1. Muscle‐derived exophers promote reproductive fitness
- Author
-
Matylda Macias, Małgorzata Alicja Śliwińska, Agnieszka Chacinska, Michal Turek, Natalia Nowak, Konrad Kowalski, Nilesh Shanmugam, Katarzyna Banasiak, Malgorzata Piechota, Marta Niklewicz, and Wojciech Pokrzywa
- Subjects
Male ,muscle ,Offspring ,intertissue signaling ,Biology ,Biochemistry ,Extracellular Vesicles ,Paracrine signalling ,Report ,vesicular transport ,Genetics ,Animals ,News & Views ,Membrane & Intracellular Transport ,Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins ,Caenorhabditis elegans ,Musculoskeletal System ,Molecular Biology ,Neurons ,Organelles ,exophers ,Reproductive success ,Muscles ,Reproduction ,Embryogenesis ,Embryo ,biology.organism_classification ,Cell biology ,Crosstalk (biology) ,Oocytes ,Female ,Genetic Fitness ,Adaptation ,vitellogenin ,Development & Differentiation ,Reports - Abstract
Organismal functionality and reproduction depend on metabolic rewiring and balanced energy resources. However, the crosstalk between organismal homeostasis and fecundity and the associated paracrine signaling mechanisms are still poorly understood. Using Caenorhabditis elegans, we discovered that large extracellular vesicles (known as exophers) previously found to remove damaged subcellular elements in neurons and cardiomyocytes are released by body wall muscles (BWM) to support embryonic growth. Exopher formation (exopheresis) by BWM is sex‐specific and a non‐cell autonomous process regulated by developing embryos in the uterus. Embryo‐derived factors induce the production of exophers that transport yolk proteins produced in the BWM and ultimately deliver them to newly formed oocytes. Consequently, offspring of mothers with a high number of muscle‐derived exophers grew faster. We propose that the primary role of muscular exopheresis is to stimulate reproductive capacity, thereby influencing the adaptation of worm populations to the current environmental conditions., Caenorhabditis elegans body wall muscles release vesicles called exophers that transport muscle‐synthesized yolk proteins to nourish the next generation.
- Published
- 2021