scholarly journals Maternal loading of a small heat shock protein increases embryo thermal tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent L. Lockwood ◽  
Cole R. Julick ◽  
Kristi L. Montooth

ABSTRACTMaternal investment is likely to have direct effects on offspring survival. In oviparous animals whose embryos are exposed to the external environment, maternal provisioning of molecular factors like mRNAs and proteins may help embryos cope with sudden changes in the environment. Here we sought to modify the maternal mRNA contribution to offspring embryos and test for maternal effects on acute thermal tolerance in early embryos of Drosophila melanogaster. We drove in vivo overexpression of a small heat shock protein gene (Hsp23) in female ovaries and measured the effects of acute thermal stress on offspring embryonic survival and larval development. We report that overexpression of the Hsp23 gene in female ovaries produced offspring embryos with increased thermal tolerance. We also found that brief heat stress in the early embryonic stage (0 to 1 hour-old) caused decreased larval performance later in life (5 to 10 days-old), as indexed by pupation height, as well as increased development time to pupation. Maternal overexpression of Hsp23 protected embryos against these heat-induced larval defects. Our data demonstrate that transient products of single genes have large and lasting effects on whole-organism environmental tolerance. Further, our results suggest that maternal effects have a profound impact on offspring survival in the context of thermal variability.SUMMARY STATEMENTA gene-specific maternal effect confers thermal tolerance to offspring embryos in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 332-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
S E Kelly ◽  
I L Cartwright

Alterations in the pattern of DNase I hypersensitivity were observed on ecdysterone-stimulated transcription of Drosophila melanogaster small heat shock protein genes. Perturbations were induced near hsp27 and hsp22, coupled with an extensive domain of chromatin unfolding in the intergenic region between hsp23 and the developmentally regulated gene 1. These regions represent candidates for ecdysterone regulatory interactions.


2007 ◽  
Vol 366 (3) ◽  
pp. 756-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhairab N. Singh ◽  
K. Sridhar Rao ◽  
Tangirala Ramakrishna ◽  
Nandini Rangaraj ◽  
Ch. Mohan Rao

2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (9) ◽  
pp. 1648-1657
Author(s):  
Shanshan Liu ◽  
Lifeng Liu ◽  
Miguel A. Aranda ◽  
Bin Peng ◽  
Qinsheng Gu

Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), a member of the genus Tobamovirus (family Virgaviridae), is an economically important virus that has detrimental effects on cucurbit crops worldwide. Understanding the interaction between host factors and CGMMV viral proteins will facilitate the design of new strategies for disease control. In this study, a yeast two-hybrid assay revealed that the CGMMV helicase (HEL) domain interacts with a Citrullus lanatus small heat shock protein (sHSP), and we verified this observation by performing in vitro GST pull-down and in vivo coimmunoprecipitation assays. Measurement of the levels of accumulated sHSP transcript revealed that sHSP is upregulated on initial CGMMV infection in both Nicotiana benthamiana and C. lanatus plants, although not in the systemically infected leaves. We also found that the subcellular localization of the sHSP was altered after CGMMV infection. To further validate the role of sHSP in CGMMV infection, we produced and assayed N. benthamiana transgenic plants with up- and down-regulated sHSP expression. Overexpression of sHSP inhibited viral RNA accumulation and retarded disease development, whereas sHSP silencing had no marked effect on CGMMV infection. Therefore, we postulate that the identified sHSP may be one of the factors modulating host defense mechanisms in response to CGMMV infection and that the HEL domain interaction may inhibit this sHSP function to promote viral infection.


1998 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 1151-1161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teri Chizue Suzuki ◽  
Denise C. Krawitz ◽  
Elizabeth Vierling

2013 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 959-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayapal Jeya Maheshwari ◽  
Kuppamuthu Dharmalingam

The aim of this study is to examine the in vivo role of a small heat-shock protein (sHsp18) from Mycobacterium leprae in the survival of heterologous recombinant hosts carrying the gene encoding this protein under different environmental conditions that are normally encountered by M. leprae during its infection of the human host. Using an Escherichia coli system where shsp18 expression is controlled by its native promoter, we show that expression of shsp18 is induced under low oxygen tension, nutrient depletion and oxidative stress, all of which reflect the natural internal environment of the granulomas where the pathogen resides for long periods. We demonstrate the in vivo chaperone activity of sHsp18 through its ability to confer survival advantage to recombinant E. coli at heat-shock temperatures. Additional evidence for the protective role of sHsp18 was obtained when Mycobacterium smegmatis harbouring a copy of shsp18 was found to multiply better in human macrophages. Furthermore, the autokinase activity of sHsp18 protein demonstrated for what is believed to be the first time in this study implies that some of the functions of sHsp18 might be controlled by the phosphorylation state of this protein. Results from this study suggest that shsp18 might be one of the factors that facilitate the survival and persistence of M. leprae under stress and autophosphorylation of sHsp18 protein could be a mechanism used by this protein to sense changes in the external environment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (21) ◽  
pp. jeb219592
Author(s):  
Dina Malkeyeva ◽  
Elena Kiseleva ◽  
Svetlana Fedorova

ABSTRACTHsp67Bc in Drosophila melanogaster is a member of the small heat shock protein family, the main function of which is to prevent the aggregation of misfolded or damaged proteins. Hsp67Bc interacts with Starvin and Hsp23, which are known to be a part of the cold stress response in the fly during the recovery phase. In this study, we investigated the role of the Hsp67Bc gene in the cold stress response. We showed that in adult Drosophila, Hsp67Bc expression increases after cold stress and decreases after 1.5 h of recovery, indicating the involvement of Hsp67Bc in short-term stress recovery. We also implemented a deletion in the D. melanogaster Hsp67Bc gene using imprecise excision of a P-element, and analysed the cold tolerance of Hsp67Bc-null mutants at different developmental stages. We found that Hsp67Bc-null homozygous flies are viable and fertile but display varying cold stress tolerance throughout the stages of ontogenesis: the survival after cold stress is slightly impaired in late third instar larvae, unaffected in pupae, and notably affected in adult females. Moreover, the recovery from chill coma is delayed in Hsp67Bc-null adults of both sexes. In addition, the deletion in the Hsp67Bc gene caused more prominent up-regulation of Hsp70 following cold stress, suggesting the involvement of Hsp70 in compensation of the lack of the Hsp67Bc protein. Taken together, our results suggest that Hsp67Bc is involved in the recovery of flies from a comatose state and contributes to the protection of the fruit fly from cold stress.


1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 332-335
Author(s):  
S E Kelly ◽  
I L Cartwright

Alterations in the pattern of DNase I hypersensitivity were observed on ecdysterone-stimulated transcription of Drosophila melanogaster small heat shock protein genes. Perturbations were induced near hsp27 and hsp22, coupled with an extensive domain of chromatin unfolding in the intergenic region between hsp23 and the developmentally regulated gene 1. These regions represent candidates for ecdysterone regulatory interactions.


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