders, including the potential coexistence of noradrenergic and octopaminergic neurons, and many peptidergic neuronal types that are lost in insects. By comparing the genome of two newly sequenced plesiomorphic burrowing spiders with three aerial web-building spiders, we found that the positively selected genes in the ancestral branch of web-building spiders were preferentially expressed (42%) in the brain, especially in the three mushroom body-like neuronal types. By gene enrichment analysis and RNAi experiments, these genes were suggested to be involved in the learning and memory pathway and may influence the spiders’ web-building and hunting behavior. Our results provide key sources for understanding the evolution of behavior in spiders and reveal how molecular evolution drives neuron innovation and the diversification of associated complex behaviors.
Project description:Sensory circuit activation can induce neurotransmitter respecification. To understand the consequences and mechanisms of this neuroplasticity we investigated the effects of olfactory system activation on transmitter expression in interneurons of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) during development. Frog larvae use olfactory-mediated kin recognition to distinguish siblings from non-siblings. Prolonged exposure to kin (sibling) or non-kin (non-sibling) odorants changed the number of neurons expressing dopamine or GABA compared to odorant deprivation (orphan condition). To identify signaling molecules mediating this behavior we performed mass spectrometry of kin-conditioned water samples. Vitellogenin-derived peptides, uniquely present in kin-conditioned samples of one genotype, were sufficient to elicit aversion behavior in non-kin larvae. RNA profiling identified AOB microRNAs (miRs) differentially regulated across conditions. Inhibition of miR-375 and miR-200b revealed that they regulate the dopaminergic and GABAergic phenotypes by targeting Pax6 and Bcl11b. Altering the ratio of dopamine/GABA AOB interneurons or locally introducing receptor blockers reversed kinship preference.
Project description:In this study we show that global levels of mature miRNAs are unaffected in C. elegans after knockdown of either subunit of CK2 (encoded by kin-3 and kin-10) by RNAi.
Project description:PKA/KIN-1 pathway is required for innate immunity in C. elegans, however, the downstream signaling is largely unclear. To gain further insight into mechanism underlying the promoted immunity of PKA/KIN-1 pathway, we performed genome microarrays of wild-type and kin-1(ok338) worms infection by Salmonella entericSL1344, compared with the controls wild-type fed E.coli OP50
2017-03-03 | GSE86342 | GEO
Project description:Phylogenomics and loci dropout patterns of Zodarion ant eating spiders
Project description:In this study we show that global levels of mature miRNAs are unaffected in C. elegans after knockdown of either subunit of CK2 (encoded by kin-3 and kin-10) by RNAi. Small RNAs were quantified from wild-type animals at L4 stage fed either vector (L4440), kin-3, kin-10, or alg-1 RNAi. Mature miRNA counts were quantified by summing the total number of reads mapping to each miRNA and normalized to the total number of mapped reads per sequencing library.
Project description:Streptococcus suis is an important zoonotic pathogen that can cause meningitis and sepsis in both pigs and humans. In this study,we evaluated the genetic difference of 40 Streptococcus suis strains belonging to various sequence types by comparative genomic hybridization to identify genes associated with the variation in pathogenicity using NimbleGen’s tilling microarray platform. Application of Comparative Phylogenomics to Identify Genetic Differences Relating to Pathogenicity of Streptococcus suis
Project description:A resident of animal intestines, Proteus mirabilis is a major cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infections and can cause recurrent, persistent infections. Swarming, which is a collective behavior that promotes centimeter-scale population migration, is implicated in colonization of bladders and kidneys. A regulatory factor of swarming is kin recognition, which involves the transfer of a self-identity protein from one cell into a physically adjacent neighboring cell. However, how kin recognition regulates swarming was previously unclear. We have now shown a mechanism linking kin recognition, swarm migration, and antibiotics tolerance: cells induce a transient antibiotics-tolerant, persister-like state in adjacent non-identical cells which in turn prevents non-identical cells from continuing to participate in collective swarming. These affected non-identical cells continue to exhibit large-scale gene expression suggesting an active shift into a different expression state. These data provide two key insights for the field. First, kin recognition can be a regulatory mechanism that acts with spatial and temporal precision. Second, induction into an antibiotics-tolerant state, instead of occurring stochastically, can be physically and spatially regulated by neighboring cells. These insights highlight the importance of further developing four-dimensional (time and X-, Y-, Z-axes) model systems for interrogating cell-cell signaling and control in microbial populations.