Cell contractility in early animal evolution

Brunet, Thibaut

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.054

Cited by 3 publications

References 190 publications

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Phylogenetic analysis of Centralspindlin and Ect2 provides mechanistic insights into the emergence of Metazoa and multicellularity

Glotzer

2024

Preprint

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Obligate multicellularity evolved at least 5 times in eukaryotes, including at the origin of Metazoa [1, 2]. However, the molecular events leading to the acquisition of multicellularity are not understood in any lineage. Here, I present an integrated analysis into the contemporaneous emergence of three regulators of cytokinesis and the Metazoan kingdom. Phylogenetic and computational structural analyses indicate that the simultaneous presence of three key regulators of cytokinesis, Kif23, Cyk4, and Ect2 is Metazoan-specific. Structurally, these proteins are highly conserved across all Metazoa. These cytokinetic regulators link the plane of cell division with the position of the spindle during anaphase and subsequently nucleate assembly of stable intercellular bridges [3‑6], structures prevalent in Metazoan germlines [7]. Furthermore, certain Choanoflagellates and more basal amoeboid species, some of which exhibit incomplete cytokinesis, encode divergent orthologs of these regulators. These findings, in conjunction with prior knowledge, suggests that evolutionary refinement of these three cytokinetic regulators directly contributed to the evolution of Metazoan multicellularity and germline development.

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Phylogenetic analysis of Centralspindlin and Ect2 provides mechanistic insights into the emergence of Metazoa and multicellularity

Glotzer

2024

Preprint

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Cell signaling facilitates apical constriction by basolaterally recruiting Arp2/3 via Rac and WAVE

Zhang,

Medwig-Kinney,

Breiner

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Apical constriction is a critical cell shape change that bends tissues. How precisely-localized actomyosin regulators drive apical constriction remains poorly understood. C. elegans gastrulation provides a valuable model to address this question. The Arp2/3 complex is essential in C. elegans gastrulation. To understand how Arp2/3 is locally regulated, we imaged embryos with endogenously-tagged Arp2/3 and its nucleation-promoting factors (NPFs). The three NPFs - WAVE, WASP, and WASH - colocalized with Arp2/3 and controlled Arp2/3 localization at distinct subcellular locations. We exploited this finding to study distinct populations of Arp2/3 and found that only WAVE depletion caused penetrant gastrulation defects. WAVE localized basolaterally with Arp2/3 at cell-cell contacts, dependent on CED-10/Rac. Establishing ectopic cell contacts recruited WAVE and Arp2/3, identifying contact as a symmetry-breaking cue for localization of these proteins. These results suggest that cell-cell signaling via Rac activates WAVE and Arp2/3 basolaterally, and that basolateral Arp2/3 is important for apical constriction.

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Actin network evolution as a key driver of eukaryotic diversification

Velle,

Swafford,

Garner

et al. 2024

Journal of Cell Science

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Eukaryotic cells have been evolving for billions of years, giving rise to wildly diverse cell forms and functions. Despite their variability, all eukaryotic cells share key hallmarks, including membrane-bound organelles, heavily regulated cytoskeletal networks and complex signaling cascades. Because the actin cytoskeleton interfaces with each of these features, understanding how it evolved and diversified across eukaryotic phyla is essential to understanding the evolution and diversification of eukaryotic cells themselves. Here, we discuss what we know about the origin and diversity of actin networks in terms of their compositions, structures and regulation, and how actin evolution contributes to the diversity of eukaryotic form and function.

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Cell contractility in early animal evolution

Cited by 3 publications

References 190 publications

Phylogenetic analysis of Centralspindlin and Ect2 provides mechanistic insights into the emergence of Metazoa and multicellularity

Phylogenetic analysis of Centralspindlin and Ect2 provides mechanistic insights into the emergence of Metazoa and multicellularity

Cell signaling facilitates apical constriction by basolaterally recruiting Arp2/3 via Rac and WAVE

Actin network evolution as a key driver of eukaryotic diversification

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