Filter
Associated Lab
- Remove Wang (Shaohe) Lab filter Wang (Shaohe) Lab
Publication Date
Type of Publication
4 Publications
Showing 1-4 of 4 resultsThe Caenorhabditis elegans embryo is an important model for analyzing mechanisms of cell fate specification and tissue morphogenesis. Sophisticated lineage-tracing approaches for analyzing embryogenesis have been developed but are labor intensive and do not naturally integrate morphogenetic readouts. To enable the rapid classification of developmental phenotypes, we developed a high-content method that employs two custom strains: a Germ Layer strain that expresses nuclear markers in the ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm/pharynx; and a Morphogenesis strain that expresses markers labeling epidermal cell junctions and the neuronal cell surface. We describe a procedure that allows simultaneous live imaging of development in 80-100 embryos and provide a custom program that generates cropped, oriented image stacks of individual embryos to facilitate analysis. We demonstrate the utility of our method by perturbing 40 previously characterized developmental genes in variants of the two strains containing RNAi-sensitizing mutations. The resulting datasets yielded distinct, reproducible signature phenotypes for a broad spectrum of genes that are involved in cell fate specification and morphogenesis. In addition, our analysis provides new in vivo evidence for MBK-2 function in mesoderm fate specification and LET-381 function in elongation.
C. elegans is the premier system for the systematic analysis of cell fate specification and morphogenetic events during embryonic development. One challenge is that embryogenesis dynamically unfolds over a period of about 13 h; this half day-long timescale has constrained the scope of experiments by limiting the number of embryos that can be imaged. Here, we describe a semi-high-throughput protocol that allows for the simultaneous 3D time-lapse imaging of development in 80–100 embryos at moderate time resolution, from up to 14 different conditions, in a single overnight run. The protocol is straightforward and can be implemented by any laboratory with access to a microscope with point visiting capacity. The utility of this protocol is demonstrated by using it to image two custom-built strains expressing fluorescent markers optimized to visualize key aspects of germ-layer specification and morphogenesis. To analyze the data, a custom program that crops individual embryos out of a broader field of view in all channels, z-steps, and timepoints and saves the sequences for each embryo into a separate tiff stack was built. The program, which includes a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI), streamlines data processing by isolating, pre-processing, and uniformly orienting individual embryos in preparation for visualization or automated analysis. Also supplied is an ImageJ macro that compiles individual embryo data into a multi-panel file that displays maximum intensity fluorescence projection and brightfield images for each embryo at each time point. The protocols and tools described herein were validated by using them to characterize embryonic development following knock-down of 40 previously described developmental genes; this analysis visualized previously annotated developmental phenotypes and revealed new ones. In summary, this work details a semi-high-throughput imaging method coupled with a cropping program and ImageJ visualization tool that, when combined with strains expressing informative fluorescent markers, greatly accelerates experiments to analyze embryonic development.
Summary This review describes how direct visualization of the dynamic interactions of cells with different extracellular matrix microenvironments can provide novel insights into complex biological processes. Recent studies have moved characterization of cell migration and invasion from classical 2D culture systems into 1D and 3D model systems, revealing multiple differences in mechanisms of cell adhesion, migration and signalling—even though cells in 3D can still display prominent focal adhesions. Myosin II restrains cell migration speed in 2D culture but is often essential for effective 3D migration. 3D cell migration modes can switch between lamellipodial, lobopodial and/or amoeboid depending on the local matrix environment. For example, “nuclear piston” migration can be switched off by local proteolysis, and proteolytic invadopodia can be induced by a high density of fibrillar matrix. Particularly, complex remodelling of both extracellular matrix and tissues occurs during morphogenesis. Extracellular matrix supports self-assembly of embryonic tissues, but it must also be locally actively remodelled. For example, surprisingly focal remodelling of the basement membrane occurs during branching morphogenesis—numerous tiny perforations generated by proteolysis and actomyosin contractility produce a microscopically porous, flexible basement membrane meshwork for tissue expansion. Cells extend highly active blebs or protrusions towards the surrounding mesenchyme through these perforations. Concurrently, the entire basement membrane undergoes translocation in a direction opposite to bud expansion. Underlying this slowly moving 2D basement membrane translocation are highly dynamic individual cell movements. We conclude this review by describing a variety of exciting research opportunities for discovering novel insights into cell-matrix interactions.
Summary Dynamic coupling of microtubule ends to kinetochores, built on the centromeres of chromosomes, directs chromosome segregation during cell division. Here, we report that the evolutionarily ancient kinetochore-microtubule coupling machine, the KMN (Knl1/Mis12/Ndc80-complex) network, plays a critical role in neuronal morphogenesis. We show that the KMN network concentrates in microtubule-rich dendrites of developing sensory neurons that collectively extend in a multicellular morphogenetic event that occurs during C. elegans embryogenesis. Post-mitotic degradation of KMN components in sensory neurons disrupts dendritic extension, leading to patterning and functional defects in the sensory nervous system. Structure-guided mutations revealed that the molecular interface that couples kinetochores to spindle microtubules also functions in neuronal development. These results identify a cell-division-independent function for the chromosome-segregation machinery and define a microtubule-coupling-dependent event in sensory nervous system morphogenesis.