Temporal trends of food consumption patterns in Tuvalu under the context of climate change: COMmunity-based Behavior and Attitude survey in Tuvalu (COMBAT) since 2020.

AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze temporal trends of food consumption patterns, attitudes, and health-related knowledge in Tuvalu, a small Pacific Island country facing the triple threat of obesity, climate change, and food insecurity. METHODS: Two waves of the COMmunity-based Behavior and Attitude (COMBAT) survey were conducted in 2020 and 2022. Descriptive characteristics of changes in obesity proportion, food intake, and sociodemographic factors were assessed. Additionally, this study also integrates individual climate data utilizing satellite-based prediction models, and estimates historical temperature, precipitation, and sea level trends among all islands in Tuvalu. RESULTS: The study revealed a high obesity proportion among adults (69.5% in 2020, 73.2% in 2022) and an increase in the percentage of adolescents with a high waist circumference. Variations in food intake were also observed between the two waves of the survey. CONCLUSIONS: The data collected in the COMBAT study provides valuable insights for future epidemiological research to elucidate the associations and causal relationships between climate change, food security, and non-communicable diseases in Tuvalu.

Separable Roles for a Caenorhabditis elegans RMI1 Homolog in Promoting and Antagonizing Meiotic Crossovers Ensure Faithful Chromosome Inheritance.

During the first meiotic division, crossovers (COs) between homologous chromosomes ensure their correct segregation. COs are produced by homologous recombination (HR)-mediated repair of programmed DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). As more DSBs are induced than COs, mechanisms are required to establish a regulated number of COs and to repair remaining intermediates as non-crossovers (NCOs). We show that the Caenorhabditis elegans RMI1 homolog-1 (RMH-1) functions during meiosis to promote both CO and NCO HR at appropriate chromosomal sites. RMH-1 accumulates at CO sites, dependent on known pro-CO factors, and acts to promote CO designation and enforce the CO outcome of HR-intermediate resolution. RMH-1 also localizes at NCO sites and functions in parallel with SMC-5 to antagonize excess HR-based connections between chromosomes. Moreover, RMH-1 also has a major role in channeling DSBs into an NCO HR outcome near the centers of chromosomes, thereby ensuring that COs form predominantly at off-center positions.

The Homeobox Genes of Caenorhabditis elegans and Insights into Their Spatio-Temporal Expression Dynamics during Embryogenesis.

Homeobox genes play crucial roles for the development of multicellular eukaryotes. We have generated a revised list of all homeobox genes for Caenorhabditis elegans and provide a nomenclature for the previously unnamed ones. We show that, out of 103 homeobox genes, 70 are co-orthologous to human homeobox genes. 14 are highly divergent, lacking an obvious ortholog even in other Caenorhabditis species. One of these homeobox genes encodes 12 homeodomains, while three other highly divergent homeobox genes encode a novel type of double homeodomain, termed HOCHOB. To understand how transcription factors regulate cell fate during development, precise spatio-temporal expression data need to be obtained. Using a new imaging framework that we developed, Endrov, we have generated spatio-temporal expression profiles during embryogenesis of over 60 homeobox genes, as well as a number of other developmental control genes using GFP reporters. We used dynamic feedback during recording to automatically adjust the camera exposure time in order to increase the dynamic range beyond the limitations of the camera. We have applied the new framework to examine homeobox gene expression patterns and provide an analysis of these patterns. The methods we developed to analyze and quantify expression data are not only suitable for C. elegans, but can be applied to other model systems or even to tissue culture systems.

par-1, atypical pkc, and PP2A/B55 sur-6 are implicated in the regulation of exocyst-mediated membrane trafficking in Caenorhabditis elegans.

The exocyst is a conserved protein complex that is involved in tethering secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane and regulating cell polarity. Despite a large body of work, little is known how exocyst function is controlled. To identify regulators for exocyst function, we performed a targeted RNA interference (RNAi) screen in Caenorhabditis elegans to uncover kinases and phosphatases that genetically interact with the exocyst. We identified seven kinase and seven phosphatase genes that display enhanced phenotypes when combined with hypomorphic alleles of exoc-7 (exo70), exoc-8 (exo84), or an exoc-7;exoc-8 double mutant. We show that in line with its reported role in exocytotic membrane trafficking, a defective exoc-8 caused accumulation of exocytotic soluble NSF attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins in both intestinal and neuronal cells in C. elegans. Down-regulation of the phosphatase protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) phosphatase regulatory subunit sur-6/B55 gene resulted in accumulation of exocytic SNARE proteins SNB-1 and SNAP-29 in wild-type and in exoc-8 mutant animals. In contrast, RNAi of the kinase par-1 caused reduced intracellular green fluorescent protein signal for the same proteins. Double RNAi experiments for par-1, pkc-3, and sur-6/B55 in C. elegans suggest a possible cooperation and involvement in postembryo lethality, developmental timing, as well as SNARE protein trafficking. Functional analysis of the homologous kinases and phosphatases in Drosophila median neurosecretory cells showed that atypical protein kinase C kinase and phosphatase PP2A regulate exocyst-dependent, insulin-like peptide secretion. Collectively, these results characterize kinases and phosphatases implicated in the regulation of exocyst function, and suggest the possibility for interplay between the par-1 and pkc-3 kinases and the PP2A phosphatase regulatory subunit sur-6 in this process.

Mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans him-19 show meiotic defects that worsen with age.

From a screen for meiotic Caenorhabditis elegans mutants based on high incidence of males, we identified a novel gene, him-19, with multiple functions in prophase of meiosis I. Mutant him-19(jf6) animals show a reduction in pairing of homologous chromosomes and subsequent bivalent formation. Consistently, synaptonemal complex formation is spatially restricted and possibly involves nonhomologous chromosomes. Also, foci of the recombination protein RAD-51 occur delayed or cease altogether. Ultimately, mutation of him-19 leads to chromosome missegregation and reduced offspring viability. The observed defects suggest that HIM-19 is important for both homology recognition and formation of meiotic DNA double-strand breaks. It therefore seems to be engaged in an early meiotic event, resembling in this respect the regulator kinase CHK-2. Most astonishingly, him-19(jf6) hermaphrodites display worsening of phenotypes with increasing age, whereas defects are more severe in female than in male meiosis. This finding is consistent with depletion of a him-19-dependent factor during the production of oocytes. Further characterization of him-19 could contribute to our understanding of age-dependent meiotic defects in humans.

A conserved function for a Caenorhabditis elegans Com1/Sae2/CtIP protein homolog in meiotic recombination.

Genome stability relies on faithful DNA repair both in mitosis and in meiosis. Here, we report on a Caenorhabditis elegans protein that we found to be homologous to the mammalian repair-related protein CtIP and to the budding yeast Com1/Sae2 recombination protein. A com-1 mutant displays normal meiotic chromosome pairing but forms irregular chromatin aggregates instead of diakinesis bivalents. While meiotic DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are formed, they appear to persist or undergo improper repair. Despite the presence of DSBs, the recombination protein RAD-51, which is known to associate with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) flanking DSBs, does not localize to meiotic chromosomes in the com-1 mutant. Exposure of the mutant to gamma-radiation, however, induces RAD-51 foci, which suggests that the failure of RAD-51 to load is specific to meiotic (SPO-11-generated) DSBs. These results suggest that C. elegans COM-1 plays a role in the generation of ssDNA tails that can load RAD-51, invade homologous DNA tracts and thereby initiate recombination. Extrapolating from the worm homolog, we expect similar phenotypes for mutations in the mammalian tumor suppressor CtIP.

Caenorhabditis elegans prom-1 is required for meiotic prophase progression and homologous chromosome pairing.

A novel gene, prom-1, was isolated in a screen for Caenorhabditis elegans mutants with increased apoptosis in the germline. prom-1 encodes an F-box protein with limited homology to the putative human tumor suppressor FBXO47. Mutations in the prom-1 locus cause a strong reduction in bivalent formation, which results in increased embryonic lethality and a Him phenotype. Furthermore, retarded and asynchronous nuclear reorganization as well as reduced homologous synapsis occur during meiotic prophase. Accumulation of recombination protein RAD-51 in meiotic nuclei suggests disturbed repair of double-stranded DNA breaks. Nuclei in prom-1 mutant gonads timely complete mitotic proliferation and premeiotic replication, but they undergo prolonged delay upon meiotic entry. We, therefore, propose that prom-1 regulates the timely progression through meiotic prophase I and that in its absence the recognition of homologous chromosomes is strongly impaired.

The nuclear envelope protein Matefin/SUN-1 is required for homologous pairing in C. elegans meiosis.

We identify a highly specific mutation (jf18) in the Caenorhabditis elegans nuclear envelope protein matefin MTF-1/SUN-1 that provides direct evidence for active involvement of the nuclear envelope in homologous chromosome pairing in C. elegans meiosis. The reorganization of chromatin in early meiosis is disrupted in mtf-1/sun-1(jf18) gonads, concomitant with the absence of presynaptic homolog alignment. Synapsis is established precociously and nonhomologously. Wild-type leptotene/zygotene nuclei show patch-like aggregations of the ZYG-12 protein, which fail to develop in mtf-1/sun-1(jf18) mutants. These patches remarkably colocalize with a component of the cis-acting chromosomal pairing center (HIM-8) rather than the centrosome. Our data on this mtf-1/sun-1 allele challenge the previously postulated role of the centrosome/spindle organizing center in chromosome pairing, and clearly support a role for MTF-1/SUN-1 in meiotic chromosome reorganization and in homolog recognition, possibly by mediating local aggregation of the ZYG-12 protein in meiotic nuclei.

The Cdc20 homolog, FZY-1, and its interacting protein, IFY-1, are required for proper chromosome segregation in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Accurate chromosome segregation is achieved by a series of highly regulated processes that culminate in the metaphase-to-anaphase transition of the cell cycle. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the degradation of the securin protein Pds1 reverses the binding and inhibition of the separase protein Esp1. Esp1 cleaves Scc1. That cleavage promotes the dissociation of the cohesin complex from the chromosomes and leads the separation of sister chromatids. Proteolysis of Pds1 is regulated by the anaphase-promoting complex (APC), a large multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase whose activity is regulated by Cdc20/Fizzy. We have previously shown that the Caenorhabditis elegans genes mdf-1/MAD1 and mdf-2/MAD2 encode key members of the spindle checkpoint. Loss of function of either gene leads to an accumulation of somatic and heritable defects and ultimately results in death. Here we show that a missense mutation in fzy-1/CDC20/Fizzy suppresses mdf-1 lethality. We identified a FZY-1-interacting protein, IFY-1, a novel destruction-box protein. IFY-1 accumulates in one-cell-arrested emb-30/APC4 embryos and interacts with SEP-1, a C. elegans separase, suggesting that IFY-1 functions as a C. elegans securin.