Hisamoto N et al. (2017) Curr Opin Genet Dev "Signal transduction cascades in axon regeneration: insights from C. elegans."

Hisamoto N, Matsumoto K

[Curr Opin Genet Dev, 2017]

Axon regeneration after nerve injury is a conserved biological process in many animals, including humans. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) has recently emerged as a genetically tractable model for studying regenerative responses in neurons. Extensive studies over several years using this organism have revealed a number of intrinsic and extrinsic signal transduction cascades that regulate axon regeneration, and these are found to be conserved from worms to humans. Further studies have demonstrated that these cascades consist of several signaling networks that ultimately merge into the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) cascade. In this review, we describe some recent insights into the signaling cascades controlling axon regeneration in C. elegans and describe their conserved roles in other organisms including mammals.

Chang C et al. (2020) Bioessays "Engulfment Genes Promote Neuronal Regeneration in Caenorhabditis Elegans: Two Divergent But Complementary Views."

Chang C, Hisamoto N

[Bioessays, 2020]

Axon regeneration is a conserved process across the animal kingdom. Recent studies using the soil worm Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system revealed that machineries regulating engulfment of dying cells also control axon regeneration and axon debris removal. In this review, the relationships between the engulfment machinery and the biological processes triggered by axon injury and subsequent axon regeneration drawn from divergent views are examined. In one study, it is found that engulfing cells directly promote axon regeneration. In this context, CED-1 (Drosophila Draper/mouse MEGF10), an engulfment protein expressed on the surface of engulfing cells, functions as a receptor for axon debris removal and as an adhesion molecule for axon regeneration. In other studies, it is shown that those engulfment genes, previously known to function within the engulfing cells for cell corpse removal, can have a cell-autonomous "non-engulfing cell" role in axon regeneration. Together, these findings suggest that engulfment genes are repurposed for neuronal regeneration by acting in both engulfing cells and regenerating neurons.

Sakaguchi A et al. (2004) J Biochem "Roles of MAP kinase cascades in Caenorhabditis elegans."

Matsumoto K, Sakaguchi A, Hisamoto N

[J Biochem, 2004]

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are serine/threonine protein kinases that are activated by diverse stimuli such as growth factors, cytokines, neurotransmitters and various cellular stresses. MAPK cascades are generally present as three-component modules, consisting of MAPKKK, MAPKK and MAPK. The precise molecular mechanisms by which these MAPK cascades transmit signals is an area of intense research, and our evolving understanding of these signal cascades has been facilitated in great part by genetic analyses in model organisms. One organism that has been commonly used for genetic manipulation and physiological characterization is the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Genes sequenced in the C. elegans genome project have furthered the identification of components involved in several MAPK pathways. Genetic and biochemical studies on these components have shed light on the physiological roles of MAPK cascades in the control of cell fate decision, neuronal function and immunity in C. elegans.

Pastuhov SI et al. (2015) Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci "MAP kinase cascades regulating axon regeneration in C. elegans."

Matsumoto K, Pastuhov SI, Hisamoto N

[Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci, 2015]

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades are activated by diverse stimuli such as growth factors, cytokines, neurotransmitters and various types of cellular stress. Our evolving understanding of these signal cascades has been facilitated by genetic analyses and physiological characterization in model organisms such as the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetic and biochemical studies in C. elegans have shed light on the physiological roles of MAPK cascades in the control of cell fate decision, neuronal function and immunity. Recently it was demonstrated that MAPK signaling is also important for axon regeneration in C. elegans, and the use of C. elegans as a model system has significantly advanced our understanding of the largely conserved molecular mechanisms underlying axon regeneration. This review summarizes our current understanding of the role and regulation of MAPK signaling in C. elegans axon regeneration.

Schachter H (2009) Carbohydr Res "Paucimannose N-glycans in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster."

Schachter H

[Carbohydr Res, 2009]

There is a rich diversity of paucimannose N-glycans in worms and flies, and these may play a role in the survival of these organisms. Although paucimannose N-glycans are not expressed in vertebrates, complex N-glycans may take over some of the functions of paucimannose N-glycans. Identification of the target proteins of beta-1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GnTI) in worms and flies and elucidation of their functions may thus lead to a better understanding of the role of GnTI-dependent glycoproteins in the survival/longevity of both invertebrates and vertebrates.

Schachter H (2009) Trends Glycosci Glycotechnol "The functions of paucimannose N-glycans in Caenorhabditis elegans"

Schachter H

[Trends Glycosci Glycotechnol, 2009]

Caenorhabditis elegans makes about 150 individual N-glycan structures. This review discusses the synthesis and possible functions of the paucimannose N-glycans that are highly abundant in invertebrates but not in vertebrates. The complexity of the worm's N-glycans is due in part to a variety of unusual fucosylation reactions and the addition of phosphorylcholine. Phosphorylcholine has been recognized as a widespread antigenic determinant in many important disease-causing parasites. The synthesis of paucimannose N-glycans depends on the prior action of UDP-GlcNAc:alpha 3-D-mannoside beta 1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GnTI, encoded by Mgat1). There are three GnTI isoenzymes in the worm (GLY-12, GLY-13, GLY-14). Each GnTI isoenzyme has a distinct set of target proteins and a distinct role in the interaction of C.elegans with pathogenic bacteria. Identification of the protein substrates of GnTI in worms and elucidation of their functions may lead to a better understanding of the role of GnTI-dependent glycoproteins in the survival of both invertebrates and vertebrates.

Polevoda B et al. (2003) J Mol Biol "N-terminal acetyltransferases and sequence requirements for N-terminal acetylation of eukaryotic proteins."

Polevoda B, Sherman F

[J Mol Biol, 2003]

N(alpha)-terminal acetylation occurs in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by any of three N-terminal acetyltransferases (NAT), NatA, NatB, and NatC, which contain Ard1p, Nat3p and Mak3p catalytic subunits, respectively. The N-terminal sequences required for N-terminal acetylation, i.e. the NatA, NatB, and NatC substrates, were evaluated by considering over 450 yeast proteins previously examined in numerous studies, and were compared to the N-terminal sequences of more than 300 acetylated mammalian proteins. In addition, acetylated sequences of eukaryotic proteins were compared to the N termini of 810 eubacterial and 175 archaeal proteins, which are rarely acetylated. Protein orthologs of Ard1p, Nat3p and Mak3p were identified with the eukaryotic genomes of the sequences of model organisms, including Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Arabidopsis thaliana, Mus musculus and Homo sapiens. Those and other putative acetyltransferases were assigned by phylogenetic analysis to the following six protein families: Ard1p; Nat3p; Mak3p; CAM; BAA; and Nat5p. The first three families correspond to the catalytic subunits of three major yeast NATs; these orthologous proteins were identified in eukaryotes, but not in prokaryotes; the CAM family include mammalian orthologs of the recently described Camello1 and Camello2 proteins whose substrates are unknown; the BAA family comprise bacterial and archaeal putative acetyltransferases whose biochemical activity have not been characterized; and the new Nat5p family assignment was on the basis of putative yeast NAT, Nat5p (YOR253W). Overall patterns of N-terminal acetylated proteins and the orthologous genes possibly encoding NATs suggest that yeast and higher eukaryotes have the same systems for N-terminal acetylation.

Paschinger K et al. (2008) Carbohydr Res "The N-glycosylation pattern of Caenorhabditis elegans."

Rendi D, Gutternigg M, Paschinger K, Wilson IB

[Carbohydr Res, 2008]

Determining the exact nature of N-glycosylation in Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode worm and genetic model organism, has proved to have been an unexpected challenge in recent years; a wide range of modifications of its N-linked oligosaccharides have been proposed on the basis of structural and genomic analysis. Particularly mass spectrometric studies by a number of groups, as well as the characterisation of recombinant enzymes, have highlighted those aspects of N-glycosylation that are conserved in animals, those which are seemingly unique to this species and those which are shared with parasitic nematodes. These data, of importance for therapeutic developments, are reviewed.

Schachter H et al. (2002) Biochem Soc Symp "Functional post-translational proteomics approach to study the role of N-glycans in the development of Caenorhabditis elegans."

Spence AM, Rosa JC, Schachter H, Reinhold VN, Fan XL, Chen SH, Zhang WL, Callahan JW, Mahuran DJ, Bagshaw RD, She YM, Zhu SX

[Biochem Soc Symp, 2002]

Glycosylation is one of the most common post-translational protein modifications. Carbohydrate-mediated interactions between cells and their environment are important in differentiation, embryogenesis, inflammation, cancer and metastasis and other processes. Humans and mice with mutations that prevent normal N-glycosylation show multi-systemic defects in embryogenesis, thereby proving that these molecules are essential for normal development; however, a large number of proteins undergo defective glycosylation in these human and mouse mutants, and it is therefore difficult to determine the precise molecular roles of specific N-glycans on individual proteins. We describe here a 'functional post-translational proteomics' approach that is designed to determine the role of N-glycans on individual glycoproteins in the development of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Luo GZ et al. (2015) Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol "DNA N(6)-methyladenine: a new epigenetic mark in eukaryotes?"

He C, Blanco MA, Luo GZ, Greer EL, Shi Y

[Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol, 2015]

DNA N(6)-adenine methylation (N(6)-methyladenine; 6mA) in prokaryotes functions primarily in the host defence system. The prevalence and significance of this modification in eukaryotes had been unclear until recently. Here, we discuss recent publications documenting the presence of 6mA in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans; consider possible roles for this DNA modification in regulating transcription, the activity of transposable elements and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance; and propose 6mA as a new epigenetic mark in eukaryotes.