scholarly journals Distinct roles of Gαi and Gβ13F subunits of the heterotrimeric G protein complex in the mediation of Drosophila neuroblast asymmetric divisions

2003 ◽  
Vol 162 (4) ◽  
pp. 623-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengwei Yu ◽  
Yu Cai ◽  
Rachna Kaushik ◽  
Xiaohang Yang ◽  
William Chia
Keyword(s):  
G Protein ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Protein Complex ◽  
Complex Function ◽  
Asymmetric Division ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Asymmetric Divisions ◽  
Fate Determinants ◽  
Cell Fate Determinants

The asymmetric division of Drosophila neuroblasts involves the basal localization of cell fate determinants and the generation of an asymmetric, apicobasally oriented mitotic spindle that leads to the formation of two daughter cells of unequal size. These features are thought to be controlled by an apically localized protein complex comprising of two signaling pathways: Bazooka/Drosophila atypical PKC/Inscuteable/DmPar6 and Partner of inscuteable (Pins)/Gαi; in addition, Gβ13F is also required. However, the role of Gαi and the hierarchical relationship between the G protein subunits and apical components are not well defined. Here we describe the isolation of Gαi mutants and show that Gαi and Gβ13F play distinct roles. Gαi is required for Pins to localize to the cortex, and the effects of loss of Gαi or pins are highly similar, supporting the idea that Pins/Gαi act together to mediate various aspects of neuroblast asymmetric division. In contrast, Gβ13F appears to regulate the asymmetric localization/stability of all apical components, and Gβ13F loss of function exhibits phenotypes resembling those seen when both apical pathways have been compromised, suggesting that it acts upstream of the apical pathways. Importantly, our results have also revealed a novel aspect of apical complex function, that is, the two apical pathways act redundantly to suppress the formation of basal astral microtubules in neuroblasts.

The endocytic adaptor Numb regulates thymus size by modulating pre-TCR signaling during asymmetric division

Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (10) ◽  
pp. 1705-1714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocio Aguado ◽  
Nadia Martin-Blanco ◽  
Michael Caraballo ◽  
Matilde Canelles
Keyword(s):  
Cell Fate ◽  
Asymmetric Division ◽  
Cell Receptor ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Thymocyte Development ◽  
Tcr Signaling ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Fate Determinants ◽  
Cell Fate Determinants

Abstract Stem cells must proliferate and differentiate to generate the lineages that shape mature organs; understanding these 2 processes and their interaction is one of the central themes in current biomedicine. An intriguing aspect is asymmetric division, by which 2 daughter cells with different fates are generated. Several cell fate determinants participate in asymmetric division, with the endocytic adaptor Numb as the best-known example. Here, we have explored the role of asymmetric division in thymocyte development, visualizing the differential segregation of Numb and pre-TCR in thymic precursors. Analysis of mice where Numb had been inhibited by expressing a dominant negative revealed enhanced pre–T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling and a smaller thymus. Conversely, Numb overexpression resulted in loss of asymmetric division and a larger thymus. The conclusion is that Numb determines the levels of pre-TCR signaling in dividing thymocytes and, ultimately, the size of the pool from which mature T lymphocytes are selected.

scholarly journals Differential functions of G protein and Baz–aPKC signaling pathways in Drosophila neuroblast asymmetric division

2004 ◽  
Vol 164 (5) ◽  
pp. 729-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasushi Izumi ◽  
Nao Ohta ◽  
Asako Itoh-Furuya ◽  
Naoyuki Fuse ◽  
Fumio Matsuzaki
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
G Protein ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Spindle Orientation ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Asymmetric Divisions ◽  
Fate Determinants ◽  
Cell Fate Determinants

Drosophila melanogaster neuroblasts (NBs) undergo asymmetric divisions during which cell-fate determinants localize asymmetrically, mitotic spindles orient along the apical–basal axis, and unequal-sized daughter cells appear. We identified here the first Drosophila mutant in the Gγ1 subunit of heterotrimeric G protein, which produces Gγ1 lacking its membrane anchor site and exhibits phenotypes identical to those of Gβ13F, including abnormal spindle asymmetry and spindle orientation in NB divisions. This mutant fails to bind Gβ13F to the membrane, indicating an essential role of cortical Gγ1–Gβ13F signaling in asymmetric divisions. In Gγ1 and Gβ13F mutant NBs, Pins–Gαi, which normally localize in the apical cortex, no longer distribute asymmetrically. However, the other apical components, Bazooka–atypical PKC–Par6–Inscuteable, still remain polarized and responsible for asymmetric Miranda localization, suggesting their dominant role in localizing cell-fate determinants. Further analysis of Gβγ and other mutants indicates a predominant role of Partner of Inscuteable–Gαi in spindle orientation. We thus suggest that the two apical signaling pathways have overlapping but different roles in asymmetric NB division.

scholarly journals Membrane Targeting and Asymmetric Localization of Drosophila Partner of Inscuteable Are Discrete Steps Controlled by Distinct Regions of the Protein

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 4230-4240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengwei Yu ◽  
Chin Tong Ong ◽  
William Chia ◽  
Xiaohang Yang
Keyword(s):  
Cell Fate ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Protein Localization ◽  
Asymmetric Division ◽  
Terminal Region ◽  
Spindle Orientation ◽  
Functional Domain ◽  
Fate Determinants ◽  
Cell Fate Determinants ◽  
Apical Localization

ABSTRACT Asymmetric division of neural progenitors is a key mechanism by which neuronal diversity in the Drosophila central nervous system is generated. The distinct fates of the daughter cells derived from these divisions are achieved through preferential segregation of the cell fate determinants Prospero and Numb to one of the two daughters. This is achieved by coordinating apical and basal mitotic spindle orientation with the basal cortical localization of the cell fate determinants during mitosis. A complex of apically localized proteins, including Inscuteable (Insc), Partner of Inscuteable (Pins), Bazooka (Baz), DmPar-6, DaPKC, and Gαi, is required to mediate and coordinate basal protein localization with mitotic spindle orientation. Pins, a molecule which directly interacts with Insc, is a key component required for the integrity of this complex; in the absence of Pins, other components become mislocalized or destabilized, and basal protein localization and mitotic spindle orientation are defective. Here we define the functional domains of Pins. We show that the C-terminal region containing the Gαi binding GoLoco motifs is necessary and sufficient for targeting to the neuroblast cortex, which appears to be a prerequisite for apical localization of Pins. The N-terminal tetratricopeptide repeat-containing region of Pins is required for two processes; TPR repeats 1 to 3 plus the C-terminal region are required for apical localization but are insufficient to recruit Insc to the apical cortex, whereas TPR repeats 1 to 7 plus C-terminal Pins can perform both functions. Hence, the abilities of Pins to cortically localize, to apically localize, and to restore Insc apical localization are all separable, and all three capabilities are necessary to mediate asymmetric division. Moreover, the need for N-terminal Pins can be obviated by fusing a minimal Insc functional domain with the C-terminal region of Pins; this chimeric molecule is apically localized and can fulfill the functions of both Insc and Pins.

scholarly journals Epithelial polarity and spindle orientation: intersecting pathways

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1629) ◽  
pp. 20130291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan T. Bergstralh ◽  
Timm Haack ◽  
Daniel St Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Spindle Orientation ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Cell Divisions ◽  
Discs Large ◽  
Stem Cell Divisions ◽  
Fate Determinants ◽  
Cell Fate Determinants

During asymmetric stem cell divisions, the mitotic spindle must be correctly oriented and positioned with respect to the axis of cell polarity to ensure that cell fate determinants are appropriately segregated into only one daughter cell. By contrast, epithelial cells divide symmetrically and orient their mitotic spindles perpendicular to the main apical–basal polarity axis, so that both daughter cells remain within the epithelium. Work in the past 20 years has defined a core ternary complex consisting of Pins, Mud and Gαi that participates in spindle orientation in both asymmetric and symmetric divisions. As additional factors that interact with this complex continue to be identified, a theme has emerged: there is substantial overlap between the mechanisms that orient the spindle and those that establish and maintain apical–basal polarity in epithelial cells. In this review, we examine several factors implicated in both processes, namely Canoe, Bazooka, aPKC and Discs large, and consider the implications of this work on how the spindle is oriented during epithelial cell divisions.

scholarly journals Asymmetric enrichment of PIE-1 in the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote mediated by binary counterdiffusion

2009 ◽  
Vol 184 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian R. Daniels ◽  
Edward M. Perkins ◽  
Terrence M. Dobrowsky ◽  
Sean X. Sun ◽  
Denis Wirtz
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Heterogeneous Reaction ◽  
Reaction Diffusion ◽  
Developmental Potential ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Reaction Diffusion Model ◽  
Fate Determinants ◽  
Cell Fate Determinants ◽  
Enrichment Process

To generate cellular diversity in developing organisms while simultaneously maintaining the developmental potential of the germline, germ cells must be able to preferentially endow germline daughter cells with a cytoplasmic portion containing specialized cell fate determinants not inherited by somatic cells. In Caenorhabditis elegans, germline inheritance of the protein PIE-1 is accomplished by first asymmetrically localizing the protein to the germplasm before cleavage and subsequently degrading residual levels of the protein in the somatic cytoplasm after cleavage. Despite its critical involvement in cell fate determination, the enrichment of germline determinants remains poorly understood. Here, combining live-cell fluorescence methods and kinetic modeling, we demonstrate that the enrichment process does not involve protein immobilization, intracellular compartmentalization, or localized protein degradation. Instead, our results support a heterogeneous reaction/diffusion model for PIE-1 enrichment in which the diffusion coefficient of PIE-1 is reversibly reduced in the posterior, resulting in a stable protein gradient across the zygote at steady state.

scholarly journals SeesawPred: A Web Application for Predicting Cell-fate Determinants in Cell Differentiation

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
András Hartmann ◽  
Satoshi Okawa ◽  
Gaia Zaffaroni ◽  
Antonio del Sol
Keyword(s):  
Cell Differentiation ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Fate Determinants ◽  
Cell Fate Determinants

scholarly journals Characterization of histone inheritance patterns in the Drosophila female germline

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth W. Kahney ◽  
Lydia Sohn ◽  
Kayla Viets-Layng ◽  
Robert Johnston ◽  
Xin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Asymmetric Division ◽  
Germline Stem Cell ◽  
Inheritance Patterns ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Dividing Cells ◽  
Female Germline

ABSTRACTStem cells have the unique ability to undergo asymmetric division which produces two daughter cells that are genetically identical, but commit to different cell fates. The loss of this balanced asymmetric outcome can lead to many diseases, including cancer and tissue dystrophy. Understanding this tightly regulated process is crucial in developing methods to treat these abnormalities. Here, we report that produced from a Drosophila female germline stem cell asymmetric division, the two daughter cells differentially inherit histones at key genes related to either maintaining the stem cell state or promoting differentiation, but not at constitutively active or silenced genes. We combined histone labeling with DNA Oligopaints to distinguish old versus new histone distribution and visualize their inheritance patterns at single-gene resolution in asymmetrically dividing cells in vivo. This strategy can be widely applied to other biological contexts involving cell fate establishment during development or tissue homeostasis in multicellular organisms.

scholarly journals Unequal distribution of 16S mtrRNA at the 2-cell stage regulates cell lineage allocations in mouse embryos

Reproduction ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 151 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuxia Zheng ◽  
Hongmei Li ◽  
Qinfen Zhang ◽  
Lele Yang ◽  
Huayu Qi
Keyword(s):  
Cell Fate ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Cell Lineage ◽  
Early Embryogenesis ◽  
Embryonic Cells ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Fate Determinants ◽  
Cell Fate Determinants

Cell lineage determination during early embryogenesis has profound effects on adult animal development. Pre-patterning of embryos, such as that of Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans, is driven by asymmetrically localized maternal or zygotic factors, including mRNA species and RNA binding proteins. However, it is not clear how mammalian early embryogenesis is regulated and what the early cell fate determinants are. Here we show that, in mouse, mitochondrial ribosomal RNAs (mtrRNAs) are differentially distributed between 2-cell sister blastomeres. This distribution pattern is not related to the overall quantity or activity of mitochondria which appears equal between 2-cell sister blastomeres. Like in lower species, 16S mtrRNA is found to localize in the cytoplasm outside of mitochondria in mouse 2-cell embryos. Alterations of 16S mtrRNA levels in one of the 2-cell sister blastomere via microinjection of either sense or anti-sense RNAs drive its progeny into different cell lineages in blastocyst. These results indicate that mtrRNAs are differentially distributed among embryonic cells at the beginning of embryogenesis in mouse and they are functionally involved in the regulation of cell lineage allocations in blastocyst, suggesting an underlying molecular mechanism that regulates pre-implantation embryogenesis in mouse.

scholarly journals PAR-3 and PAR-1 Inhibit LET-99 Localization to Generate a Cortical Band Important for Spindle Positioning in Caenorhabditis elegans Embryos

2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 4470-4482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jui-Ching Wu ◽  
Lesilee S. Rose
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Protein Signaling ◽  
Posterior Cortex ◽  
Par Proteins ◽  
Anterior Cortex ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
High Let ◽  
Fate Determinants ◽  
Cell Fate Determinants

The conserved PAR proteins are localized in asymmetric cortical domains and are required for the polarized localization of cell fate determinants in many organisms. In Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, LET-99 and G protein signaling act downstream of the PARs to regulate spindle positioning and ensure asymmetric division. PAR-3 and PAR-2 localize LET-99 to a posterior cortical band through an unknown mechanism. Here we report that LET-99 asymmetry depends on cortically localized PAR-1 and PAR-4 but not on cytoplasmic polarity effectors. In par-1 and par-4 embryos, LET-99 accumulates at the entire posterior cortex, but remains at low levels at the anterior cortex occupied by PAR-3. Further, PAR-3 and PAR-1 have graded cortical distributions with the highest levels at the anterior and posterior poles, respectively, and the lowest levels of these proteins correlate with high LET-99 accumulation. These results suggest that PAR-3 and PAR-1 inhibit the localization of LET-99 to generate a band pattern. In addition, PAR-1 kinase activity is required for the inhibition of LET-99 localization, and PAR-1 associates with LET-99. Finally, examination of par-1 embryos suggests that the banded pattern of LET-99 is critical for normal posterior spindle displacement and to prevent spindle misorientation caused by cell shape constraints.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document