Comparative proteomic analysis of tail regeneration in the green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis

Abstract As amniote vertebrates, lizards are the most closely related organisms to humans capable of appendage regeneration. Lizards can autotomize, or release their tails as a means of predator evasion, and subsequently regenerate a functional replacement. Green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) can reg...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cindy Xu, Elizabeth D. Hutchins, Walter Eckalbar, Ken Pendarvis, Derek M. Benson, Douglas F. Lake, Fiona M. McCarthy, Kenro Kusumi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley-VCH 2024-01-01
Series:Natural Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ntls.20210421
_version_ 1797338624451149824
author Cindy Xu
Elizabeth D. Hutchins
Walter Eckalbar
Ken Pendarvis
Derek M. Benson
Douglas F. Lake
Fiona M. McCarthy
Kenro Kusumi
author_facet Cindy Xu
Elizabeth D. Hutchins
Walter Eckalbar
Ken Pendarvis
Derek M. Benson
Douglas F. Lake
Fiona M. McCarthy
Kenro Kusumi
author_sort Cindy Xu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract As amniote vertebrates, lizards are the most closely related organisms to humans capable of appendage regeneration. Lizards can autotomize, or release their tails as a means of predator evasion, and subsequently regenerate a functional replacement. Green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) can regenerate their tails through a process that involves differential expression of hundreds of genes, which has previously been analyzed by transcriptomic and microRNA analysis. To investigate protein expression in regenerating tissue, we performed a whole proteomic analysis of regenerating tail tip and base. This is the first proteomic data set available for any anole lizard. We identified a total of 2646 proteins—976 proteins only in the regenerating tail base, 796 only in the tail tip, and 874 in both tip and base. For over 90% of these proteins in these tissues, we were able to assign a clear orthology to gene models in either the Ensembl or NCBI databases. For 13 proteins in the tail base, 9 proteins in the tail tip, and 10 proteins in both regions, the gene model in Ensembl and NCBI matched an uncharacterized protein, confirming that these predictions are present in the proteome. Ontology and pathways analysis of proteins expressed in the regenerating tail base identified categories, including actin filament‐based process, ncRNA metabolism, regulation of phosphatase activity, small GTPase‐mediated signal transduction, and cellular component organization or biogenesis. Analysis of proteins expressed in the tail tip identified categories, including regulation of organelle organization, regulation of protein localization, ubiquitin‐dependent protein catabolism, small GTPase‐mediated signal transduction, morphogenesis of epithelium, and regulation of biological quality. These proteomic findings confirm pathways and gene families activated in tail regeneration in the green anole as well as identify uncharacterized proteins whose role in regrowth remains to be revealed. This study demonstrates the insights that are possible from the integration of proteomic and transcriptomic data in tail regrowth in the green anole, with potentially broader application to studies in other regenerative models. KEY POINTS This research is highly interdisciplinary, combining our previous analyses with these most recent findings: Appendage regeneration is a conserved trait among vertebrates and has been characterized in animals ranging from teleost fish (zebrafish), urodele amphibians (axolotl), anuran amphibians (Xenopus frog), squamate reptiles (various species of lizards), and even crocodilians (American alligator). Comparative genomic and proteomic analysis of this process allows us to identify the genetic pathways and cellular processes under evolutionary selection for this regrowth capacity. Activating these conserved genetic pathways and cellular processes will be critical to developing regenerative medical therapies in humans. The identification of proteins expressed in regeneration extends analyses based only on predicted proteins from transcriptomic analysis, and permits integration with protein‐expression studies of regrowing nervous and musculoskeletal structures.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T09:33:59Z
format Article
id doaj.art-8ff8e0a7aa8948c5b173d93052b24eb1
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2698-6248
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T09:33:59Z
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Wiley-VCH
record_format Article
series Natural Sciences
spelling doaj.art-8ff8e0a7aa8948c5b173d93052b24eb12024-01-30T16:25:43ZengWiley-VCHNatural Sciences2698-62482024-01-0141n/an/a10.1002/ntls.20210421Comparative proteomic analysis of tail regeneration in the green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensisCindy Xu0Elizabeth D. Hutchins1Walter Eckalbar2Ken Pendarvis3Derek M. Benson4Douglas F. Lake5Fiona M. McCarthy6Kenro Kusumi7School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USASchool of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USASchool of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USADepartment of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences The University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USASchool of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USASchool of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USADepartment of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences The University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USASchool of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona USAAbstract As amniote vertebrates, lizards are the most closely related organisms to humans capable of appendage regeneration. Lizards can autotomize, or release their tails as a means of predator evasion, and subsequently regenerate a functional replacement. Green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) can regenerate their tails through a process that involves differential expression of hundreds of genes, which has previously been analyzed by transcriptomic and microRNA analysis. To investigate protein expression in regenerating tissue, we performed a whole proteomic analysis of regenerating tail tip and base. This is the first proteomic data set available for any anole lizard. We identified a total of 2646 proteins—976 proteins only in the regenerating tail base, 796 only in the tail tip, and 874 in both tip and base. For over 90% of these proteins in these tissues, we were able to assign a clear orthology to gene models in either the Ensembl or NCBI databases. For 13 proteins in the tail base, 9 proteins in the tail tip, and 10 proteins in both regions, the gene model in Ensembl and NCBI matched an uncharacterized protein, confirming that these predictions are present in the proteome. Ontology and pathways analysis of proteins expressed in the regenerating tail base identified categories, including actin filament‐based process, ncRNA metabolism, regulation of phosphatase activity, small GTPase‐mediated signal transduction, and cellular component organization or biogenesis. Analysis of proteins expressed in the tail tip identified categories, including regulation of organelle organization, regulation of protein localization, ubiquitin‐dependent protein catabolism, small GTPase‐mediated signal transduction, morphogenesis of epithelium, and regulation of biological quality. These proteomic findings confirm pathways and gene families activated in tail regeneration in the green anole as well as identify uncharacterized proteins whose role in regrowth remains to be revealed. This study demonstrates the insights that are possible from the integration of proteomic and transcriptomic data in tail regrowth in the green anole, with potentially broader application to studies in other regenerative models. KEY POINTS This research is highly interdisciplinary, combining our previous analyses with these most recent findings: Appendage regeneration is a conserved trait among vertebrates and has been characterized in animals ranging from teleost fish (zebrafish), urodele amphibians (axolotl), anuran amphibians (Xenopus frog), squamate reptiles (various species of lizards), and even crocodilians (American alligator). Comparative genomic and proteomic analysis of this process allows us to identify the genetic pathways and cellular processes under evolutionary selection for this regrowth capacity. Activating these conserved genetic pathways and cellular processes will be critical to developing regenerative medical therapies in humans. The identification of proteins expressed in regeneration extends analyses based only on predicted proteins from transcriptomic analysis, and permits integration with protein‐expression studies of regrowing nervous and musculoskeletal structures.https://doi.org/10.1002/ntls.20210421anoleAnolis carolinensislizardproteomeproteomicregeneration
spellingShingle Cindy Xu
Elizabeth D. Hutchins
Walter Eckalbar
Ken Pendarvis
Derek M. Benson
Douglas F. Lake
Fiona M. McCarthy
Kenro Kusumi
Comparative proteomic analysis of tail regeneration in the green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis
Natural Sciences
anole
Anolis carolinensis
lizard
proteome
proteomic
regeneration
title Comparative proteomic analysis of tail regeneration in the green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis
title_full Comparative proteomic analysis of tail regeneration in the green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis
title_fullStr Comparative proteomic analysis of tail regeneration in the green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis
title_full_unstemmed Comparative proteomic analysis of tail regeneration in the green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis
title_short Comparative proteomic analysis of tail regeneration in the green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis
title_sort comparative proteomic analysis of tail regeneration in the green anole lizard anolis carolinensis
topic anole
Anolis carolinensis
lizard
proteome
proteomic
regeneration
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ntls.20210421
work_keys_str_mv AT cindyxu comparativeproteomicanalysisoftailregenerationinthegreenanolelizardanoliscarolinensis
AT elizabethdhutchins comparativeproteomicanalysisoftailregenerationinthegreenanolelizardanoliscarolinensis
AT waltereckalbar comparativeproteomicanalysisoftailregenerationinthegreenanolelizardanoliscarolinensis
AT kenpendarvis comparativeproteomicanalysisoftailregenerationinthegreenanolelizardanoliscarolinensis
AT derekmbenson comparativeproteomicanalysisoftailregenerationinthegreenanolelizardanoliscarolinensis
AT douglasflake comparativeproteomicanalysisoftailregenerationinthegreenanolelizardanoliscarolinensis
AT fionammccarthy comparativeproteomicanalysisoftailregenerationinthegreenanolelizardanoliscarolinensis
AT kenrokusumi comparativeproteomicanalysisoftailregenerationinthegreenanolelizardanoliscarolinensis