@article {69613, title = {Cross-Tissue Coordination between SLC Nucleoside Transporters Regulates Reproduction in Caenorhabditis elegans}, journal = {PLoS Genet}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 May 30}, abstract = {

Metabolism is fundamental to organism physiology and pathology. From the intricate network of metabolic reactions, diverse chemical molecules, collectively termed as metabolites, are produced. In multicellular organisms, metabolite communication between different tissues is vital for maintaining homeostasis and adaptation. However, the molecular mechanisms mediating these metabolite communications remain poorly understood. Here, we focus on nucleosides and nucleotides, essential metabolites involved in multiple cellular processes, and report the pivotal role of the SLC29A family of transporters in mediating nucleoside coordination between the soma and the germline. Through genetic analysis, we discovered that two Caenorhabditis elegans homologs of SLC29A transporters, Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter ENT-1 and ENT-2, act in the germline and the intestine, respectively, to regulate reproduction. Their knockdown synergistically results in sterility. Further single-cell transcriptomic and targeted metabolomic profiling revealed that the ENT double knockdown specifically affects genes in the purine biosynthesis pathway and reduces the ratio of guanosine to adenosine levels. Importantly, guanosine supplementation into the body cavity/pseudocoelom through microinjection rescued the sterility caused by the ENT double knockdown, whereas adenosine microinjection had no effect. Together, these studies support guanosine as a rate limiting factor in the control of reproduction, uncover the previously unknown nucleoside/nucleotide communication between the soma and the germline essential for reproductive success, and highlight the significance of SLC-mediated cell-nonautonomous metabolite coordination in regulating organism physiology.

Preprint:\ https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.12.612591

}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1011425}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1011425}, author = {Guan, Youchen and Yu, Yong and Gao, Shihong Max and Ding, Lang and Zhao, Qian and Wang, Meng} } @article {69755, title = {Quantitative Profiling pH Heterogeneity of Acidic Endolysosomal Compartments using Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy.}, journal = {Mol Biol Cell}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 Jan 29}, pages = {mbcE23060220}, abstract = {

The endo-lysosomal system plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and promoting organism fitness. The pH of its acidic compartments is a crucial parameter for proper function, and it is dynamically influenced by both intracellular and environmental factors. Here, we present a method based on fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) for quantitatively analyzing the pH profiles of acidic endolysosomal compartments in diverse types of primary mammalian cells and in live organism . This FLIM-based method exhibits high sensitivity in resolving subtle pH differences, thereby revealing heterogeneity within a cell and across cell types. This method enables rapid measurement of pH changes in the acidic endolysosomal system in response to various environmental stimuli. Furthermore, the fast FLIM measurement of pH-sensitive dyes circumvents the need for transgenic reporters and mitigates potential confounding factors associated with varying dye concentrations or excitation light intensity. This FLIM approach offers absolute pH quantification and highlights the significance of pH heterogeneity and dynamics, offering a valuable tool for investigating lysosomal functions and their regulation in various physiological and pathological contexts.

}, issn = {1939-4586}, doi = {10.1091/mbc.E23-06-0220}, author = {Deng, Dinghuan and Guan, Youchen and Mutlu, Ayse Sena and Wang, Baiping and Gao, Shihong Max and Zheng, Hui and Wang, Meng C} } @article {69482, title = {Aging atlas reveals cell-type-specific effects of pro-longevity strategies.}, journal = {Nat Aging}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 May 30}, abstract = {

Organismal aging involves functional declines in both somatic and reproductive tissues. Multiple strategies have been discovered to extend lifespan across species. However, how age-related molecular changes differ among various tissues and how those lifespan-extending strategies slow tissue aging in distinct manners remain unclear. Here we generated the transcriptomic Cell Atlas of Worm Aging (CAWA, http://mengwanglab.org/atlas ) of wild-type and long-lived strains. We discovered cell-specific, age-related molecular and functional signatures across all somatic and germ cell types. We developed transcriptomic aging clocks for different tissues and quantitatively determined how three different pro-longevity strategies slow tissue aging distinctively. Furthermore, through genome-wide profiling of alternative polyadenylation (APA) events in different tissues, we discovered cell-type-specific APA changes during aging and revealed how these changes are differentially affected by the pro-longevity strategies. Together, this study offers fundamental molecular insights into both somatic and reproductive aging and provides a valuable resource for in-depth understanding of the diversity of pro-longevity mechanisms.

}, issn = {2662-8465}, doi = {10.1038/s43587-024-00631-1}, author = {Gao, Shihong Max and Qi, Yanyan and Zhang, Qinghao and Guan, Youchen and Lee, Yi-Tang and Ding, Lang and Wang, Lihua and Mohammed, Aaron S and Li, Hongjie and Fu, Yusi and Wang, Meng C} } @article {69570, title = {Cell-surface Milieu Remodeling in Human Dendritic Cell Activation.}, journal = {J Immunol}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Aug 12}, abstract = {

Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized sentinel and APCs coordinating innate and adaptive immunity. Through proteins on their cell surface, DCs sense changes in the environment, internalize pathogens, present processed Ags, and communicate with other immune cells. By combining chemical labeling and quantitative mass spectrometry, we systematically profiled and compared the cell-surface proteomes of human primary conventional DCs (cDCs) in their resting and activated states. TLR activation by a lipopeptide globally reshaped the cell-surface proteome of cDCs, with \>100 proteins upregulated or downregulated. By simultaneously elevating positive regulators and reducing inhibitory signals across multiple protein families, the remodeling creates a cell-surface milieu promoting immune responses. Still, cDCs maintain the stimulatory-to-inhibitory balance by leveraging a distinct set of inhibitory molecules. This analysis thus uncovers the molecular complexity and plasticity of the cDC cell surface and provides a roadmap for understanding cDC activation and signaling.

}, issn = {1550-6606}, doi = {10.4049/jimmunol.2400089}, url = {https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.2400089}, author = {Udeshi, Namrata D and Xu, Charles and Jiang, Zuzhi and Gao, Shihong Max and Yin, Qian and Luo, Wei and Carr, Steven A and Davis, Mark M and Li, Jiefu} } @article {68998, title = {Mitochondrial GTP metabolism controls reproductive aging in C.~elegans.}, journal = {Developmental Cell}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Sep 07}, abstract = {

Healthy mitochondria are critical for reproduction. During aging, both reproductive fitness and mitochondrial homeostasis decline. Mitochondrial metabolism and dynamics are key factors in supporting mitochondrial homeostasis. However, how they are coupled to control reproductive health remains unclear. We report that mitochondrial GTP (mtGTP) metabolism acts through mitochondrial dynamics factors to regulate reproductive aging. We discovered that germline-only inactivation of GTP- but not ATP-specific succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS) promotes reproductive longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans. We further identified an age-associated increase in mitochondrial clustering surrounding oocyte nuclei, which is attenuated by GTP-specific SCS inactivation. Germline-only induction of mitochondrial fission factors sufficiently promotes mitochondrial dispersion and reproductive longevity. Moreover, we discovered that bacterial inputs affect mtGTP levels and dynamics factors to modulate reproductive aging. These results demonstrate the significance of mtGTP metabolism in regulating oocyte mitochondrial homeostasis and reproductive longevity and identify mitochondrial fission induction as an effective strategy to improve reproductive health.

}, issn = {1878-1551}, doi = {10.1016/j.devcel.2023.08.019}, author = {Lee, Yi-Tang and Savini, Marzia and Chen, Tao and Yang, Jin and Zhao, Qian and Ding, Lang and Gao, Shihong Max and Senturk, Mumine and Sowa, Jessica N and Wang, Jue D and Wang, Meng C} } @article {69103, title = {Mitochondrial GTP metabolism controls reproductive aging in C.~elegans.}, journal = {Developmental Cell}, volume = {58}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Dec 04}, pages = {2718-2731.e7}, abstract = {

Healthy mitochondria are critical for reproduction. During aging, both reproductive fitness and mitochondrial homeostasis decline. Mitochondrial metabolism and dynamics are key factors in supporting mitochondrial homeostasis. However, how they are coupled to control reproductive health remains unclear. We report that mitochondrial GTP (mtGTP) metabolism acts through mitochondrial dynamics factors to regulate reproductive aging. We discovered that germline-only inactivation of GTP- but not ATP-specific succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS) promotes reproductive longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans. We further identified an age-associated increase in mitochondrial clustering surrounding oocyte nuclei, which is attenuated by GTP-specific SCS inactivation. Germline-only induction of mitochondrial fission factors sufficiently promotes mitochondrial dispersion and reproductive longevity. Moreover, we discovered that bacterial inputs affect mtGTP levels and dynamics factors to modulate reproductive aging. These results demonstrate the significance of mtGTP metabolism in regulating oocyte mitochondrial homeostasis and reproductive longevity and identify mitochondrial fission induction as an effective strategy to improve reproductive health.

}, keywords = {Aging, Animals, Caenorhabditis elegans, Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins, Guanosine Triphosphate, Longevity, Mitochondria, Mitochondrial Dynamics, Reproduction}, issn = {1878-1551}, doi = {10.1016/j.devcel.2023.08.019}, author = {Lee, Yi-Tang and Savini, Marzia and Chen, Tao and Yang, Jin and Zhao, Qian and Ding, Lang and Gao, Shihong Max and Senturk, Mumine and Sowa, Jessica N and Wang, Jue D and Wang, Meng C} }