Heat stress promotes GTBP-1 association with perinuclear P-bodies in the C. elegans germline
- 1School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
- 2Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Haining, China.
- 3Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Abstract
Stress granules (SGs) are dynamic ribonucleoprotein condensates that enable cells to adapt to environmental stress, yet their functions and regulation in the germline remain incompletely understood. Here, we characterize GTBP-1, the Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of human G3BP1, and investigate its role in heat stress responses and reproductive homeostasis. gtbp-1 mutants exhibit temperature-dependent reproductive phenotypes. Under normal growth conditions, GTBP-1 is diffusely distributed in the cytoplasm, whereas heat stress induces the formation of prominent GTBP-1 granules in the germline. Domain analysis revealed that the NTF2 domain is required for heat stress-induced GTBP-1 enrichment in granules, while the IDR, RRM, and RGG domains contribute to GTBP-1 granule dynamics. Among the known germ granule compartments, GTBP-1 granules showed the strongest association with P-bodies, and disruption of P-body components markedly reduces GTBP-1 enrichment. RNAi-based candidate screening identified PQN-59, LAF-1, and SMO-1 as regulators of GTBP-1 enrichment, while a forward genetic screen revealed that loss of the mTOR effector RSKS-1 suppresses the fertility defect of gtbp-1 mutants and alters heat stress-induced GTBP-1 enrichment. Together, these findings identify a role for GTBP-1 in temperature-dependent reproductive homeostasis and reveal an association between heat stress-induced GTBP-1 granules and P-bodies in C. elegans. Author summary: Reproduction is particularly vulnerable to environmental stress, yet germ cells must remain functional to ensure fertility. How germ cells protect themselves under stressful conditions is still not well understood. In this study, we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to examine how germ cells respond to heat stress, focusing on GTBP-1, a conserved protein involved in stress granule formation. We found that GTBP-1 has temperature-dependent effects on reproduction: it restrains reproduction under normal conditions but is required for reproductive fitness under heat stress. When animals are exposed to elevated temperature, GTBP-1 rapidly forms granules in germ cells. These granules show their strongest association with P-bodies, another type of RNA-containing structure, highlighting a close spatial relationship between these two RNA-rich compartments. We also found that this process is regulated by factors involved in RNA regulation, protein modification, and mTOR-dependent signaling. Together, our findings show how germ cells reorganize RNA–protein assemblies in response to heat stress and provide new insight into the regulation of reproductive homeostasis under changing environmental conditions.
Related
- Nighttime Blue Light Promotes Lipid Accumulation and Shortens Lifespan via DAF-16/SOD-3-Mediated Oxidative Stress in C. elegans.
- A semi-automated genetic screen using genome-wide association analysis identifies modulators of stress-induced sleep in Caenorhabditis elegans
- The WD40 domain of autophagy protein ATG-16.2 is required for lysosomal regulation and longevity in germline-less C. elegans
- Temporal compression of gonadal growth preserves reproductive timing and soma-to-germline scaling under stress
- A common germline 3′ UTR variant controls DDIT4 translation efficiency and stress responses in cancer cells
BibTeX
@article{zang2026heat,
title = {{Heat stress promotes GTBP-1 association with perinuclear P-bodies in the C. elegans germline}},
author = {Diya Zang and Yifan Jing and Xinya Huang and Yan Kuang and Jiewei Cheng and Wenkai Wang and Demin Xu and Chengming Zhu and Di Chen and Zhongying Zhao and Xuezhu Feng and Shouhong Guang},
journal = {PLOS Genetics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1012336},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1012336},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Heat stress promotes GTBP-1 association with perinuclear P-bodies in the C. elegans germline
AU - Diya Zang
AU - Yifan Jing
AU - Xinya Huang
AU - Yan Kuang
AU - Jiewei Cheng
AU - Wenkai Wang
AU - Demin Xu
AU - Chengming Zhu
AU - Di Chen
AU - Zhongying Zhao
AU - Xuezhu Feng
AU - Shouhong Guang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - PLOS Genetics
DO - 10.1371/journal.pgen.1012336
UR - https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1012336
AB - Stress granules (SGs) are dynamic ribonucleoprotein condensates that enable cells to adapt to environmental stress, yet their functions and regulation in the germline remain incompletely understood. Here, we characterize GTBP-1, the Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of human G3BP1, and investigate its role in heat stress responses and reproductive homeostasis. gtbp-1 mutants exhibit temperature-dependent reproductive phenotypes. Under normal growth conditions, GTBP-1 is diffusely distributed in the cytoplasm, whereas heat stress induces the formation of prominent GTBP-1 granules in the germline. Domain analysis revealed that the NTF2 domain is required for heat stress-induced GTBP-1 enrichment in granules, while the IDR, RRM, and RGG domains contribute to GTBP-1 granule dynamics. Among the known germ granule compartments, GTBP-1 granules showed the strongest association with P-bodies, and disruption of P-body components markedly reduces GTBP-1 enrichment. RNAi-based candidate screening identified PQN-59, LAF-1, and SMO-1 as regulators of GTBP-1 enrichment, while a forward genetic screen revealed that loss of the mTOR effector RSKS-1 suppresses the fertility defect of gtbp-1 mutants and alters heat stress-induced GTBP-1 enrichment. Together, these findings identify a role for GTBP-1 in temperature-dependent reproductive homeostasis and reveal an association between heat stress-induced GTBP-1 granules and P-bodies in C. elegans. Author summary: Reproduction is particularly vulnerable to environmental stress, yet germ cells must remain functional to ensure fertility. How germ cells protect themselves under stressful conditions is still not well understood. In this study, we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to examine how germ cells respond to heat stress, focusing on GTBP-1, a conserved protein involved in stress granule formation. We found that GTBP-1 has temperature-dependent effects on reproduction: it restrains reproduction under normal conditions but is required for reproductive fitness under heat stress. When animals are exposed to elevated temperature, GTBP-1 rapidly forms granules in germ cells. These granules show their strongest association with P-bodies, another type of RNA-containing structure, highlighting a close spatial relationship between these two RNA-rich compartments. We also found that this process is regulated by factors involved in RNA regulation, protein modification, and mTOR-dependent signaling. Together, our findings show how germ cells reorganize RNA–protein assemblies in response to heat stress and provide new insight into the regulation of reproductive homeostasis under changing environmental conditions.
SN - 1553-7404
SN - 1553-7390
ER -