Temporal Control of Differentiation by the Cell Nucleus: Evidence for a Species-Specific Nuclear Suppression of Enzymes at the Early Generative Phase in Acetabularia
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Temporal control of differentiation by the cell nucleus: evidence for a species-specific nuclear suppression of enzymes at the early generative phase in Acetabularia HORST BANNWARTH Institut fur Naturwissenschaften und ihre Didaktik, Abt. Biologie, Uniuersitat zu Koln, Gronewaldstr. 2, 5000 Koln 41, Germany and EGON J. DE GROOT* Max-Planck-Institut fiir Zellbiologie, Abt. Schweiger, Rosenhof, 6802 Ladenburg, Germany * Author for correspondence Summary The role of the cell nucleus in controling steps of nuclear action is species-specific, the nucleus of the differentiation has been revealed by comparing species Acetabularia acetabulum was replaced by a nucleate and anucleate cells of Acetabularia (Berger nucleus of the species Acetabularia crenulata. The et al. 1987; Bonotto, 1988). In all cases investigated so foreign nucleus did not suppress the increase in far, events related to the generative phase of the life dCMP deaminase (EC 3.5.4.12) enzyme activity. This cycle are expressed earlier in anucleate cells. Conse- result indicates that the suppression by the nucleus quently, the existence of a nuclear suppressor is species-specific. delaying the onset of generative functions in the intact cell has been postulated (Bannwarth and Key words: Acetabularia, enzyme acitivity, nuclear Schweiger, 1983). In order to determine whether this suppression. Introduction suppressed by implanting nuclei. This result excludes the possibility that the early onset is a non-specific reaction to The life cycle of the unicellular and uninucleate marine the surgery, and means that the cell nucleus influences the green alga Acetabularia can be subdivided into a vegetat- onset of gene expression. The exclusion of the cell nucleus ive and a generative phase (Bannwarth, 1988; Schweiger, by other means (ligation, Actinomycin D treatment) 1969). The genetic information is transferred from the always results in an earlier onset of generative events nucleus into the cytoplasm much earlier than needed for (Bannwarth and Schweiger, 1983). gene expression (Hammerling, 1934; Harris, 1970; In order to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the Schweiger, 1980). The duration of the interval between the nuclear control, it is necessary to answer first the question transcription of nuclear DNA and the appearance of the of whether the suppression is species-specific or not. corresponding morphological and physiological features Therefore the activity of dCMP deaminase, an enzyme can be weeks or even months. The genetic program is which is regulated in the early generative phase, has been suppressed until its realization by an as yet unknown investigated (Bannwarth et al. 1982; Schweiger et al. mechanism. 1984). It was discovered many years ago that removing the cell nucleus of an Acetabularia cell leads to an earlier formation of the cap (Beth, 1953; Hammerling and Materials and methods Zetsche, 1966; Werz, 1965). This indicates that the nuclear suppression is removed by enucleation (Rommelaere and Acetabularia was cultured in a synthetic medium as described Hiernaux, 1975; Zetsche, 1966). The rate of total protein before (Berger and Schweiger, 1980; Schweiger et al. 1977). synthesis is also different in nucleate and anucleate cells, Zygotes of a species Acetabularia acetabulum=mediterranea and being higher in enucleated cells (Brachet et al. 1955). Acetabularia crenulata were illuminated and the algae were These are some indications of the existence of nuclear grown for 60 days. Cells of a medium cap size (diameter: 3—4 mm) control by suppression of gene expression. In addition to were selected for the experiments. morphological characteristics, functional features, in Nucleate cells, anucleate cells and intraspecific grafts were particular enzyme regulation, can be used to characterize pretreated and prepared as previously described (Bannwarth and Schweiger, 1983). Interspecific grafts were made by replacing the distinct parts of the life cycle (Berger et al. 1987; nucleus-containing rhizoid of the species Acetabularia acetabu- Schweiger, 1982; Schweiger and Berger, 1979). lum by a rhizoid of the species Acetabularia crenulata. The early onset of deoxycytidine monophosphate The medium was changed after two weeks and the enzyme (dCMP) deaminase activity induced by enucleation can be activity was estimated every 3-5 days. Enzyme activities of Journal of Cell Science 100, 863-868 (1991) Printed in Great Britain © The Company of Biologists Limited 1991 863 dCMP deaminase (Bannwarth et al. 1982) were estimated in four cells. The incidence of cyst formation and the translocation of chloroplasts from the stalk into the cap were recorded over the 40-45 day duration of the experiments. Results Intraspecific grafts The activity of dCMP deaminase increased dramatically in nucleate cells of Acetabularia acetabulum after the growth of the cap ceased (Bannwarth et al. 1982; Bannwarth and Schweiger, 1983). The events that led to this regulation occurred some time before the enzyme activity started to increase. This conclusion can be drawn from the fact that enzyme activity also increased in cells which were enucleated two or three weeks earlier. In all the cases investigated so far, the regulation was achieved by de novo synthesis of enzyme proteins, independent of the site of synthesis, on 70 S or 80 S ribosomes (Schweiger et al. 1984). The enzyme activity was not regulated synchronously in nucleate and anucleate cells. Depending upon the stage of development, the increase in enzyme activity occurred suddenly or after a certain lag phase. In each case it was earlier in enucleated than in intact cells. The early increase in enzyme activity in the anucleate cell seemed not to be due to the surgery, but due to the 10 20 absence of the nucleus. In order to prove this assumption, Time (days) the nucleate cells were also subjected to surgery. The cells were subdivided into a larger anterior, anucleate part and Fig. 1. Suppression of dCMP deaminase activity in nucleate cells and in intraspecific grafts of Acetabularia acetabulum. a smaller, nucleate posterior rhizoid part, and sub- Homogenates taken from four cells were incubated at 37 °C for sequently recombined (Bannwarth and Schweiger, 1983). 1 h in the presence of dCTP and [14C]dCMP as described These cells exhibited a delayed increase in enzyme earlier (Bannwarth et al. 1982). Values are given as activity as is typical for nucleate cells. Cysts were also radioactivity in [uC]dUMP per cell. The experiment was formed at the same time in treated and untreated nucleate started with cells of 3 mm cap diameter and terminated with cells (Fig. 1). cells of 11 mm cap diameter. Approximately 50% cysts finally This was in accordance with the hypothesis that the were formed. •, nucleate untreated controls; •, nucleate retransplanted cells (%); A, cysts in the untreated cells (%); A, nucleus normally suppresses all the steps leading to the cysts in the retransplanted cells (%). onset of generative events until its disintegration. The cell nucleus, therefore, not only gave early instructions to the cell cytoplasm, but it also influenced the temporal control after the beginning of the experiment, the influence of the and the sequence of developmental steps. crenulata nucleus became apparent by a dramatic new increase in dCMP deaminase activity in the interspecific Interspecific grafts grafts, while it increased only slightly in the anucleate The next question concerned the species specificity of the controls. suppression described above. It could be answered by It seemed therefore that the foreign nucleus did not replacing the cell nucleus with a foreign nucleus from control the host-specific genetic program of Acetabularia another species. The cell nucleus of Acetabularia acetabu- acetabulum, but expressed its own species-specific regulat- lum cells was removed by cutting off the rhizoid and ory instructions of Acetabularia crenulata at a later time. replaced by the nucleus-containing rhizoid of Acetabularia The species-specific influence of the foreign nucleus on the crenulata. regulation of enzyme activity can be pointed out by The result of this experiment was that the foreign comparing heterologous grafts with the untreated cells of nucleus was not able to suppress the early increase of both species (Fig. 3). The activity of dCMP deaminase enzyme activity. It could not regulate the generative activity started to increase earlier in the Acetabularia functions as the homologous nucleus does. The enzyme crenulata cells than in Acetabularia acetabulum. Again, in activity increased after the exchange of the nuclei at least the hybrid grafts the enzyme activity behaved at first in a as fast as in enucleated cells (Fig. 2). This indicated that similar manner to that in the anucleate cell, showing the the suppression was species-specific. Heterologous nuclei immediate typical small increase, and in addition, 28 days obviously were unable to accomplish the temporal control after the nuclear exchange, the foreign nucleus of the of generative functions in a foreign cell. species Acetabularia crenulata provoked a new species- On the other hand this statement does not mean that the specific increase in enzyme activity. This increase was foreign nucleus has no influence on the regulation of the parallel to that of crenulata cells, but occurred with a delay enzyme activity in the hybrid cells. It took some time of about four days. This time was obviously needed for the before a significant difference between anucleate cells and change from the acetabulum to the crenulata type. cells with a foreign nucleus could be detected. Three weeks This means that a nucleus-dependent regulation in the 864 H. Bannwarth and E. J. de Groot 2.5 o o x CD 0) 0.5 10 20 30 20 30 LO Time (days) 10 Time (days) Fig. 2. Suspension of the suppression of dCMP deaminase activity increase in anucleate cells of Acetabularia acetabulum Fig. 3. Species-specific regulation of dCMP deaminase activity and in cells of this species with a foreign nucleus (interspecific in nucleate cells of Acetabularia acetabulum and Acetabularia grafts, creniXaceto). In the absence of the cell nucleus the crenulata as well as in interspecific grafts of both species.