Conserved Nucleosome Remodeling/Histone Deacetylase Complex and Germ/Soma Distinction in \u3cem\u3eC. elegans\u3c/em\u3e: A Dissertation

A rapid cascade of regulatory events defines the differentiated fates of embryonic cells, however, once established, these differentiated fates and the underlying transcriptional programs can be remarkably stable. Here, we describe two proteins, MEP-1, a novel protein, and LET-418/Mi-2, both of which are required for the maintenance of somatic differentiation in C. elegans. MEP-1 was identified as an interactor of PIE-1, a germ-specific protein required for germ cell specification, while LET-418 is a protein homologous to Mi-2, a core component of the nuc1eosome remodeling/histone deacetylase (NuRD) complex. In animals lacking MEP-1 and LET-418, germline-specific genes become derepressed in somatic cells, and Polycomb group (PcG) and SET domain-related proteins promote this ectopic expression. We demonstrate that PIE-1 forms a complex with MEP-1, LET-418, and HDA-1. Furthermore, we show that the overexpression of PIE-1 can mimic the mep-1/let-418 phenotype, and that PIE-1 can inhibit the Histone deacetylase activity of the HDA-1 complex in COS cells. Our findings support a model in which PIE-1 transiently inhibits MEP-1 and associated factors to maintain the pluripotency of germ cells, while at later times MEP-1 and LET-418 remodel chromatin to establish new stage- or cell-type-specific differentiation potential

Polyploidization of glia in neural development links tissue growth to blood–brain barrier integrity

Organogenesis requires coordination of the growth of different tissue layers; however, the mechanisms regulating the appropriate tissue size are unknown. In this study, Orr-Weaver et al. demonstrate a novel mechanism controlling how different tissues are scaled to the proper size using the developing Drosophila brain as a model. The authors show that the cells that form the blood–brain barrier, the subperineurial glia (SPG), surround developing neurons during brain growth and accommodate the growing brain by increasing ploidy and cell size. Inhibition of SPG polyploidization results in smaller SPG cells and a defective blood–brain barrier. Thus, these results provide insight into a novel role for cell polyploidization during tissue and organ development

Centromere proteins CENP-C and CAL1 functionally interact in meiosis for centromere clustering, pairing, and chromosome segregation

Meiotic chromosome segregation involves pairing and segregation of homologous chromosomes in the first division and segregation of sister chromatids in the second division. Although it is known that the centromere and kinetochore are responsible for chromosome movement in meiosis as in mitosis, potential specialized meiotic functions are being uncovered. Centromere pairing early in meiosis I, even between nonhomologous chromosomes, and clustering of centromeres can promote proper homolog associations in meiosis I in yeast, plants, and Drosophila. It was not known, however, whether centromere proteins are required for this clustering. We exploited Drosophila mutants for the centromere proteins centromere protein-C (CENP-C) and chromosome alignment 1 (CAL1) to demonstrate that a functional centromere is needed for centromere clustering and pairing. The cenp-C and cal1 mutations result in C-terminal truncations, removing the domains through which these two proteins interact. The mutants show striking genetic interactions, failing to complement as double heterozygotes, resulting in disrupted centromere clustering and meiotic nondisjunction. The cluster of meiotic centromeres localizes to the nucleolus, and this association requires centromere function. In Drosophila, synaptonemal complex (SC) formation can initiate from the centromere, and the SC is retained at the centromere after it disassembles from the chromosome arms. Although functional CENP-C and CAL1 are dispensable for assembly of the SC, they are required for subsequent retention of the SC at the centromere. These results show that integral centromere proteins are required for nuclear position and intercentromere associations in meiosis.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM39341)G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundatio

MEP-1 and a homolog of the NURD complex component Mi-2 act together to maintain germline-soma distinctions in C. elegans

A rapid cascade of regulatory events defines the developmental fates of embryonic cells. However, once established, these developmental fates and the underlying transcriptional programs can be remarkably stable. Here, we describe two proteins, MEP-1 and LET-418/Mi-2, required for maintenance of somatic differentiation in C. elegans. In animals lacking MEP-1 and LET-418, germline-specific genes become derepressed in somatic cells, and Polycomb group (PcG) and SET domain-related proteins promote this ectopic expression. MEP-1 and LET-418 interact in vivo with the germline-protein PIE-1. Our findings support a model in which PIE-1 inhibits MEP-1 and associated factors to maintain the pluripotency of germ cells, while at later times MEP-1 and LET-418 remodel chromatin to establish new stage- or cell-type-specific differentiation potential