RESUMEN
Sublethal metabolic effects are informative toxicological end points. We used a rapid quantitative metabolic end point, bioluminescence of firefly luciferase expressing Caenorhabditis elegans, to assess effects of sublethal chronic exposure (19 h) to the oxidative stress agent and environmental pollutant cadmium (provided as chloride salt). Bioluminescence declined in a concentration-dependent manner in the concentration range tested (0-30 microM Cd), with comparable sensitivity to reproduction and developmental assay end points (after 67 and 72 h, respectively). Cd concentrations that resulted in 20% reduction in bioluminescence (EC(20)) were 11.8-13.0 microM, whereas the reproduction EC(20) (67 h exposure) was 10.2 microM. At low concentrations of Cd (< or = 15 microM), the decline in bioluminescence reflected a drop in ATP levels. At Cd concentrations of 15-30 microM, decreased bioluminescence was attributable both to effects of Cd on ATP levels and decreased production of luciferase proteins, concomitant with a decline in protein levels. We show that whole-animal bioluminescence is a valid toxicological end point and a rapid and sensitive predictor of effects of Cd exposure on development and reproduction. This provides a platform for high-throughput sublethal screening and will potentially contribute to reduction of testing in higher animals.
Asunto(s)
Técnicas Biosensibles , Cloruro de Cadmio/toxicidad , Caenorhabditis elegans/efectos de los fármacos , Luciferasas de Luciérnaga/metabolismo , Pruebas de Toxicidad/métodos , Adenosina Trifosfato/metabolismo , Animales , Caenorhabditis elegans/genética , Caenorhabditis elegans/crecimiento & desarrollo , Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Ingestión de Alimentos/efectos de los fármacos , Mediciones Luminiscentes , Reproducción/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The ATP levels of an organism are an important physiological parameter that is affected by genetic make up, ageing, stress and disease. RESULTS: We have generated luminescent C. elegans through ubiquitous, constitutive expression of firefly luciferase, widely used for in vitro ATP determination. We hypothesise that whole animal luminescence reflects its intracellular ATP levels in vivo. To test this, we characterised the bioluminescence response of C. elegans during sublethal exposure to, and recovery from azide, a treatment that inhibits mitochondrial respiration reversibly, and causes ATP depletion. Consistent with our expectations, in vivo luminescence decreased with increasing sublethal azide levels, and recovered fully when worms were removed from azide. Firefly luciferase expression levels, stability and activity did not influence the final luminescence. Bioluminescence also reflected the lowered activity of the electron transport chain achieved with RNA interference (RNAi) of genes encoding respiratory chain components. CONCLUSION: Results indicated that C. elegans luminescence reports on ATP levels in real-time. For the first time, we are able to directly assess the metabolism of a whole, living, multicellular organism by determination of the relative ATP levels. This will enable genetic analysis based on a readily quantifiable metabolic phenotype and will provide novel insights into mechanisms of fitness and disease that are likely to be of relevance for other organisms, as well as the worm.
Asunto(s)
Adenosina Trifosfato/fisiología , Caenorhabditis elegans/fisiología , Proteínas Luminiscentes/metabolismo , Microscopía Fluorescente/métodos , Mitocondrias/fisiología , Técnicas de Sonda Molecular , Imagen de Cuerpo Entero/métodos , Animales , Animales Modificados Genéticamente/fisiología , Sistemas de Computación , Proteínas Luminiscentes/genética , FenotipoRESUMEN
Disabled proteins are a conserved family of monomeric adaptor proteins that in mammals are implicated in the endocytosis of lipoprotein receptors. Previous studies have shown that the sole Caenorhabditis elegans Disabled homologue, DAB-1, is involved in the lipoprotein receptor-mediated secretion of a fibroblast growth factor. We show here that DAB-1 is essential for the uptake of yolk protein by developing oocytes, and for the localisation of the yolk receptor RME-2. The localisation of DAB-1 in oocytes is itself dependent upon clathrin and AP2, consistent with DAB-1 acting as a clathrin-associated sorting protein during yolk protein endocytosis. DAB-1 is also required for the endocytosis of molecules from the pseudocoelomic fluid by the macrophage-like coelomocytes, and is broadly expressed in epithelial tissues, consistent with a general role in receptor-mediated endocytosis. We also show that dab-1 mutations are synthetic lethal in combination with loss-of-function mutations affecting the AP-1 and AP-3 complexes, suggesting that the reduced fluid and membrane uptake exhibited by dab-1 mutants sensitises them to defects in other trafficking pathways.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Adaptadoras del Transporte Vesicular/metabolismo , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Endocitosis , Proteínas Adaptadoras del Transporte Vesicular/genética , Animales , Caenorhabditis elegans/citología , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/genética , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/aislamiento & purificación , Clatrina/metabolismo , Proteínas del Huevo/metabolismo , Endosomas/metabolismo , Lisosomas/metabolismo , Proteínas Mutantes/metabolismo , Mutación , Oocitos/metabolismo , Receptores de LDL/aislamiento & purificación , Receptores de LDL/metabolismo , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusión/metabolismoRESUMEN
The cadherin-catenin complex is essential for tissue morphogenesis during animal development. In cultured mammalian cells, p120 catenin (p120ctn) is an important regulator of cadherin-catenin complex function. However, information on the role of p120ctn family members in cadherin-dependent events in vivo is limited. We have examined the role of the single Caenorhabditis elegans p120ctn homologue JAC-1 (juxtamembrane domain [JMD]-associated catenin) during epidermal morphogenesis. Similar to other p120ctn family members, JAC-1 binds the JMD of the classical cadherin HMR-1, and GFP-tagged JAC-1 localizes to adherens junctions in an HMR-1-dependent manner. Surprisingly, depleting JAC-1 expression using RNA interference (RNAi) does not result in any obvious defects in embryonic or postembryonic development. However, jac-1(RNAi) does increase the severity and penetrance of morphogenetic defects caused by a hypomorphic mutation in the hmp-1/alpha-catenin gene. In these hmp-1 mutants, jac-1 depletion causes failure of the embryo to elongate into a worm-like shape, a process that involves contraction of the epidermis. Associated with failed elongation is the detachment of actin bundles from epidermal adherens junctions and failure to maintain cadherin in adherens junctions. These results suggest that JAC-1 acts as a positive modulator of cadherin function in C. elegans.