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Zoology (Jena, Germany) Dec 2022Species of planarians include both asexually reproducing individuals (reproduce through fission and regeneration) and sexually reproducing individuals (hermaphrodites...
Species of planarians include both asexually reproducing individuals (reproduce through fission and regeneration) and sexually reproducing individuals (hermaphrodites that mate to produce cocoons). While some individuals can switch between the asexual and sexual modes of reproduction. In this study, we examined the reproductive modes and ploidy of Dugesia japonica and Dugesia ryukyuensis from three spring wells in Okinawa (Japan) during two consecutive years. D. japonica are mostly asexual and triploid. In contrast, only 40 % of D. ryukyuensis are asexual and triploid; the remaining are sexual, and diploid or triploid. The sexually reproductive season of D. ryukyuensis is winter. In July, the reproductive organs disappear, and the individuals start asexual reproduction through fission and regeneration. In January of the following year, the individuals develop ovaries and necessary reproductive organs and start sexual reproduction. When these species were lab-reared for a longer period, the reproductive cycles in three strains were repeated for three years. These results confirm that D. ryukyuensis population in Okinawa switches between reproductive modes on an annual cycle, even when kept under constant temperature and no light/dark cycle.
Topics: Animals; Planarians; Triploidy; Reproduction; Seasons; Diploidy
PubMed: 36399916
DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2022.126053 -
Cancer Science Nov 2022Aneuploidy arises from persistent chromosome segregation errors, or chromosomal instability. Although it has long been known as a hallmark of cancer cells, reduced...
Aneuploidy arises from persistent chromosome segregation errors, or chromosomal instability. Although it has long been known as a hallmark of cancer cells, reduced cellular fitness upon induced ploidy alterations hinders the understanding of how aneuploidy relates to cancer development in the body. In this study, we used FISH analysis targeting centromeres to indicate ploidy changes, and quantitatively evaluated the ploidy statuses of gastric tumors derived from a total of 214 patients, ranging from early to advanced disease. We found that cancer cells reveal a marked elevation of aneuploid population, increasingly in cases diagnosed in advanced stages. The expansion of the aneuploid population is well associated with p53 deficiency, consistent with its essential role in genome maintenance. Comparisons among multiple locations within the tumor, or between the primary and metastatic tumors, indicated that cancer cells mostly retain their ploidy alterations throughout primary tumors, but metastatic tumors may consist of cells with either increased or decreased levels of aneuploidy. We also found that a notable proportion of polyploid cells are often already present in chronic gastritis epithelia. These observations underscore that chromosome-level variations are widespread in gastric cancers, shaping their genetic heterogeneity and malignant properties.
Topics: Humans; Stomach Neoplasms; Aneuploidy; Ploidies; Chromosomal Instability; Chromosomes
PubMed: 36002148
DOI: 10.1111/cas.15544 -
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge... Feb 2017Endopolyploidy - the existence of higher-ploidy cells within organisms that are otherwise of a lower ploidy level (generally diploid) - was discovered decades ago, but... (Review)
Review
Endopolyploidy - the existence of higher-ploidy cells within organisms that are otherwise of a lower ploidy level (generally diploid) - was discovered decades ago, but remains poorly studied relative to other genomic phenomena, especially in animals. Our synthetic review suggests that endopolyploidy is more common in animals than often recognized and probably influences a number of fitness-related and ecologically important traits. In particular, we argue that endopolyploidy is likely to play a central role in key traits such as gene expression, body and cell size, and growth rate, and in a variety of cell types, including those responsible for tissue regeneration, nutrient storage, and inducible anti-predator defences. We also summarize evidence for intraspecific genetic variation in endopolyploid levels and make the case that the existence of this variation suggests that endopolyploid levels are likely to be heritable and thus a potential target for natural selection. We then discuss why, in light of evident benefits of endopolyploidy, animals remain primarily diploid. We conclude by highlighting key areas for future research such as comprehensive evaluation of the heritability of endopolyploidy and the adaptive scope of endopolyploid-related traits, the extent to which endopolyploid induction incurs costs, and characterization of the relationships between environmental variability and endopolyploid levels.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Ecology; Genetic Variation; Polyploidy; Selection, Genetic
PubMed: 26467853
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12226 -
Current Protocols in Microbiology Aug 2018Ploidy, the number of sets of homologous chromosomes in a cell, can alter cellular physiology, gene regulation, and the spectrum of acquired mutations. Advances in...
Ploidy, the number of sets of homologous chromosomes in a cell, can alter cellular physiology, gene regulation, and the spectrum of acquired mutations. Advances in single-cell flow cytometry have greatly improved the understanding of how genome size contributes to diverse biological processes including speciation, adaptation, pathogenesis, and tumorigenesis. For example, fungal pathogens can undergo whole genome duplications during infection of the human host and during acquisition of antifungal drug resistance. Quantification of ploidy is dramatically affected by the nucleic acid staining technique and the flow cytometry analysis of single cells. Ploidy in fungi is also impacted by samples that are heterogeneous for both ploidy and morphology, and control strains with known ploidy must be included in every flow cytometry experiment. To detect ploidy changes within fungal strains, the following protocol was developed to accurately and dependably interrogate single-cell ploidy. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Topics: Flow Cytometry; Fungi; Humans; Mycology; Mycoses; Ploidies; Software; Staining and Labeling
PubMed: 30028911
DOI: 10.1002/cpmc.58 -
Yeast (Chichester, England) Nov 2014Eukaryotic organisms maintain karyotypes with constant chromosome number, but polyploid cells that contain more than two sets of chromosomes can frequently be found. On... (Review)
Review
Eukaryotic organisms maintain karyotypes with constant chromosome number, but polyploid cells that contain more than two sets of chromosomes can frequently be found. On the one hand, polyploidization is likely to provide some beneficial effects, as naturally occurring polyploid cells can be readily found. On the other hand, polyploidization profoundly affects cell physiology, which may be detrimental to cells. Additionally, polyploidy leads often to aneuploidy and diversification of genetic information; therefore, it has always been considered a prominent driving force in evolution. Recently tetraploid-derived aneuploidy was suggested as a possible mechanism for resistance to fungicides. Another prominent example of the effects of tetraploid-derived aneuploidy is cancer, in which up to one-third of tumours likely originate through tetraploid intermediates. Studying the cellular consequences of polyploidization in human cells is challenging. In contrast, polyploid and aneuploid cells can be easily generated and analysed in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as well as in other yeast species. This, together with the naturally occurring yeast polyploids and aneuploids, provides a valuable model to study the effects of abnormal chromosome numbers on cellular physiology. Thus, the yeast model may provide novel insights into the general mechanisms of genomic instability in eukaryotes and improve our understanding of the consequences of ploidy changes and their relevance for disease.
Topics: Aneuploidy; Cell Physiological Phenomena; Genomic Instability; Polyploidy; Saccharomyces
PubMed: 25155743
DOI: 10.1002/yea.3037 -
Cytometry. Part a : the Journal of the... Sep 2022The estimation of nuclear DNA content has been by far the most popular application of flow cytometry in plants. Because flow cytometry measures relative fluorescence... (Review)
Review
The estimation of nuclear DNA content has been by far the most popular application of flow cytometry in plants. Because flow cytometry measures relative fluorescence intensities of nuclei stained by a DNA fluorochrome, ploidy determination, and estimation of the nuclear DNA content in absolute units both require comparison to a reference standard of known DNA content. This implies that the quality of the results obtained depends on the standard selection and use. Internal standardization, when the nuclei of an unknown sample and the reference standard are isolated, stained, and measured simultaneously, is mandatory for precise measurements. As DNA peaks representing G /G nuclei of the sample and standard appear on the same histogram of fluorescence intensity, the quotient of their position on the fluorescence intensity axis provides the quotient of DNA amounts. For the estimation of DNA amounts in absolute units, a number of well-established standards are now available to cover the range of known plant genome sizes. Since there are different standards in use, the standard and the genome size assigned to it has always to be reported. When none of the established standards fits, the introduction of a new standard species is needed. For this purpose, the regression line approach or simultaneous analysis of the candidate standard with several established standards should be prioritized. Moreover, the newly selected standard organism has to fulfill a number of requirements: it should be easy to identify and maintain, taxonomically unambiguous, globally available, with known genome size stability, lacking problematic metabolites, suitable for isolation of sufficient amounts of nuclei, and enabling measurements with low coefficients of variation of DNA peaks, hence suitable for the preparation of high quality samples.
Topics: DNA, Plant; Flow Cytometry; Genome, Plant; Ploidies; Reference Standards
PubMed: 34405937
DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24495 -
FEMS Yeast Research May 2016Organisms must be able to grow in a broad range of conditions found in their normal growth environment and for a species to survive, at least some cells in a population... (Review)
Review
Organisms must be able to grow in a broad range of conditions found in their normal growth environment and for a species to survive, at least some cells in a population must adapt rapidly to extreme stress conditions that kill the majority of cells.Candida albicans, the most prevalent fungal pathogen of humans resides as a commensal in a broad range of niches within the human host. Growth conditions in these niches are highly variable and stresses such exposure to antifungal drugs can inhibit population growth abruptly. One of the mechanisms C. albicans uses to adapt rapidly to severe stresses is aneuploidy-a change in the total number of chromosomes such that one or more chromosomes are present in excess or are missing. Aneuploidy is quite common in wild isolates of fungi and other eukaryotic microbes. Aneuploidy can be achieved by chromosome nondisjunction during a simple mitosis, and in stress conditions it begins to appear after two mitotic divisions via a tetraploid intermediate. Aneuploidy usually resolves to euploidy (a balanced number of chromosomes), but not necessarily to diploidy. Aneuploidy of a specific chromosome can confer new phenotypes by virtue of the copy number of specific genes on that chromosome relative to the copies of other genes. Thus, it is not aneuploidy per se, but the relative copy number of specific genes that confers many tested aneuploidy-associated phenotypes. Aneuploidy almost always carries a fitness cost, as cells express most proteins encoded by genes on the aneuploid chromosome in proportion to the number of DNA copies of the gene. This is thought to be due to imbalances in the stoichiometry of different components of large complexes. Despite this, fitness is a relative function-and if stress is severe and population growth has slowed considerably, then even small growth advantages of some aneuploidies can provide a selective advantage. Thus, aneuploidy appears to provide a transient solution to severe and sudden stress conditions, and may promote the appearance of more stable solutions as well. Importantly, in many clinical and environmental isolates of different fungal species aneuploidy does not appear to have a high fitness cost, and is well-tolerated. Thus, rapid changes in ploidy may provide the opportunity for rapid adaptation to stress conditions in the environment, host niches or in response to antifungal drugs.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Aneuploidy; Eukaryotic Cells; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 26945893
DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/fow020 -
Molecular Biology and Evolution Dec 2021Hybridization and genome duplication have played crucial roles in the evolution of many animal and plant taxa. The subgenomes of parental species undergo considerable...
Hybridization and genome duplication have played crucial roles in the evolution of many animal and plant taxa. The subgenomes of parental species undergo considerable changes in hybrids and polyploids, which often selectively eliminate segments of one subgenome. However, the mechanisms underlying these changes are not well understood, particularly when the hybridization is linked with asexual reproduction that opens up unexpected evolutionary pathways. To elucidate this problem, we compared published cytogenetic and RNAseq data with exome sequences of asexual diploid and polyploid hybrids between three fish species; Cobitis elongatoides, C. taenia, and C. tanaitica. Clonal genomes remained generally static at chromosome-scale levels but their heterozygosity gradually deteriorated at the level of individual genes owing to allelic deletions and conversions. Interestingly, the impact of both processes varies among animals and genomic regions depending on ploidy level and the properties of affected genes. Namely, polyploids were more tolerant to deletions than diploid asexuals where conversions prevailed, and genomic restructuring events accumulated preferentially in genes characterized by high transcription levels and GC-content, strong purifying selection and specific functions like interacting with intracellular membranes. Although hybrids were phenotypically more similar to C. taenia, we found that they preferentially retained C. elongatoides alleles. This demonstrates that favored subgenome is not necessarily the transcriptionally dominant one. This study demonstrated that subgenomes in asexual hybrids and polyploids evolve under a complex interplay of selection and several molecular mechanisms whose efficiency depends on the organism's ploidy level, as well as functional properties and parental ancestry of the genomic region.
Topics: Animals; Cypriniformes; Diploidy; Evolution, Molecular; Genome, Plant; Hybridization, Genetic; Loss of Heterozygosity; Polyploidy
PubMed: 34410426
DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab249 -
In Vitro Cellular & Developmental... Dec 2017Experiments using cell cultures are only valid to the extent that the cell culture is a true model system for the biological system being investigated. To assure that a... (Review)
Review
Experiments using cell cultures are only valid to the extent that the cell culture is a true model system for the biological system being investigated. To assure that a cell line is and remains an appropriate biological model, its identity, purity, ploidy, and phenotype must be maintained. These characteristics comprise and determine the authenticity of a cell line. Routine monitoring of the cell line through microscopic examination of morphology can help to determine authenticity, as can the determination of phenotypic status. Assays designed to confirm cell identity and ploidy and freedom from cross-contaminating cell types may need to be performed at certain times, as such information may not be obtained through morphologic and phenotypic examinations alone. The best practices associated with establishing cell line authenticity are described in this article.
Topics: Animals; Cell Culture Techniques; Cell Line; Cytogenetic Analysis; Humans; Molecular Biology; Phenotype; Ploidies
PubMed: 29197028
DOI: 10.1007/s11626-017-0212-8 -
Sheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao = Chinese... Sep 2018Cyanobacteria are a phylum of bacteria which are believed to be the oldest photosynthetic prokaryotic microorganisms on earth. The phylogenetic group of cyanobacteria... (Review)
Review
Cyanobacteria are a phylum of bacteria which are believed to be the oldest photosynthetic prokaryotic microorganisms on earth. The phylogenetic group of cyanobacteria was thought to be one of the prokaryotes that contain monoploid, oligoploid and polyploid species, and one obstacle to engineering cyanobacteria is their polyploidy genome. In recent years, the ploidy level of cyanobacteria was found to be influenced by growth phase and by multiple genetic and environmental factors. In the present article, we reviewed the progress, analytical methods and influencing factors on the cyanobacterial ploidy, and discussed the significance of cyanobacterial polyploidy regarding to environmental ecology and biotechnology. Based on this observation, the future research directions in this field are prospected.
Topics: Cyanobacteria; Phylogeny; Ploidies; Polyploidy
PubMed: 30255673
DOI: 10.13345/j.cjb.170513