Camacho J et al. (2018) Epigenet Insights "Histone Modifications: Epigenetic Mediators of Environmental Exposure Memory."

Allard P, Camacho J

[Epigenet Insights, 2018]

How organisms retain a memory of ancestral environmental exposure is a phenomenon that is still poorly understood. Recently published work by our group and others, regarding environmentally induced transgenerational effects, have identified an array of mechanisms, with a particular focus on histone modifications, that shed some light on the underlying epigenetic processes driving long-term generational effects.

Camacho J et al. (2018) Cell Rep "The Memory of Environmental Chemical Exposure in C.elegans Is Dependent on the Jumonji Demethylases jmjd-2 and jmjd-3/utx-1."

Yang X, Camacho J, Kurt Z, Allard P, Chen YW, Pellegrini M, Truong L, Gutierrez G, Morselli M

[Cell Rep, 2018]

How artificial environmental cues are biologically integrated and transgenerationally inherited is still poorly understood. Here, we investigate the mechanisms of inheritance of reproductive outcomes elicited by the model environmental chemical Bisphenol A in C.elegans. We show that Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure causes the derepression of an epigenomically silenced transgene in the germline for 5 generations, regardless of ancestral response. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), histone modification quantitation, and immunofluorescence assays revealed that this effect is associated with a reduction of the repressive marks H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 in whole worms and in germline nuclei in the F3, as well as with reproductive dysfunctions, including germline apoptosis and embryonic lethality. Furthermore, targeting of the Jumonji demethylases JMJD-2 and JMJD-3/UTX-1 restores H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 levels, respectively, and it fully alleviates the BPA-induced transgenerational effects. Together, our results demonstrate the central role of repressive histone modifications in the inheritance of reproductive defects elicited by a common environmental chemical exposure.

Camacho J et al. (2022) Curr Res Toxicol "Assessment of the effects of organic vs. inorganic arsenic and mercury in Caenorhabditis elegans."

Pogribny IP, Sprando RL, Camacho J, de Conti A, Hunt PR

[Curr Res Toxicol, 2022]

Exposures to mercury and arsenic are known to pose significant threats to human health. Effects specific to organic vs. inorganic forms of these toxic elements are less understood however, especially for organic dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), which has recently been detected in pups of rodent dams orally exposed to inorganic sodium (meta)arsenite (NaAsO2). Caenorhabditis elegans is a small animal alternative toxicity model. To fill data gaps on the effects of DMA relative to NaAsO2, C. elegans were exposed to these two compounds alongside more thoroughly researched inorganic mercury chloride (HgCl2) and organic methylmercury chloride (meHgCl). For timing of developmental milestone acquisition in C. elegans, meHgCl was 2 to 4-fold more toxic than HgCl2, and NaAsO2 was 20-fold more toxic than DMA, ranking the four compounds meHgCl > HgCl2 > NaAsO2 ≫ DMA for developmental toxicity. Methylmercury induced significant decreases in population locomotor activity levels in developing C. elegans. DMA was also associated with developmental hypoactivity, but at >100-fold higher concentrations than meHgCl. Transcriptional alterations in native genes were observed in wild type C. elegans adults exposed to concentrations equitoxic for developmental delay in juveniles. Both forms of arsenic induced genes involved in immune defense and oxidative stress response, while the two mercury species induced proportionally more genes involved in transcriptional regulation. A transgenic bioreporter for activation of conserved proteosome specific unfolded protein response was strongly activated by NaAsO2, but not DMA at tested concentrations. HgCl2 and meHgCl had opposite effects on a bioreporter for unfolded protein response in the endoplasmic reticulum. Presented experiments indicating low toxicity for DMA in C. elegans are consistent with human epidemiologic data correlating higher arsenic methylation capacity with resistance to arsenic toxicity. This work contributes to the understanding of the accuracy and fit-for-use categories for C. elegans toxicity screening and its usefulness to prioritize compounds of concern for further testing.

Camacho JA et al. (2023) J Dev Biol "Reproductive-Toxicity-Related Endpoints in C. elegans Are Consistent with Reduced Concern for Dimethylarsinic Acid Exposure Relative to Inorganic Arsenic."

Hunt PR, Sprando RL, Welch B, Camacho JA

[J Dev Biol, 2023]

Exposures to arsenic and mercury are known to pose significant threats to human health; however, the effects specific to organic vs. inorganic forms are not fully understood. <i>Caenorhabditis elegans'</i> (<i>C. elegans</i>) transparent cuticle, along with the conservation of key genetic pathways regulating developmental and reproductive toxicology (DART)-related processes such as germ stem cell renewal and differentiation, meiosis, and embryonic tissue differentiation and growth, support this model's potential to address the need for quicker and more dependable testing methods for DART hazard identification. Organic and inorganic forms of mercury and arsenic had different effects on reproductive-related endpoints in <i>C. elegans</i>, with methylmercury (meHgCl) having effects at lower concentrations than mercury chloride (HgCl₂), and sodium arsenite (NaAsO₂) having effects at lower concentrations than dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). Progeny to adult ratio changes and germline apoptosis were seen at concentrations that also affected gravid adult gross morphology. For both forms of arsenic tested, germline histone regulation was altered at concentrations below those that affected progeny/adult ratios, while concentrations for these two endpoints were similar for the mercury compounds. These <i>C. elegans</i> findings are consistent with corresponding mammalian data, where available, suggesting that small animal model test systems may help to fill critical data gaps by contributing to weight of evidence assessments.

McGhee JD (1987) Biochemistry "Purification and characterization of a carboxylesterase from the intestine of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans."

McGhee JD

[Biochemistry, 1987]

The major intestinal esterase from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been purified to essential homogeneity. Starting from whole worms, the overall purification is 9000-fold with a 10% recovery of activity. The esterase is a single polypeptide chain of Mr 60,000 and is stoichiometrically inhibited by organophosphates. Substrate preferences and inhibition patterns classify the enzyme as a carboxylesterase (EC 3.1.1.1), but the physiological function is unknown. The sequence of 13 amino acid residues at the esterase N- terminus has been determined. This partial sequence shows a surprisingly high degree of similarity to the N-terminal sequence of two carboxylesterases recently isolated from Drosophila mojavensis [Pen, J., van Beeumen, J., & Beintema, J. J. (1986) Biochem. J. 238, 691-699].

Lundby Z et al. (2016) Methods Mol Biol "Fast Functional Germline and Epigenetic Assays in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans."

Lundby Z, Camacho J, Allard P

[Methods Mol Biol, 2016]

Germ cells are unique in their ability to transfer traits and genetic information from one generation to the next. The proper development and integrity of their genome are therefore of utmost importance for the health of organisms and survival of species. Many features of mammalian germ cells, including their long development span and difficulty of access, present challenges for their study in the context of toxicity assays. In light of these barriers, the model system Caenorhabditis elegans shows great potential given its ease of manipulation and genetic tractability which can be easily adapted for high-throughput analysis. In this chapter, we discuss the advantages of examining germ cell processes in C. elegans, and describe three functional germline assays for the examination of chemical impact on germline maintenance and function including assays probing germ cell differentiation, germline apoptosis, and germline epigenetic regulation.

Murakami S et al. (1999) Curr Biol "Life extension and stress resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans modulated by the tkr-1 gene."

Johnson TE, Murakami S

[Curr Biol, 1999]

In this Brief Communication, which appeared in the 14 September 1998 issue of Current Biology, the UV dose was reported erroneously. The dose reported was 20 J/m2 but the actual dose used was 0.4 J/cm2. Also, the gene formally referred to as tkr-1 has since been renamed old-1 (overexpression longevity determination).

Ramos CG et al. (2014) J Bacteriol "Retraction for Ramos et al., MtvR is a global small noncoding regulatory RNA in Burkholderia cenocepacia."

Feliciano JR, da Costa PJ, Ramos CG, Grilo AM, Leitao JH

[J Bacteriol, 2014]

Volume 195, no. 16, p. 35143523, 2013. A number of problems related to images published in this paper have been brought to our attention. Figure 1D contains duplicated images in lanes S and LE, and Fig. 4D and 6B contain images previously published in articles in this journal and in Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, i.e., the following: C. G. Ramos, S. A. Sousa, A. M. Grilo, J. R. Feliciano, and J. H. Leitao, J. Bacteriol. 193:15151526, 2011. doi:10.1128/JB.01374-11. S. A. Sousa, C. G. Ramos, L. M. Moreira, and J. H. Leitao, Microbiology 156:896908, 2010. doi:10.1099/mic.0.035139-0. C. G. Ramos, S. A. Sousa, A. M. Grilo, L. Eberl, and J. H. Leitao, Microb. Pathog. 48:168177, 2010. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2010.02.006. Therefore, we retract the paper. We deeply regret this situation and apologize for any inconvenience to the editors and readers of Journal of Bacteriology, Microbial Pathogenesis, and Microbiology.

Nillegoda NB et al. (2015) Nature "Crucial HSP70 co-chaperone complex unlocks metazoan protein disaggregation."

Berynskyy M, Morimoto RI, Bukau B, Stengel F, Kirstein J, Szlachcic A, Arnsburg K, Stank A, Scior A, Nillegoda NB, Gao X, Guilbride DL, Aebersold R, Wade RC, Mayer MP

[Nature, 2015]

Protein aggregates are the hallmark of stressed and ageing cells, and characterize several pathophysiological states. Healthy metazoan cells effectively eliminate intracellular protein aggregates, indicating that efficient disaggregation and/or degradation mechanisms exist. However, metazoans lack the key heat-shock protein disaggregase HSP100 of non-metazoan HSP70-dependent protein disaggregation systems, and the human HSP70 system alone, even with the crucial HSP110 nucleotide exchange factor, has poor disaggregation activity in vitro. This unresolved conundrum is central to protein quality control biology. Here we show that synergic cooperation between complexed J-protein co-chaperones of classes A and B unleashes highly efficient protein disaggregation activity in human and nematode HSP70 systems. Metazoan mixed-class J-protein complexes are transient, involve complementary charged regions conserved in the J-domains and carboxy-terminal domains of each J-protein class, and are flexible with respect to subunit composition. Complex formation allows J-proteins to initiate transient higher order chaperone structures involving HSP70 and interacting nucleotide exchange factors. A network of cooperative class A and B J-protein interactions therefore provides the metazoan HSP70 machinery with powerful, flexible, and finely regulatable disaggregase activity and a further level of regulation crucial for cellular protein quality control.

Truong, L. et al. (2019) International Worm Meeting "Examining the transgenerational effects of environmental cues in C. elegans."

Camacho, J., Vo, D., Truong, L., Allard, P.

[International Worm Meeting, 2019]

In sexually reproducing organisms, germ cell development is vital for faithful genome and epigenome transmission across generations. Recent studies have shown that germ cell development is affected by different environmental toxicants, resulting in a decrease in germ cell health and number. Here, we examine and compare the transgenerational impact and mechanisms of two prevalent toxicants, the plastic chemical Bisphenol A and ethanol. Both have well-described impacts on the developing fetus; however, their effects on developing germ cells and subsequent generations are less explored. We analyze the transgenerational effects of both compounds in Caenorhabditis elegans. We hypothesize that exposure disrupts the epigenetic machinery in germ cells, causing changes in histone modifications, fertility defects, and germline dysfunction in a transgenerational manner. First, we showed that BPA exposure causes a transgenerational germline chromatin desilencing coupled with a reduction and redistribution of histone H3K9me3 and H3K27me3. We showed that the alteration of repressive histone mark levels is required for the observed transgenerational increase in germline apoptosis and embryonic lethality. Similar to BPA, ethanol exposure at human-relevant doses also causes transgenerational chromatin desilencing and germline dysfunction, although to a lower extent than BPA's. Current work examines whether the same histone demethylases involved in BPA's transgenerational responses also apply to ethanol. This project identified BPA's and ethanol's transgenerational effect on the germline epigenetic machinery and reproductive health. We hope to further understand how it can induce germline dysfunction, carrying important implications for human reproductive health in the context of environmental exposures.