Biology subjects

Fischer, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Fischer, B..

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Functional analysis of caspase cleavable proteoforms from the Drosophila GSK-3 gene shaggy.

The Drosophila shaggy (sgg) gene encodes the major fly orthologue of Glycogen Synthase Kinase -3 (GSK-3), a key highly conserved kinase at the heart of many signalling pathways. The sgg locus is complex, encoding multiple protein isoforms that are expressed in distinct temporal and tissue-specific patterns across development. Its isoforms predominantly differ at the carboxy and amino termini due to the use of different transcriptional start sites and alternative splicing events that include internal and terminal exons. One interesting class of proteins isoforms is represented by the Sgg-PD class (Sgg46), three proteoforms that contain a large 582 amino acid N-terminal domain which contains recognition sites for caspase-mediated cleavage. Regulated cleavage at these sites by non-apoptotic caspases has previously been implicated in the regulation of Sgg activity in adult bristle development. Here, we take a genome engineering approach to introduce specific tags into this unique Sgg-PD exon and utilise these for localisation and protein interaction studies. We also generated new loss of function alleles and specific mutations in the caspase cleavage motifs. We find that loss of functions Sgg-PD class alleles are viable and fertile, but exhibit adult locomotor and bristle defects. Expression analysis of lines carrying tags on both sides of the caspase cleavage sites indicates that the cleavage is developmentally regulated during embryogenesis. Surprisingly, we found that in some cells, particularly embryonic hemocytes, the N-terminal domain released by caspase cleavage is retained while the polypeptide containing the conserved kinase domain is apparently lost. Transcriptomic analysis of embryos homozygous for the new caspase-insensitive allele indicates a role for Sgg-PD in the regulation of cytoskeletal and cell junction functions, which is supported by proteomics analysis using specific in locus tags to identify common and unique protein interaction partners with N- and C-terminal domains. Taken together, our work identifies new activities for the Sgg protein and uncovers unexpected roles for caspase cleavage in Sgg biology.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Loss of epithelial polarity redirects Notch signaling and triggers a Xrp1 response during neoplastic growth in Drosophila

Aggressive neoplastic growth can be initiated by a limited number of genetic alterations, such as the well-established cooperation between loss of cell architecture and hyperactive signaling pathways. However, our understanding of how these different alterations interact and influence each other remains very incomplete. Using Drosophila paradigms of imaginal wing disc epithelial growth, we have monitored the changes in Notch pathway activity according to the polarity status of cells (scrib mutant). We show that the scrib mutation impacts the direct transcriptional output of the Notch pathway, without altering the global distribution of Su(H), the Notch dedicated transcription factor. The Notch-dependent neoplasms require however, the action of a group of transcription factors, similar to those previously identified for Ras/scrib neoplasm (namely AP-1, Stat92E, Ftz-F1, and bZIP factors), further suggesting the importance of this transcription factor network during neoplastic growth. Finally our work highlights some Notch/scrib specificities, in particular the role of the PAR domain containing bZIP transcription factor and Notch direct target Pdp1 for neoplastic growth.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Characterisation of protein isoforms encoded by the Drosophila Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 gene shaggy

The Drosophila shaggy gene (sgg, GSK-3) encodes multiple protein isoforms with serine/threonine kinase activity and is a key player in diverse developmental signalling pathways. Currently it is unclear whether different Sgg proteoforms are similarly involved in signalling or if different proteoforms have distinct functions. We used CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering to tag eight different Sgg proteoform classes and determined their localization during embryonic development. We performed proteomic analysis of the two major proteoform classes and generated mutant lines for both of these for transcriptomic and phenotypic analysis. We uncovered distinct tissue-specific localization patterns for all of the tagged proteoforms we examined, most of which have not previously been characterised directly at the protein level, including one proteoform initiating with a non-standard codon. Collectively this suggests complex developmentally regulated splicing of the sgg primary transcript. Further, affinity purification followed by mass spectrometric analyses indicate a different repertoire of interacting proteins for the two major proteoform classes we examined, one with ubiquitous expression (Sgg-PB) and one with nervous system specific expression (Sgg-PA). Specific mutation of these proteoforms shows that Sgg-PB performs the well characterised maternal and zygotic segmentations functions of the sgg locus, while Sgg-PA mutants show adult lifespan and locomotor defects consistent with its nervous system localisation. Our findings provide new insights into the role of GSK-3 proteoforms and intriguing links with the GSK-3 and GSK-3{beta} encoded by independent vertebrate genes. Our analysis suggests that different protein isoforms generated by alternative splicing perform distinct functions.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2019

Megabodies expand the nanobody toolkit for protein structure determination by single-particle cryo-EM

Nanobodies (Nbs) are popular and versatile tools for structural biology because they have a compact single immunoglobulin domain organization. Nbs bind their target proteins with high affinities while reducing their conformational heterogeneity, and they stabilize multi-protein complexes. Here we demonstrate that engineered Nbs can also help overcome two major obstacles that limit the resolution of single-particle cryo-EM reconstructions: particle size and preferential orientation at the water-air interface. We have developed and characterised novel constructs, termed megabodies, by grafting Nbs into selected protein scaffolds to increase their molecular weight while retaining the full antigen binding specificity and affinity. We show that the megabody design principles are applicable to different scaffold proteins and recognition domains of compatible geometries and are amenable for efficient selection from yeast display libraries. Moreover, we used a megabody to solve the 2.5 [A] resolution cryo-EM structure of a membrane protein that suffers from severe preferential orientation, the human GABAA {beta}3 homopentameric receptor bound to its small-molecule agonist histamine.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2019

Multiparametric phenotyping of compound effects on patient derived organoids

Patient derived organoids resemble the biology of tissues and tumors, enabling ex vivo modeling of human diseases from primary patient samples. Organoids can be used as models for drug discovery and are being explored to guide clinical decision making. Patient derived organoids can have heterogeneous morphologies with unclear biological causes and relationship to treatment response. Here, we used high-throughput, image-based profiling to quantify phenotypes of over 5 million individual colorectal cancer organoids after treatment with more than 500 small molecules. Integration of data using a joint multi-omics modelling framework identified organoid size and cystic vs. solid organoid architecture as axes of morphological variation across organoids. Mechanistically, we found that organoid size was linked to IGF1 receptor signaling, while a cystic organoid architecture was associated with an LGR5+ stemness program. Treatment-induced organoid morphology reflected organoid viability, drug mechanism of action, and was biologically interpretable using joint modelling. Inhibition of MEK led to cystic reorganization of organoids and increased expression of LGR5, while inhibition of mTOR induced IGF1 receptor signaling. In conclusion, we identified shared axes of variation for colorectal cancer organoid morphology, their underlying biological mechanisms, and pharmacological interventions with the ability to move organoids along them. Image-based profiling of patient derived organoids coupled with multi-omics integration facilitates drug discovery by linking drug responses with underlying biological mechanisms.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2019

Visual epidural field potentials possess high functional specificity in single trials.

Recordings of epidural field potentials (EFPs) allow to acquire neuronal activity over a large region of cortical tissue with minimal invasiveness. Because electrodes are placed on top of the dura and do not enter the neuronal tissue, EFPs offer intriguing options for both clinical and basic science research. On the other hand, EFPs represent the integrated activity of larger neuronal populations, possess a higher trial-by-trial variability, and a reduced signal-to-noise ratio due the additional barrier of the dura. It is thus unclear whether and to what extent EFPs have sufficient spatial selectivity to allow for conclusions about the underlying functional cortical architecture, and whether single EFP trials provide enough information on the short time scales relevant for many clinical and basic neuroscience purposes. We here use the high spatial resolution of primary visual cortex to address these issues and investigate the extent to which very short EFP traces allow reliable decoding of spatial information. We briefly presented different visual objects at one out of nine closely adjacent locations and recorded neuronal activity with a high-density, epidural multi-electrode array in three macaque monkeys. Using receiver-operating characteristics to identify most-informative data, machine-learning algorithms provided close-to-perfect classification rates for all 27 stimulus conditions. A binary classifier applying a simple max function on ROC-selected data further showed that single trials might be classified with 100% performance even without advanced offline classifiers. Thus, although highly variable, EFPs constitute an extremely valuable source of information and offer new perspectives for minimally invasive recording of large-scale networks.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Chromatin Accessibility Plays a Key Role in Selective Targeting of Hox Proteins

Hox protein transcription factors specify segmental diversity along the anterior-posterior body axis in metazoans. Understanding the basis of Hox function has long faced the problem that, while the different members of the Hox family show clear functional specificity in vivo, they all show very similar binding specificity in vitro. Based on in vitro studies, cofactors may increase Hox binding selectivity however a satisfactory understanding of in vivo Hox target selectivity is still lacking.\n\nWe have carried out a systematic analysis of the in vivo genomic binding profiles of all eight Drosophila Hox proteins using transient transfection in Kc167 cells to examine Hox protein targeting. We find that Hox proteins show considerable binding selectivity in vivo in the absence of the canonical Hox cofactors Extradenticle and Homothorax. Hox binding selectivity is strongly associated with chromatin accessibility; binding sites in less accessible chromatin show the highest selectivity and the different Hox proteins exhibit different propensities to bind less accessible chromatin. High Hox binding selectivity is also associated with high affinity binding regions, leading to a model where Hox proteins derive binding selectivity through an affinity-based competition with nucleosomes. Provision of the Extradenticle/Homothorax cofactors generally leads to an increase in the number of Hox binding regions and promotes the binding to regions in less accessible chromatin, however the provision of these cofactors has little effect on the overall selectivity of Hox targeting.\n\nThese studies indicate that chromatin accessibility plays a key role in Hox selectivity and we propose that relative chromatin accessibility provides a basis for subtle differences in binding specificity and affinity to generate significantly different sets of genomic targets for different Hox proteins. We suggest that this mechanism may also be relevant to other transcription factor families.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2018

Understanding RNP remodelling uncovers RBPs functionally required for viral replication

The compendium of RNA-binding proteins (RBPome) has been greatly expanded by the development of RNA-interactome capture (RNA-IC). However, it remains unknown how responsive is the RBPome and whether these responses are biologically relevant. To answer these questions, we created comparative RNA-IC to analyse cells challenged with an RNA virus, called sindbis (SINV). Strikingly, the virus altered the activity of 245 RBPs, many of which were newly discovered by RNA-IC. Mechanistically, alterations in RNA binding upon SINV infection are caused by changes in the subcellular localisation of RBPs and RNA availability. Moreover, RBPome responses are crucial, as perturbation of dynamic RBPs modulates the capacity of the virus to infect the cell. For example, ablation of XRN1 causes cells to be refractory to infection, while GEMIN5 moonlights as a novel antiviral factor. Therefore, RBPome remodelling provides a mechanism by which cells can extensively rewire gene expression in response to physiological cues.\n\nHIGHLIGHTSO_LIA quarter of the RBPome remodels upon SINV infection.\nC_LIO_LIThe remodelling is caused by changes in protein localisation and RNA availability.\nC_LIO_LIRewiring of the RBPome is crucial for viral infection efficacy.\nC_LIO_LIWe discover RBPs with previously unknown anti- or pro-viral activity.\nC_LI

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Anticipated ITD statistics built-in human sound localization

A neural code adapted to the statistical structure of sensory cues may optimize perception. We investigated whether interaural time difference (ITD) statistics inherent in natural acoustic scenes are parameters determining spatial discriminability. The natural ITD rate of change across azimuth (ITDrc) and ITD variability over time (ITDv) were combined in a Fisher information statistic for assessing the amount of azimuthal information conveyed by this sensory cue. We hypothesized that natural ITD statistics drive the neural code for ITD and thus influence spatial perception. Human spatial discriminability and spatial novelty detection of sounds with invariant statistics correlated with natural ITD statistics. The lack of natural statistics in the stimuli suggests that this correlation results from natural statistics driving the neural code. Additionally, the density distribution of ITD tuning matching natural statistics is consistent with classic models of ITD coding and can explain the ITD tuning distribution observed in the mammalian brainstem. Impact statementHuman brain has incorporated natural statistics of spatial cues to the neural code supporting perception of sound location. Major subject areaNeuroscience; Research organismHuman;

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Onset of differentiation is posttranscriptionally controlled in adult neural stem cells

The contribution of posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression to neural stem cell differentiation during tissue homeostasis remains elusive. Here we show highly dynamic changes in protein synthesis along differentiation of stem cells to neurons in vivo. Examination of individual transcripts using RiboTag mouse models reveals that neural stem cells efficiently translate abundant transcripts, whereas translation becomes increasingly controlled with the onset of differentiation. Stem cell generation of early neuroblasts involves translational repression of a subset of mRNAs including the stem cell-identity factors Sox2 and Pax6 as well as translation machinery components. In silico motif analysis identifies a pyrimidine-rich motif (PRM) in this repressed subset. A drop in mTORC1 activity at the onset of differentiation selectively blocks translation of PRM-containing transcripts. Our data uncovers how a drop in mTORC1 allows robust simultaneous posttranscriptional repression of key stem cell identity-factors and translation-components and thereby stemness exit and migration.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2017

Emphasizing the ‘positive’ in positive reinforcement: Using non-binary rewarding for training monkeys on cognitive tasks

Non-human primates constitute an indispensable model system for studying higher brain functions at the neurophysiological level. They can be trained on highly demanding cognitive tasks, and studies involving these animals elucidated the neuronal mechanisms of various cognitive and executive functions, such as visual attention, working memory, and decision-making. The training of behavioral tasks used to study these processes builds on reinforcement learning and involves many discrete stages. It may takes several months, but frequently lasts a year or longer. The training is usually based on applying a liquid reward as the reinforcer to strengthen the desired behavior, and absence of the reward if the animals response was wrong. We here propose an alternative, non-binary rewarding scheme that aims to minimize unrewarded behavior. We show the potential of this alternative scheme to significantly speed up the training of an animal at various stages, without trade-off in accessible task difficulty or task performance.

animal behavior and cognition↗