Biology subjects

Angonezi, A. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Angonezi, A. L..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Safeguarding epithelial junctions by a novel quality control pathway

Cell junctions establish and maintain epithelial architecture despite fluctuating environmental and developmental conditions. A central question is how cells respond to challenging conditions to preserve junctional integrity. Here, we report the discovery of a previously unrecognized quality control pathway that monitors epithelial junctions (J-QC). We used the (I)Caenorhabditis elegans(/I) epidermis as a model to investigate the DLG-1-AJM-1 complex (DAC), a junctional domain that is critical for embryonic morphogenesis. We identify two mechanisms that sustain junctional integrity: first, localized (I)dlg-1(/I) mRNA ensures appropriate DLG-1 protein levels at the junction; repositioning (I)dlg-1(/I) RNA reduces DLG-1 levels, leading to gaps between epithelial cells. Second, transcription of DAC components responds to perturbations that disrupt the DAC. This response is sequence-independent, distinguishing it from other quality control mechanisms. It is activated by perturbations of the DAC or cytoskeleton and requires the LINC complex component ZYG-12/HOOK1-3 to transduce information about junctional integrity to the nucleus. These findings define a novel junctional QC for epithelial maintenance.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2026

The One Click Wonder: a retrained automated segmentation pipeline that enables quantitative and modular analysis of C. elegans embryos

High-throughput approaches have transformed the study of gene regulation by enabling quantitative, genome-scale analyses in both genomics and imaging. However, applying these methods to intact organisms remains challenging, particularly for high-throughput, 3D imaging. In Caenorhabditis elegans, generalist segmentation models often perform poorly due to rapid changes in nuclear size, shape, and density. To overcome this obstacle, we developed One Click Wonder (OCW), an automated pipeline that pairs a retrained Cellpose model with stage-specific parameter selection to deliver accurate, high-throughput segmentation of embryos. We further introduce the Biological Annotation and Association Mapper (BAAM), which integrates segmentation with spot detection, to enable single-cell quantitation. Applied to the pioneer factor pha-4/FoxA, this pipeline revealed distinct cell populations with an eight-fold range in transcriptional burst frequency. These findings demonstrate that OCW and BAAM provide a modular, scalable pipeline for quantitative, single-cell analysis of gene expression in C. elegans embryos.

bioinformatics↗