1
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Lacin H, Zhu Y, DiPaola JT, Wilson BA, Zhu Y, Skeath JB. A genetic screen in Drosophila uncovers a role for senseless-2 in surface glia in the peripheral nervous system to regulate CNS morphology. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkae152. [PMID: 38996053 PMCID: PMC11373656 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Despite increasing in mass approximately 100-fold during larval life, the Drosophila CNS maintains its characteristic form. Dynamic interactions between the overlying basement membrane and underlying surface glia are known to regulate CNS structure in Drosophila, but the genes and pathways that establish and maintain CNS morphology during development remain poorly characterized. To identify genes that regulate CNS shape in Drosophila, we conducted an EMS-based, forward genetic screen of the second chromosome, uncovered 50 mutations that disrupt CNS structure, and mapped these alleles to 17 genes. Analysis of whole genome sequencing data wedded to genetic studies uncovered the affected gene for all but 1 mutation. Identified genes include well-characterized regulators of tissue shape, like LanB1, viking, and Collagen type IV alpha1, and previously characterized genes, such as Toll-2 and Rme-8, with no known role in regulating CNS structure. We also uncovered that papilin and C1GalTA likely act in the same pathway to regulate CNS structure and found that the fly homolog of a glucuronosyltransferase, B4GAT1/LARGE1, that regulates Dystroglycan function in mammals is required to maintain CNS shape in Drosophila. Finally, we show that the senseless-2 transcription factor is expressed and functions specifically in surface glia found on peripheral nerves but not in the CNS to govern CNS structure, identifying a gene that functionally subdivides a glial subtype along the peripheral-central axis. Future work on these genes should clarify the genetic mechanisms that ensure the homeostasis of CNS form during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haluk Lacin
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 5009 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Yuqing Zhu
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jose T DiPaola
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Beth A Wilson
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Yi Zhu
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - James B Skeath
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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2
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Hérault C, Pihl T, Hudry B. Cellular sex throughout the organism underlies somatic sexual differentiation. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6925. [PMID: 39138201 PMCID: PMC11322332 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51228-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Sex chromosomes underlie the development of male or female sex organs across species. While systemic signals derived from sex organs prominently contribute to sex-linked differences, it is unclear whether the intrinsic presence of sex chromosomes in somatic tissues has a specific function. Here, we use genetic tools to show that cellular sex is crucial for sexual differentiation throughout the body in Drosophila melanogaster. We reveal that every somatic cell converts the intrinsic presence of sex chromosomes into the active production of a sex determinant, a female specific serine- and arginine-rich (SR) splicing factor. This discovery dismisses the mosaic model which posits that only a subset of cells has the potential to sexually differentiate. Using cell-specific sex reversals, we show that this prevalence of cellular sex drives sex differences in organ size and body weight and is essential for fecundity. These findings demonstrate that cellular sex drives differentiation programs at an organismal scale and highlight the importance of cellular sex pathways in sex trait evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Hérault
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, Institut de Biologie Valrose, Nice, France
| | - Thomas Pihl
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, Institut de Biologie Valrose, Nice, France
| | - Bruno Hudry
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, Institut de Biologie Valrose, Nice, France.
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3
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Imoto K, Ishikawa Y, Aso Y, Funke J, Tanaka R, Kamikouchi A. Neural-circuit basis of song preference learning in fruit flies. iScience 2024; 27:110266. [PMID: 39040064 PMCID: PMC11260866 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
As observed in human language learning and song learning in birds, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster changes its auditory behaviors according to prior sound experiences. This phenomenon, known as song preference learning in flies, requires GABAergic input to pC1 neurons in the brain, with these neurons playing a key role in mating behavior. The neural circuit basis of this GABAergic input, however, is not known. Here, we find that GABAergic neurons expressing the sex-determination gene doublesex are necessary for song preference learning. In the brain, only four doublesex-expressing GABAergic neurons exist per hemibrain, identified as pCd-2 neurons. pCd-2 neurons directly, and in many cases mutually, connect with pC1 neurons, suggesting the existence of reciprocal circuits between them. Moreover, GABAergic and dopaminergic inputs to doublesex-expressing GABAergic neurons are necessary for song preference learning. Together, this study provides a neural circuit model that underlies experience-dependent auditory plasticity at a single-cell resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Imoto
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
| | - Yuki Ishikawa
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Aso
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Jan Funke
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Ryoya Tanaka
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
| | - Azusa Kamikouchi
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
- Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
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4
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Liu A, O’Connell J, Wall F, Carthew RW. Scaling between cell cycle duration and wing growth is regulated by Fat-Dachsous signaling in Drosophila. eLife 2024; 12:RP91572. [PMID: 38842917 PMCID: PMC11156469 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The atypical cadherins Fat and Dachsous (Ds) signal through the Hippo pathway to regulate growth of numerous organs, including the Drosophila wing. Here, we find that Ds-Fat signaling tunes a unique feature of cell proliferation found to control the rate of wing growth during the third instar larval phase. The duration of the cell cycle increases in direct proportion to the size of the wing, leading to linear-like growth during the third instar. Ds-Fat signaling enhances the rate at which the cell cycle lengthens with wing size, thus diminishing the rate of wing growth. We show that this results in a complex but stereotyped relative scaling of wing growth with body growth in Drosophila. Finally, we examine the dynamics of Fat and Ds protein distribution in the wing, observing graded distributions that change during growth. However, the significance of these dynamics is unclear since perturbations in expression have negligible impact on wing growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Liu
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
- NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in BiologyChicagoUnited States
| | - Jessica O’Connell
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
| | - Farley Wall
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
| | - Richard W Carthew
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
- NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in BiologyChicagoUnited States
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5
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Blackie L, Gaspar P, Mosleh S, Lushchak O, Kong L, Jin Y, Zielinska AP, Cao B, Mineo A, Silva B, Ameku T, Lim SE, Mao Y, Prieto-Godino L, Schoborg T, Varela M, Mahadevan L, Miguel-Aliaga I. The sex of organ geometry. Nature 2024; 630:392-400. [PMID: 38811741 PMCID: PMC11168936 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07463-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Organs have a distinctive yet often overlooked spatial arrangement in the body1-5. We propose that there is a logic to the shape of an organ and its proximity to its neighbours. Here, by using volumetric scans of many Drosophila melanogaster flies, we develop methods to quantify three-dimensional features of organ shape, position and interindividual variability. We find that both the shapes of organs and their relative arrangement are consistent yet differ between the sexes, and identify unexpected interorgan adjacencies and left-right organ asymmetries. Focusing on the intestine, which traverses the entire body, we investigate how sex differences in three-dimensional organ geometry arise. The configuration of the adult intestine is only partially determined by physical constraints imposed by adjacent organs; its sex-specific shape is actively maintained by mechanochemical crosstalk between gut muscles and vascular-like trachea. Indeed, sex-biased expression of a muscle-derived fibroblast growth factor-like ligand renders trachea sexually dimorphic. In turn, tracheal branches hold gut loops together into a male or female shape, with physiological consequences. Interorgan geometry represents a previously unrecognized level of biological complexity which might enable or confine communication across organs and could help explain sex or species differences in organ function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Blackie
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Pedro Gaspar
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Salem Mosleh
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD, USA
| | | | - Lingjin Kong
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Yuhong Jin
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Agata P Zielinska
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Boxuan Cao
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Alessandro Mineo
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Bryon Silva
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Tomotsune Ameku
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Shu En Lim
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London, UK
- Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London, UK
| | - Yanlan Mao
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London, UK
- Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Todd Schoborg
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Marta Varela
- Faculty of Medicine, National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - L Mahadevan
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Departments of Physics and Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Irene Miguel-Aliaga
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK.
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
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6
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Tran H, Le L, Singh BN, Kramer J, Steward R. Tet controls axon guidance in early brain development through glutamatergic signaling. iScience 2024; 27:109634. [PMID: 38655199 PMCID: PMC11035372 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Mutations in ten-eleven translocation (TET) proteins are associated with human neurodevelopmental disorders. We find a function of Tet in regulating Drosophila early brain development. The Tet DNA-binding domain (TetAXXC) is required for axon guidance in the mushroom body (MB). Glutamine synthetase 2 (Gs2), a key enzyme in glutamatergic signaling, is significantly down-regulated in the TetAXXC brains. Loss of Gs2 recapitulates the TetAXXC phenotype. Surprisingly, Tet and Gs2 act in the insulin-producing cells (IPCs) to control MB axon guidance, and overexpression of Gs2 in IPCs rescues the defects of TetAXXC. Feeding TetAXXC with metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist MPEP rescues the phenotype while glutamate enhances it. Mutants in Tet and Drosophila Fmr1, the homolog of human FMR1, have similar defects, and overexpression of Gs2 in IPCs also rescues the Fmr1 phenotype. We provide the first evidence that Tet controls the guidance of developing brain axons by modulating glutamatergic signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiep Tran
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Le Le
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Badri Nath Singh
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Joseph Kramer
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Ruth Steward
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
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7
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Diao F, Vasudevan D, Heckscher ES, White BH. Hox gene-specific cellular targeting using split intein Trojan exons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317083121. [PMID: 38602904 PMCID: PMC11047080 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317083121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The Trojan exon method, which makes use of intronically inserted T2A-Gal4 cassettes, has been widely used in Drosophila to create thousands of gene-specific Gal4 driver lines. These dual-purpose lines provide genetic access to specific cell types based on their expression of a native gene while simultaneously mutating one allele of the gene to enable loss-of-function analysis in homozygous animals. While this dual use is often an advantage, the truncation mutations produced by Trojan exons are sometimes deleterious in heterozygotes, perhaps by creating translation products with dominant negative effects. Such mutagenic effects can cause developmental lethality as has been observed with genes encoding essential transcription factors. Given the importance of transcription factors in specifying cell type, alternative techniques for generating specific Gal4 lines that target them are required. Here, we introduce a modified Trojan exon method that retains the targeting fidelity and plug-and-play modularity of the original method but mitigates its mutagenic effects by exploiting the self-splicing capabilities of split inteins. "Split Intein Trojan exons" (siTrojans) ensure that the two truncation products generated from the interrupted allele of the native gene are trans-spliced to create a full-length native protein. We demonstrate the efficacy of siTrojans by generating a comprehensive toolkit of Gal4 and Split Gal4 lines for the segmentally expressed Hox transcription factors and illustrate their use in neural circuit mapping by targeting neurons according to their position along the anterior-posterior axis. Both the method and the Hox gene-specific toolkit introduced here should be broadly useful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengqiu Diao
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Section on Neural Function, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
| | - Deeptha Vasudevan
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
| | - Ellie S. Heckscher
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
| | - Benjamin H. White
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Section on Neural Function, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
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8
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Liu A, O’Connell J, Wall F, Carthew RW. Scaling between cell cycle duration and wing growth is regulated by Fat-Dachsous signaling in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.01.551465. [PMID: 38645118 PMCID: PMC11030236 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.01.551465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
The atypical cadherins Fat and Dachsous (Ds) signal through the Hippo pathway to regulate growth of numerous organs, including the Drosophila wing. Here, we find that Ds-Fat signaling tunes a unique feature of cell proliferation found to control the rate of wing growth during the third instar larval phase. The duration of the cell cycle increases in direct proportion to the size of the wing, leading to linear-like growth during the third instar. Ds-Fat signaling enhances the rate at which the cell cycle lengthens with wing size, thus diminishing the rate of wing growth. We show that this results in a complex but stereotyped relative scaling of wing growth with body growth in Drosophila. Finally, we examine the dynamics of Fat and Ds protein distribution in the wing, observing graded distributions that change during growth. However, the significance of these dynamics is unclear since perturbations in expression have negligible impact on wing growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Liu
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston IL
| | - Jessica O’Connell
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL
| | - Farley Wall
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL
| | - Richard W. Carthew
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston IL
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston IL
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9
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Yin J, Chen HL, Grigsby-Brown A, He Y, Cotten ML, Short J, Dermady A, Lei J, Gibbs M, Cheng ES, Zhang D, Long C, Xu L, Zhong T, Abzalimov R, Haider M, Sun R, He Y, Zhou Q, Tjandra N, Yuan Q. Glia-derived secretory fatty acid binding protein Obp44a regulates lipid storage and efflux in the developing Drosophila brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.10.588417. [PMID: 38645138 PMCID: PMC11030299 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.10.588417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Glia derived secretory factors play diverse roles in supporting the development, physiology, and stress responses of the central nervous system (CNS). Through transcriptomics and imaging analyses, we have identified Obp44a as one of the most abundantly produced secretory proteins from Drosophila CNS glia. Protein structure homology modeling and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments reveal Obp44a as a fatty acid binding protein (FABP) with a high affinity towards long-chain fatty acids in both native and oxidized forms. Further analyses demonstrate that Obp44a effectively infiltrates the neuropil, traffics between neuron and glia, and is secreted into hemolymph, acting as a lipid chaperone and scavenger to regulate lipid and redox homeostasis in the developing brain. In agreement with this essential role, deficiency of Obp44a leads to anatomical and behavioral deficits in adult animals and elevated oxidized lipid levels. Collectively, our findings unveil the crucial involvement of a noncanonical lipid chaperone to shuttle fatty acids within and outside the brain, as needed to maintain a healthy brain lipid environment. These findings could inspire the design of novel approaches to restore lipid homeostasis that is dysregulated in CNS diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Yin
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Hsueh-Ling Chen
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Anna Grigsby-Brown
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Yi He
- Fermentation Facility, Biochemistry and Biophysics Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Myriam L Cotten
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
| | - Jacob Short
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Aidan Dermady
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Jingce Lei
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Mary Gibbs
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Ethan S Cheng
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Dean Zhang
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Caixia Long
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Lele Xu
- Advanced Science Research Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY
- Ph.D. Program in Biology, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY
| | - Tiffany Zhong
- Neuroscience Program, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
| | - Rinat Abzalimov
- Advanced Science Research Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY
| | - Mariam Haider
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Rong Sun
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Ye He
- Advanced Science Research Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY
- Ph.D. Program in Biology, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY
| | - Qiangjun Zhou
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Nico Tjandra
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Biochemistry and Biophysics Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Quan Yuan
- Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
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10
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Pan X, Tao AM, Lu S, Ma M, Hannan SB, Slaugh R, Drewes Williams S, O'Grady L, Kanca O, Person R, Carter MT, Platzer K, Schnabel F, Abou Jamra R, Roberts AE, Newburger JW, Revah-Politi A, Granadillo JL, Stegmann APA, Sinnema M, Accogli A, Salpietro V, Capra V, Ghaloul-Gonzalez L, Brueckner M, Simon MEH, Sweetser DA, Glinton KE, Kirk SE, Wangler MF, Yamamoto S, Chung WK, Bellen HJ. De novo variants in FRYL are associated with developmental delay, intellectual disability, and dysmorphic features. Am J Hum Genet 2024; 111:742-760. [PMID: 38479391 PMCID: PMC11023917 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
FRY-like transcription coactivator (FRYL) belongs to a Furry protein family that is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to humans. The functions of FRYL in mammals are largely unknown, and variants in FRYL have not previously been associated with a Mendelian disease. Here, we report fourteen individuals with heterozygous variants in FRYL who present with developmental delay, intellectual disability, dysmorphic features, and other congenital anomalies in multiple systems. The variants are confirmed de novo in all individuals except one. Human genetic data suggest that FRYL is intolerant to loss of function (LoF). We find that the fly FRYL ortholog, furry (fry), is expressed in multiple tissues, including the central nervous system where it is present in neurons but not in glia. Homozygous fry LoF mutation is lethal at various developmental stages, and loss of fry in mutant clones causes defects in wings and compound eyes. We next modeled four out of the five missense variants found in affected individuals using fry knockin alleles. One variant behaves as a severe LoF variant, whereas two others behave as partial LoF variants. One variant does not cause any observable defect in flies, and the corresponding human variant is not confirmed to be de novo, suggesting that this is a variant of uncertain significance. In summary, our findings support that fry is required for proper development in flies and that the LoF variants in FRYL cause a dominant disorder with developmental and neurological symptoms due to haploinsufficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyang Pan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alice M Tao
- Vagelos School of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shenzhao Lu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mengqi Ma
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shabab B Hannan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rachel Slaugh
- Division of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Sarah Drewes Williams
- Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lauren O'Grady
- Division of Medical Genetics & Metabolism, Massachusetts General for Children, Boston, MA, USA; MGH Institute of Health Professions, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Melissa T Carter
- Department of Genetics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Konrad Platzer
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Franziska Schnabel
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rami Abou Jamra
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Amy E Roberts
- Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Genetics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jane W Newburger
- Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anya Revah-Politi
- Institute for Genomic Medicine and Precision Genomics Laboratory, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jorge L Granadillo
- Division of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Alexander P A Stegmann
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Margje Sinnema
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Andrea Accogli
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Vincenzo Salpietro
- Department of Neuromuscular Disorders, University College London Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - Valeria Capra
- Unit of Medical Genetics and Genomics, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Lina Ghaloul-Gonzalez
- Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Martina Brueckner
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Marleen E H Simon
- Department of Medical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - David A Sweetser
- Division of Medical Genetics & Metabolism, Massachusetts General for Children, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kevin E Glinton
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Genetics, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Susan E Kirk
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michael F Wangler
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Wendy K Chung
- Departments of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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11
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Zirin J, Jusiak B, Lopes R, Ewen-Campen B, Bosch JA, Risbeck A, Forman C, Villalta C, Hu Y, Perrimon N. Expanding the Drosophila toolkit for dual control of gene expression. eLife 2024; 12:RP94073. [PMID: 38569007 PMCID: PMC10990484 DOI: 10.7554/elife.94073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability to independently control gene expression in two different tissues in the same animal is emerging as a major need, especially in the context of inter-organ communication studies. This type of study is made possible by technologies combining the GAL4/UAS and a second binary expression system such as the LexA system or QF system. Here, we describe a resource of reagents that facilitate combined use of the GAL4/UAS and a second binary system in various Drosophila tissues. Focusing on genes with well-characterized GAL4 expression patterns, we generated a set of more than 40 LexA-GAD and QF2 insertions by CRISPR knock-in and verified their tissue specificity in larvae. We also built constructs that encode QF2 and LexA-GAD transcription factors in a single vector. Following successful integration of this construct into the fly genome, FLP/FRT recombination is used to isolate fly lines that express only QF2 or LexA-GAD. Finally, using new compatible shRNA vectors, we evaluated both LexA and QF systems for in vivo gene knockdown and are generating a library of such RNAi fly lines as a community resource. Together, these LexA and QF system vectors and fly lines will provide a new set of tools for researchers who need to activate or repress two different genes in an orthogonal manner in the same animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Zirin
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Barbara Jusiak
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, IrvineIrvineUnited States
| | - Raphael Lopes
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | | | - Justin A Bosch
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | | | - Corey Forman
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | | | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBostonUnited States
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12
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Martelli F, Lin J, Mele S, Imlach W, Kanca O, Barlow CK, Paril J, Schittenhelm RB, Christodoulou J, Bellen HJ, Piper MDW, Johnson TK. Identifying potential dietary treatments for inherited metabolic disorders using Drosophila nutrigenomics. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113861. [PMID: 38416643 PMCID: PMC11037929 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Inherited metabolic disorders are a group of genetic conditions that can cause severe neurological impairment and child mortality. Uniquely, these disorders respond to dietary treatment; however, this option remains largely unexplored because of low disorder prevalence and the lack of a suitable paradigm for testing diets. Here, we screened 35 Drosophila amino acid disorder models for disease-diet interactions and found 26 with diet-altered development and/or survival. Using a targeted multi-nutrient array, we examine the interaction in a model of isolated sulfite oxidase deficiency, an infant-lethal disorder. We show that dietary cysteine depletion normalizes their metabolic profile and rescues development, neurophysiology, behavior, and lifelong fly survival, thus providing a basis for further study into the pathogenic mechanisms involved in this disorder. Our work highlights the diet-sensitive nature of metabolic disorders and establishes Drosophila as a valuable tool for nutrigenomic studies for informing potential dietary therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Martelli
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Jiayi Lin
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Sarah Mele
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Wendy Imlach
- Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics and Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christopher K Barlow
- Monash Proteomics & Metabolomics Facility, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute & Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Jefferson Paril
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Ralf B Schittenhelm
- Monash Proteomics & Metabolomics Facility, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute & Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - John Christodoulou
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics and Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Matthew D W Piper
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Travis K Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry and La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia.
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13
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Cheong HSJ, Boone KN, Bennett MM, Salman F, Ralston JD, Hatch K, Allen RF, Phelps AM, Cook AP, Phelps JS, Erginkaya M, Lee WCA, Card GM, Daly KC, Dacks AM. Organization of an ascending circuit that conveys flight motor state in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1059-1075.e5. [PMID: 38402616 PMCID: PMC10939832 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Natural behaviors are a coordinated symphony of motor acts that drive reafferent (self-induced) sensory activation. Individual sensors cannot disambiguate exafferent (externally induced) from reafferent sources. Nevertheless, animals readily differentiate between these sources of sensory signals to carry out adaptive behaviors through corollary discharge circuits (CDCs), which provide predictive motor signals from motor pathways to sensory processing and other motor pathways. Yet, how CDCs comprehensively integrate into the nervous system remains unexplored. Here, we use connectomics, neuroanatomical, physiological, and behavioral approaches to resolve the network architecture of two pairs of ascending histaminergic neurons (AHNs) in Drosophila, which function as a predictive CDC in other insects. Both AHN pairs receive input primarily from a partially overlapping population of descending neurons, especially from DNg02, which controls wing motor output. Using Ca2+ imaging and behavioral recordings, we show that AHN activation is correlated to flight behavior and precedes wing motion. Optogenetic activation of DNg02 is sufficient to activate AHNs, indicating that AHNs are activated by descending commands in advance of behavior and not as a consequence of sensory input. Downstream, each AHN pair targets predominantly non-overlapping networks, including those that process visual, auditory, and mechanosensory information, as well as networks controlling wing, haltere, and leg sensorimotor control. These results support the conclusion that the AHNs provide a predictive motor signal about wing motor state to mostly non-overlapping sensory and motor networks. Future work will determine how AHN signaling is driven by other descending neurons and interpreted by AHN downstream targets to maintain adaptive sensorimotor performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han S J Cheong
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA; Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Kaitlyn N Boone
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA; Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Marryn M Bennett
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Farzaan Salman
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Jacob D Ralston
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Kaleb Hatch
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Raven F Allen
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Alec M Phelps
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Andrew P Cook
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Jasper S Phelps
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mert Erginkaya
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal
| | - Wei-Chung A Lee
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gwyneth M Card
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Kevin C Daly
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA; Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Andrew M Dacks
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA; Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
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14
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Zirin J, Jusiak B, Lopes R, Ewen-Campen B, Bosch JA, Risbeck A, Forman C, Villalta C, Hu Y, Perrimon N. Expanding the Drosophila toolkit for dual control of gene expression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.15.553399. [PMID: 37645802 PMCID: PMC10461983 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.15.553399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The ability to independently control gene expression in two different tissues in the same animal is emerging as a major need, especially in the context of inter-organ communication studies. This type of study is made possible by technologies combining the GAL4/UAS and a second binary expression system such as the LexA-system or QF-system. Here, we describe a resource of reagents that facilitate combined use of the GAL4/UAS and a second binary system in various Drosophila tissues. Focusing on genes with well-characterizsed GAL4 expression patterns, we generated a set of more than 40 LexA-GAD and QF2 insertions by CRISPR knock-in and verified their tissue-specificity in larvae. We also built constructs that encode QF2 and LexA-GAD transcription factors in a single vector. Following successful integration of this construct into the fly genome, FLP/FRT recombination is used to isolate fly lines that express only QF2 or LexA-GAD. Finally, using new compatible shRNA vectors, we evaluated both LexA and QF systems for in vivo gene knockdown and are generating a library of such RNAi fly lines as a community resource. Together, these LexA and QF system vectors and fly lines will provide a new set of tools for researchers who need to activate or repress two different genes in an orthogonal manner in the same animal.
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15
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Sutton DC, Andrews JC, Dolezal DM, Park YJ, Li H, Eberl DF, Yamamoto S, Groves AK. Comparative exploration of mammalian deafness gene homologues in the Drosophila auditory organ shows genetic correlation between insect and vertebrate hearing. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297846. [PMID: 38412189 PMCID: PMC10898740 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Johnston's organ, the Drosophila auditory organ, is anatomically very different from the mammalian organ of Corti. However, recent evidence indicates significant cellular and molecular similarities exist between vertebrate and invertebrate hearing, suggesting that Drosophila may be a useful platform to determine the function of the many mammalian deafness genes whose underlying biological mechanisms are poorly characterized. Our goal was a comprehensive screen of all known orthologues of mammalian deafness genes in the fruit fly to better understand conservation of hearing mechanisms between the insect and the fly and ultimately gain insight into human hereditary deafness. We used bioinformatic comparisons to screen previously reported human and mouse deafness genes and found that 156 of them have orthologues in Drosophila melanogaster. We used fluorescent imaging of T2A-GAL4 gene trap and GFP or YFP fluorescent protein trap lines for 54 of the Drosophila genes and found 38 to be expressed in different cell types in Johnston's organ. We phenotypically characterized the function of strong loss-of-function mutants in three genes expressed in Johnston's organ (Cad99C, Msp-300, and Koi) using a courtship assay and electrophysiological recordings of sound-evoked potentials. Cad99C and Koi were found to have significant courtship defects. However, when we tested these genes for electrophysiological defects in hearing response, we did not see a significant difference suggesting the courtship defects were not caused by hearing deficiencies. Furthermore, we used a UAS/RNAi approach to test the function of seven genes and found two additional genes, CG5921 and Myo10a, that gave a statistically significant delay in courtship but not in sound-evoked potentials. Our results suggest that many mammalian deafness genes have Drosophila homologues expressed in the Johnston's organ, but that their requirement for hearing may not necessarily be the same as in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C. Sutton
- Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jonathan C. Andrews
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Dylan M. Dolezal
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Ye Jin Park
- Graduate Program in Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Huffington Center on Aging, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Hongjie Li
- Graduate Program in Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Huffington Center on Aging, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Daniel F. Eberl
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Graduate Program in Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Andrew K. Groves
- Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Graduate Program in Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
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16
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Tan QH, Otgonbaatar A, Kaur P, Ga AF, Harmston NP, Tolwinski NS. The Wnt Co-Receptor PTK7/Otk and Its Homolog Otk-2 in Neurogenesis and Patterning. Cells 2024; 13:365. [PMID: 38474329 PMCID: PMC10930971 DOI: 10.3390/cells13050365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling is a highly conserved metazoan pathway that plays a crucial role in cell fate determination and morphogenesis during development. Wnt ligands can induce disparate cellular responses. The exact mechanism behind these different outcomes is not fully understood but may be due to interactions with different receptors on the cell membrane. PTK7/Otk is a transmembrane receptor that is implicated in various developmental and physiological processes including cell polarity, cell migration, and invasion. Here, we examine two roles of Otk-1 and Otk-2 in patterning and neurogenesis. We find that Otk-1 is a positive regulator of signaling and Otk-2 functions as its inhibitor. We propose that PTK7/Otk functions in signaling, cell migration, and polarity contributing to the diversity of cellular responses seen in Wnt-mediated processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Hui Tan
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore 138527, Singapore (A.O.); (P.K.); (A.F.G.); (N.P.H.)
| | - Agimaa Otgonbaatar
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore 138527, Singapore (A.O.); (P.K.); (A.F.G.); (N.P.H.)
| | - Prameet Kaur
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore 138527, Singapore (A.O.); (P.K.); (A.F.G.); (N.P.H.)
| | - Angelica Faye Ga
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore 138527, Singapore (A.O.); (P.K.); (A.F.G.); (N.P.H.)
| | - Nathan P. Harmston
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore 138527, Singapore (A.O.); (P.K.); (A.F.G.); (N.P.H.)
- Program in Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
- Molecular Biosciences Division, Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Nicholas S. Tolwinski
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore 138527, Singapore (A.O.); (P.K.); (A.F.G.); (N.P.H.)
- Program in Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
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17
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Ma M, Zheng Y, Lu S, Pan X, Worley KC, Burrage LC, Blieden LS, Allworth A, Chen WL, Merla G, Mandriani B, Rosenfeld JA, Li-Kroeger D, Dutta D, Yamamoto S, Wangler MF, Glass IA, Strohbehn S, Blue E, Prontera P, Lalani SR, Bellen HJ. De novo variants in PLCG1 are associated with hearing impairment, ocular pathology, and cardiac defects. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.01.08.23300523. [PMID: 38260438 PMCID: PMC10802640 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.08.23300523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Phospholipase C isozymes (PLCs) hydrolyze phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate into inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and diacylglycerol, important signaling molecules involved in many cellular processes. PLCG1 encodes the PLCγ1 isozyme that is broadly expressed. Hyperactive somatic mutations of PLCG1 are observed in multiple cancers, but only one germline variant has been reported. Here we describe three unrelated individuals with de novo heterozygous missense variants in PLCG1 (p.Asp1019Gly, p.His380Arg, and p.Asp1165Gly) who exhibit variable phenotypes including hearing loss, ocular pathology and cardiac septal defects. To model these variants in vivo, we generated the analogous variants in the Drosophila ortholog, small wing (sl). We created a null allele slT2A and assessed the expression pattern. sl is broadly expressed, including in wing discs, eye discs, and a subset of neurons and glia. Loss of sl causes wing size reductions, ectopic wing veins and supernumerary photoreceptors. We document that mutant flies exhibit a reduced lifespan and age-dependent locomotor defects. Expressing wild-type sl in slT2A mutant rescues the loss-of-function phenotypes whereas expressing the variants causes lethality. Ubiquitous overexpression of the variants also reduces viability, suggesting that the variants are toxic. Ectopic expression of an established hyperactive PLCG1 variant (p.Asp1165His) in the wing pouch causes severe wing phenotypes, resembling those observed with overexpression of the p.Asp1019Gly or p.Asp1165Gly variants, further arguing that these two are gain-of-function variants. However, the wing phenotypes associated with p.His380Arg overexpression are mild. Our data suggest that the PLCG1 de novo heterozygous missense variants are pathogenic and contribute to the features observed in the probands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqi Ma
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yiming Zheng
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Current affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Shenzhao Lu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Xueyang Pan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kim C. Worley
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lindsay C. Burrage
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lauren S. Blieden
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Aimee Allworth
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Wei-Liang Chen
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Current affiliation: Children’s National Medical Center and George Washington University, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Giuseppe Merla
- Laboratory of Regulatory & Functional Genomics, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia 71013, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine & Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Barbara Mandriani
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari 70121, Italy
| | - Jill A. Rosenfeld
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - David Li-Kroeger
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Debdeep Dutta
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Michael F. Wangler
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Ian A. Glass
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Brotman Baty Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sam Strohbehn
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Elizabeth Blue
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Brotman Baty Institute, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Institute for Public Health Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Paolo Prontera
- Medical Genetics Unit, Hospital of Perugia, Perugia 06129, Italy
| | - Seema R. Lalani
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hugo J. Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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18
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Palumbo RJ, Yang Y, Feigon J, Hanes SD. Catalytic activity of the Bin3/MePCE methyltransferase domain is dispensable for 7SK snRNP function in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad203. [PMID: 37982586 PMCID: PMC10763541 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Methylphosphate Capping Enzyme (MePCE) monomethylates the gamma phosphate at the 5' end of the 7SK noncoding RNA, a modification thought to protect 7SK from degradation. 7SK serves as a scaffold for assembly of a snRNP complex that inhibits transcription by sequestering the positive elongation factor P-TEFb. While much is known about the biochemical activity of MePCE in vitro, little is known about its functions in vivo, or what roles-if any-there are for regions outside the conserved methyltransferase domain. Here, we investigated the role of Bin3, the Drosophila ortholog of MePCE, and its conserved functional domains in Drosophila development. We found that bin3 mutant females had strongly reduced rates of egg-laying, which was rescued by genetic reduction of P-TEFb activity, suggesting that Bin3 promotes fecundity by repressing P-TEFb. bin3 mutants also exhibited neuromuscular defects, analogous to a patient with MePCE haploinsufficiency. These defects were also rescued by genetic reduction of P-TEFb activity, suggesting that Bin3 and MePCE have conserved roles in promoting neuromuscular function by repressing P-TEFb. Unexpectedly, we found that a Bin3 catalytic mutant (Bin3Y795A) could still bind and stabilize 7SK and rescue all bin3 mutant phenotypes, indicating that Bin3 catalytic activity is dispensable for 7SK stability and snRNP function in vivo. Finally, we identified a metazoan-specific motif (MSM) outside of the methyltransferase domain and generated mutant flies lacking this motif (Bin3ΔMSM). Bin3ΔMSM mutant flies exhibited some-but not all-bin3 mutant phenotypes, suggesting that the MSM is required for a 7SK-independent, tissue-specific function of Bin3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Palumbo
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Yuan Yang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Juli Feigon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Steven D Hanes
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
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19
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Warren B, Eberl D. What can insects teach us about hearing loss? J Physiol 2024; 602:297-316. [PMID: 38128023 DOI: 10.1113/jp281281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last three decades, insects have been utilized to provide a deep and fundamental understanding of many human diseases and disorders. Here, we present arguments for insects as models to understand general principles underlying hearing loss. Despite ∼600 million years since the last common ancestor of vertebrates and invertebrates, we share an overwhelming degree of genetic homology particularly with respect to auditory organ development and maintenance. Despite the anatomical differences between human and insect auditory organs, both share physiological principles of operation. We explain why these observations are expected and highlight areas in hearing loss research in which insects can provide insight. We start by briefly introducing the evolutionary journey of auditory organs, the reasons for using insect auditory organs for hearing loss research, and the tools and approaches available in insects. Then, the first half of the review focuses on auditory development and auditory disorders with a genetic cause. The second half analyses the physiological and genetic consequences of ageing and short- and long-term changes as a result of noise exposure. We finish with complex age and noise interactions in auditory systems. In this review, we present some of the evidence and arguments to support the use of insects to study mechanisms and potential treatments for hearing loss in humans. Obviously, insects cannot fully substitute for all aspects of human auditory function and loss of function, although there are many important questions that can be addressed in an animal model for which there are important ethical, practical and experimental advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Warren
- Neurogenetics Group, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Daniel Eberl
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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20
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Nakato E, Baker S, Kinoshita-Toyoda A, Knudsen C, Lu YS, Takemura M, Toyoda H, Nakato H. In vivo activities of heparan sulfate differentially modified by NDSTs during development. PROTEOGLYCAN RESEARCH 2024; 2:e17. [PMID: 38616954 PMCID: PMC11011245 DOI: 10.1002/pgr2.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) serve as co-receptors for growth factor signaling during development. It is well known that the level and patterns of sulfate groups of heparan sulfate (HS) chains, or HS fine structures, have a major impact on HSPG function. On the other hand, the physiological significance of other structural features of HS, including NS/NA domain organization, remains to be elucidated. A blueprint of the HS domain structures is mainly controlled by HS N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferases (NDSTs). To analyze in vivo activities of differentially modified HS, we established two knock-in (KI) Drosophila strains with the insertion of mouse Ndst1 (mNdst1) or Ndst2 (mNdst2) in the locus of sulfateless (sfl), the only Drosophila NDST. In these KI lines, mNDSTs are expressed from the sfl locus, in the level and patterns identical to the endogenous sfl gene. Thus, phenotypes of Ndst1 KI and Ndst2KI animals reflect the ability of HS structures made by these enzymes to rescue sfl mutation. Remarkably, we found that mNdst1 completely rescued the loss of sfl. mNdst2 showed a limited rescue ability, despite a higher level of HS sulfation compared to HS in mNdst1 KI. Our study suggests that independent of sulfation levels, additional HS structural features controlled by NDSTs play key roles during tissue patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eriko Nakato
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Sarah Baker
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Collin Knudsen
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Yi-Si Lu
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Hidenao Toyoda
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nakato
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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21
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Yamamoto S, Kanca O, Wangler MF, Bellen HJ. Integrating non-mammalian model organisms in the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases in humans. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:46-60. [PMID: 37491400 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00633-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Next-generation sequencing technology has rapidly accelerated the discovery of genetic variants of interest in individuals with rare diseases. However, showing that these variants are causative of the disease in question is complex and may require functional studies. Use of non-mammalian model organisms - mainly fruitflies (Drosophila melanogaster), nematode worms (Caenorhabditis elegans) and zebrafish (Danio rerio) - enables the rapid and cost-effective assessment of the effects of gene variants, which can then be validated in mammalian model organisms such as mice and in human cells. By probing mechanisms of gene action and identifying interacting genes and proteins in vivo, recent studies in these non-mammalian model organisms have facilitated the diagnosis of numerous genetic diseases and have enabled the screening and identification of therapeutic options for patients. Studies in non-mammalian model organisms have also shown that the biological processes underlying rare diseases can provide insight into more common mechanisms of disease and the biological functions of genes. Here, we discuss the opportunities afforded by non-mammalian model organisms, focusing on flies, worms and fish, and provide examples of their use in the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michael F Wangler
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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22
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Li SA, Li HG, Shoji N, Desplan C, Chen YCD. Protocol for replacing coding intronic MiMIC and CRIMIC lines with T2A-split-GAL4 lines in Drosophila using genetic crosses. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102706. [PMID: 38060386 PMCID: PMC10751567 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Here, we present a protocol for generating gene-specific split-GAL4 drivers from coding intronic Minos-mediated integration cassette/CRISPR-mediated integration cassette (MiMIC/CRIMIC) lines in Drosophila. We describe steps for four rounds of in vivo genetic crosses, PCR genotyping, and fluorescence imaging to ensure correct orientation of split-GAL4 integration before establishing stable fly stocks. This protocol offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional microinjection techniques for converting coding intronic MiMIC/CRIMIC lines into gene-specific split-GAL4 lines that are adaptable for fly researchers working on different tissues. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Chen et al.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi April Li
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | | | - Nathalie Shoji
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Claude Desplan
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA; Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, Abu Dhabi 51133, United Arab Emirates
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23
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Oliveira-Ferreira C, Gaspar M, Vasconcelos ML. Neuronal substrates of egg-laying behaviour at the abdominal ganglion of Drosophila melanogaster. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21941. [PMID: 38081887 PMCID: PMC10713638 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48109-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Egg-laying in Drosophila is the product of post-mating physiological and behavioural changes that culminate in a stereotyped sequence of actions. Egg-laying harbours a great potential as a paradigm to uncover how the appropriate motor circuits are organized and activated to generate behaviour. To study this programme, we first describe the different phases of the egg-laying programme and the specific actions associated with each phase. Using a combination of neuronal activation and silencing experiments, we identify neurons (OvAbg) in the abdominal ganglion as key players in egg-laying. To generate and functionally characterise subsets of OvAbg, we used an intersectional approach with neurotransmitter specific lines-VGlut, Cha and Gad1. We show that OvAbg/VGlut neurons promote initiation of egg deposition in a mating status dependent way. OvAbg/Cha neurons are required in exploration and egg deposition phases, though activation leads specifically to egg expulsion. Experiments with the OvAbg/Gad1 neurons show they participate in egg deposition. We further show a functional connection of OvAbg neurons with brain neurons. This study provides insight into the organization of neuronal circuits underlying complex motor behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Miguel Gaspar
- Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
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24
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Pan X, Alvarez AN, Ma M, Lu S, Crawford MW, Briere LC, Kanca O, Yamamoto S, Sweetser DA, Wilson JL, Napier RJ, Pruneda JN, Bellen HJ. Allelic strengths of encephalopathy-associated UBA5 variants correlate between in vivo and in vitro assays. eLife 2023; 12:RP89891. [PMID: 38079206 PMCID: PMC10712953 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein UFMylation downstream of the E1 enzyme UBA5 plays essential roles in development and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Variants in the UBA5 gene are associated with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 44 (DEE44), an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by early-onset encephalopathy, movement abnormalities, global developmental delay, intellectual disability, and seizures. DEE44 is caused by at least 12 different missense variants described as loss of function (LoF), but the relationships between genotypes and molecular or clinical phenotypes remain to be established. We developed a humanized UBA5 fly model and biochemical activity assays in order to describe in vivo and in vitro genotype-phenotype relationships across the UBA5 allelic series. In vivo, we observed a broad spectrum of phenotypes in viability, developmental timing, lifespan, locomotor activity, and bang sensitivity. A range of functional effects was also observed in vitro across comprehensive biochemical assays for protein stability, ATP binding, UFM1 activation, and UFM1 transthiolation. Importantly, there is a strong correlation between in vivo and in vitro phenotypes, establishing a classification of LoF variants into mild, intermediate, and severe allelic strengths. By systemically evaluating UBA5 variants across in vivo and in vitro platforms, this study provides a foundation for more basic and translational UBA5 research, as well as a basis for evaluating current and future individuals afflicted with this rare disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyang Pan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Albert N Alvarez
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Oregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
| | - Mengqi Ma
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Shenzhao Lu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Michael W Crawford
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Oregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
| | - Lauren C Briere
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - David A Sweetser
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
- Division of Medical Genetics & Metabolism, Massachusetts General Hospital for ChildrenBostonUnited States
| | - Jenny L Wilson
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
| | - Ruth J Napier
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Oregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
- VA Portland Health Care SystemPortlandUnited States
- Division of Arthritis & Rheumatic Diseases, Oregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
| | - Jonathan N Pruneda
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Oregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandUnited States
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
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25
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Tanaka R, Zhou B, Agrochao M, Badwan BA, Au B, Matos NCB, Clark DA. Neural mechanisms to incorporate visual counterevidence in self-movement estimation. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4960-4979.e7. [PMID: 37918398 PMCID: PMC10848174 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
In selecting appropriate behaviors, animals should weigh sensory evidence both for and against specific beliefs about the world. For instance, animals measure optic flow to estimate and control their own rotation. However, existing models of flow detection can be spuriously triggered by visual motion created by objects moving in the world. Here, we show that stationary patterns on the retina, which constitute evidence against observer rotation, suppress inappropriate stabilizing rotational behavior in the fruit fly Drosophila. In silico experiments show that artificial neural networks (ANNs) that are optimized to distinguish observer movement from external object motion similarly detect stationarity and incorporate negative evidence. Employing neural measurements and genetic manipulations, we identified components of the circuitry for stationary pattern detection, which runs parallel to the fly's local motion and optic-flow detectors. Our results show how the fly brain incorporates negative evidence to improve heading stability, exemplifying how a compact brain exploits geometrical constraints of the visual world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Tanaka
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Baohua Zhou
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Margarida Agrochao
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Bara A Badwan
- School of Engineering and Applied Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Braedyn Au
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Natalia C B Matos
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Damon A Clark
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Quantitative Biology Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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26
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Amin H, Nolte SS, Swain B, von Philipsborn AC. GABAergic signaling shapes multiple aspects of Drosophila courtship motor behavior. iScience 2023; 26:108069. [PMID: 37860694 PMCID: PMC10583093 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory neurons are essential for orchestrating and structuring behavior. We use one of the best studied behaviors in Drosophila, male courtship, to analyze how inhibitory, GABAergic neurons shape the different steps of this multifaceted motor sequence. RNAi-mediated knockdown of the GABA-producing enzyme GAD1 and the ionotropic receptor Rdl in sex specific, fruitless expressing neurons in the ventral nerve cord causes uncoordinated and futile copulation attempts, defects in wing extension choice and severe alterations of courtship song. Altered song of GABA depleted males fails to stimulate female receptivity, but rescue of song patterning alone is not sufficient to rescue male mating success. Knockdown of GAD1 and Rdl in male brain circuits abolishes courtship conditioning. We characterize the around 220 neurons coexpressing GAD1 and Fruitless in the Drosophila male nervous system and propose inhibitory circuit motifs underlying key features of courtship behavior based on the observed phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoger Amin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Department of Biomedicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Stella S. Nolte
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Department of Biomedicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Bijayalaxmi Swain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Department of Biomedicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Anne C. von Philipsborn
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Department of Biomedicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, Medicine Section, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
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27
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Jetti SK, Crane AB, Akbergenova Y, Aponte-Santiago NA, Cunningham KL, Whittaker CA, Littleton JT. Molecular logic of synaptic diversity between Drosophila tonic and phasic motoneurons. Neuron 2023; 111:3554-3569.e7. [PMID: 37611584 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Although neuronal subtypes display unique synaptic organization and function, the underlying transcriptional differences that establish these features are poorly understood. To identify molecular pathways that contribute to synaptic diversity, single-neuron Patch-seq RNA profiling was performed on Drosophila tonic and phasic glutamatergic motoneurons. Tonic motoneurons form weaker facilitating synapses onto single muscles, while phasic motoneurons form stronger depressing synapses onto multiple muscles. Super-resolution microscopy and in vivo imaging demonstrated that synaptic active zones in phasic motoneurons are more compact and display enhanced Ca2+ influx compared with their tonic counterparts. Genetic analysis identified unique synaptic properties that mapped onto gene expression differences for several cellular pathways, including distinct signaling ligands, post-translational modifications, and intracellular Ca2+ buffers. These findings provide insights into how unique transcriptomes drive functional and morphological differences between neuronal subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suresh K Jetti
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Andrés B Crane
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Yulia Akbergenova
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Nicole A Aponte-Santiago
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Karen L Cunningham
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Charles A Whittaker
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - J Troy Littleton
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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28
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Bollepogu Raja KK, Yeung K, Shim YK, Li Y, Chen R, Mardon G. A single cell genomics atlas of the Drosophila larval eye reveals distinct photoreceptor developmental timelines. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7205. [PMID: 37938573 PMCID: PMC10632452 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43037-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The Drosophila eye is a powerful model system to study the dynamics of cell differentiation, cell state transitions, cell maturation, and pattern formation. However, a high-resolution single cell genomics resource that accurately profiles all major cell types of the larval eye disc and their spatiotemporal relationships is lacking. Here, we report transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility data for all known cell types in the developing eye. Photoreceptors appear as strands of cells that represent their dynamic developmental timelines. As photoreceptor subtypes mature, they appear to assume a common transcriptomic profile that is dominated by genes involved in axon function. We identify cell type maturation genes, enhancers, and potential regulators, as well as genes with distinct R3 or R4 photoreceptor specific expression. Finally, we observe that the chromatin accessibility between cones and photoreceptors is distinct. These single cell genomics atlases will greatly enhance the power of the Drosophila eye as a model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Komal Kumar Bollepogu Raja
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Kelvin Yeung
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yoon-Kyung Shim
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yumei Li
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Rui Chen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Graeme Mardon
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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29
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Perez-Mockus G, Cocconi L, Alexandre C, Aerne B, Salbreux G, Vincent JP. The Drosophila ecdysone receptor promotes or suppresses proliferation according to ligand level. Dev Cell 2023; 58:2128-2139.e4. [PMID: 37769663 PMCID: PMC7615657 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
The steroid hormone 20-hydroxy-ecdysone (20E) promotes proliferation in Drosophila wing precursors at low titer but triggers proliferation arrest at high doses. Remarkably, wing precursors proliferate normally in the complete absence of the 20E receptor, suggesting that low-level 20E promotes proliferation by overriding the default anti-proliferative activity of the receptor. By contrast, 20E needs its receptor to arrest proliferation. Dose-response RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of ex vivo cultured wing precursors identifies genes that are quantitatively activated by 20E across the physiological range, likely comprising positive modulators of proliferation and other genes that are only activated at high doses. We suggest that some of these "high-threshold" genes dominantly suppress the activity of the pro-proliferation genes. We then show mathematically and with synthetic reporters that combinations of basic regulatory elements can recapitulate the behavior of both types of target genes. Thus, a relatively simple genetic circuit can account for the bimodal activity of this hormone.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luca Cocconi
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK.
| | | | | | - Guillaume Salbreux
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK; Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
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30
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Buck SA, Rubin SA, Kunkhyen T, Treiber CD, Xue X, Fenno LE, Mabry SJ, Sundar VR, Yang Z, Shah D, Ketchesin KD, Becker-Krail DD, Vasylieva I, Smith MC, Weisel FJ, Wang W, Erickson-Oberg MQ, O’Leary EI, Aravind E, Ramakrishnan C, Kim YS, Wu Y, Quick M, Coleman JA, MacDonald WA, Elbakri R, De Miranda BR, Palladino MJ, McCabe BD, Fish KN, Seney ML, Rayport S, Mingote S, Deisseroth K, Hnasko TS, Awatramani R, Watson AM, Waddell S, Cheetham CEJ, Logan RW, Freyberg Z. Sexually dimorphic mechanisms of VGLUT-mediated protection from dopaminergic neurodegeneration. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.02.560584. [PMID: 37873436 PMCID: PMC10592912 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.02.560584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) targets some dopamine (DA) neurons more than others. Sex differences offer insights, with females more protected from DA neurodegeneration. The mammalian vesicular glutamate transporter VGLUT2 and Drosophila ortholog dVGLUT have been implicated as modulators of DA neuron resilience. However, the mechanisms by which VGLUT2/dVGLUT protects DA neurons remain unknown. We discovered DA neuron dVGLUT knockdown increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in a sexually dimorphic manner in response to depolarization or paraquat-induced stress, males being especially affected. DA neuron dVGLUT also reduced ATP biosynthetic burden during depolarization. RNA sequencing of VGLUT+ DA neurons in mice and flies identified candidate genes that we functionally screened to further dissect VGLUT-mediated DA neuron resilience across PD models. We discovered transcription factors modulating dVGLUT-dependent DA neuroprotection and identified dj-1β as a regulator of sex-specific DA neuron dVGLUT expression. Overall, VGLUT protects DA neurons from PD-associated degeneration by maintaining mitochondrial health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silas A. Buck
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Sophie A. Rubin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Tenzin Kunkhyen
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Christoph D. Treiber
- Centre for Neural Circuits & Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Xiangning Xue
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Lief E. Fenno
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Samuel J. Mabry
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Varun R. Sundar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Zilu Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Divia Shah
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Kyle D. Ketchesin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Darius D. Becker-Krail
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Iaroslavna Vasylieva
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Megan C. Smith
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Florian J. Weisel
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Wenjia Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - M. Quincy Erickson-Oberg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Emma I. O’Leary
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Eshan Aravind
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Charu Ramakrishnan
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yoon Seok Kim
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yanying Wu
- Centre for Neural Circuits & Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Matthias Quick
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Jonathan A. Coleman
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | | | - Rania Elbakri
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Briana R. De Miranda
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Michael J. Palladino
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Pittsburgh Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Brian D. McCabe
- Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kenneth N. Fish
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Marianne L. Seney
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Stephen Rayport
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Susana Mingote
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Neuroscience Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, Graduate Center of The City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Thomas S. Hnasko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
| | | | - Alan M. Watson
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Scott Waddell
- Centre for Neural Circuits & Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | | | - Ryan W. Logan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Zachary Freyberg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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31
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Pan X, Alvarez AN, Ma M, Lu S, Crawford MW, Briere LC, Kanca O, Yamamoto S, Sweetser DA, Wilson JL, Napier RJ, Pruneda JN, Bellen HJ. Allelic strengths of encephalopathy-associated UBA5 variants correlate between in vivo and in vitro assays. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.07.17.23292782. [PMID: 37502976 PMCID: PMC10371176 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.17.23292782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Protein UFMylation downstream of the E1 enzyme UBA5 plays essential roles in development and ER stress. Variants in the UBA5 gene are associated with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 44 (DEE44), an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by early-onset encephalopathy, movement abnormalities, global developmental delay, intellectual disability, and seizures. DEE44 is caused by at least twelve different missense variants described as loss of function (LoF), but the relationships between genotypes and molecular or clinical phenotypes remains to be established. We developed a humanized UBA5 fly model and biochemical activity assays in order to describe in vivo and in vitro genotype-phenotype relationships across the UBA5 allelic series. In vivo, we observed a broad spectrum of phenotypes in viability, developmental timing, lifespan, locomotor activity, and bang sensitivity. A range of functional effects was also observed in vitro across comprehensive biochemical assays for protein stability, ATP binding, UFM1 activation, and UFM1 transthiolation. Importantly, there is a strong correlation between in vivo and in vitro phenotypes, establishing a classification of LoF variants into mild, intermediate, and severe allelic strengths. By systemically evaluating UBA5 variants across in vivo and in vitro platforms, this study provides a foundation for more basic and translational UBA5 research, as well as a basis for evaluating current and future individuals afflicted with this rare disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyang Pan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Albert N. Alvarez
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Mengqi Ma
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Shenzhao Lu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Michael W. Crawford
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Lauren C. Briere
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - David A. Sweetser
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Division of Medical Genetics & Metabolism, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Jenny L. Wilson
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Ruth J. Napier
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
- VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR 97239, USA
- Division of Arthritis & Rheumatic Diseases, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Jonathan N. Pruneda
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Hugo J. Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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32
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Sizemore TR, Jonaitis J, Dacks AM. Heterogeneous receptor expression underlies non-uniform peptidergic modulation of olfaction in Drosophila. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5280. [PMID: 37644052 PMCID: PMC10465596 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41012-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory systems are dynamically adjusted according to the animal's ongoing needs by neuromodulators, such as neuropeptides. Neuropeptides are often widely-distributed throughout sensory networks, but it is unclear whether such neuropeptides uniformly modulate network activity. Here, we leverage the Drosophila antennal lobe (AL) to resolve whether myoinhibitory peptide (MIP) uniformly modulates AL processing. Despite being uniformly distributed across the AL, MIP decreases olfactory input to some glomeruli, while increasing olfactory input to other glomeruli. We reveal that a heterogeneous ensemble of local interneurons (LNs) are the sole source of AL MIP, and show that differential expression of the inhibitory MIP receptor across glomeruli allows MIP to act on distinct intraglomerular substrates. Our findings demonstrate how even a seemingly simple case of modulation can have complex consequences on network processing by acting non-uniformly within different components of the overall network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R Sizemore
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale Science Building, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520-8103, USA.
| | - Julius Jonaitis
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - Andrew M Dacks
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
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33
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Guichard A, Lu S, Kanca O, Bressan D, Huang Y, Ma M, Sanz Juste S, Andrews JC, Jay KL, Sneider M, Schwartz R, Huang MC, Bei D, Pan H, Ma L, Lin WW, Auradkar A, Bhagwat P, Park S, Wan KH, Ohsako T, Takano-Shimizu T, Celniker SE, Wangler MF, Yamamoto S, Bellen HJ, Bier E. A comprehensive Drosophila resource to identify key functional interactions between SARS-CoV-2 factors and host proteins. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112842. [PMID: 37480566 PMCID: PMC10962759 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Development of effective therapies against SARS-CoV-2 infections relies on mechanistic knowledge of virus-host interface. Abundant physical interactions between viral and host proteins have been identified, but few have been functionally characterized. Harnessing the power of fly genetics, we develop a comprehensive Drosophila COVID-19 resource (DCR) consisting of publicly available strains for conditional tissue-specific expression of all SARS-CoV-2 encoded proteins, UAS-human cDNA transgenic lines encoding established host-viral interacting factors, and GAL4 insertion lines disrupting fly homologs of SARS-CoV-2 human interacting proteins. We demonstrate the utility of the DCR to functionally assess SARS-CoV-2 genes and candidate human binding partners. We show that NSP8 engages in strong genetic interactions with several human candidates, most prominently with the ATE1 arginyltransferase to induce actin arginylation and cytoskeletal disorganization, and that two ATE1 inhibitors can reverse NSP8 phenotypes. The DCR enables parallel global-scale functional analysis of SARS-CoV-2 components in a prime genetic model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabel Guichard
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Shenzhao Lu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Daniel Bressan
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Yan Huang
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Mengqi Ma
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Sara Sanz Juste
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis at MD Anderson, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77054, USA; Center for Cancer Epigenetics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jonathan C Andrews
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kristy L Jay
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Marketta Sneider
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ruth Schwartz
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Mei-Chu Huang
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Danqing Bei
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hongling Pan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Liwen Ma
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Wen-Wen Lin
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ankush Auradkar
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Pranjali Bhagwat
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Soo Park
- Biological Systems and Engineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kenneth H Wan
- Biological Systems and Engineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Takashi Ohsako
- Advanced Technology Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Takano-Shimizu
- Kyoto Drosophila Stock Center and Faculty of Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 616-8354, Japan
| | - Susan E Celniker
- Biological Systems and Engineering, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Michael F Wangler
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Ethan Bier
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Tata Institute for Genetics and Society - UCSD, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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34
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Petsakou A, Liu Y, Liu Y, Comjean A, Hu Y, Perrimon N. Epithelial Ca 2+ waves triggered by enteric neurons heal the gut. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.14.553227. [PMID: 37645990 PMCID: PMC10461974 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.14.553227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental and unresolved question in regenerative biology is how tissues return to homeostasis after injury. Answering this question is essential for understanding the etiology of chronic disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases and cancer. We used the Drosophila midgut to investigate this question and discovered that during regeneration a subpopulation of cholinergic enteric neurons triggers Ca2+ currents among enterocytes to promote return of the epithelium to homeostasis. Specifically, we found that down-regulation of the cholinergic enzyme Acetylcholinesterase in the epithelium enables acetylcholine from defined enteric neurons, referred as ARCENs, to activate nicotinic receptors in enterocytes found near ARCEN-innervations. This activation triggers high Ca2+ influx that spreads in the epithelium through Inx2/Inx7 gap junctions promoting enterocyte maturation followed by reduction of proliferation and inflammation. Disrupting this process causes chronic injury consisting of ion imbalance, Yki activation and increase of inflammatory cytokines together with hyperplasia, reminiscent of inflammatory bowel diseases. Altogether, we found that during gut regeneration the conserved cholinergic pathway facilitates epithelial Ca2+ waves that heal the intestinal epithelium. Our findings demonstrate nerve- and bioelectric-dependent intestinal regeneration which advance the current understanding of how a tissue returns to its homeostatic state after injury and could ultimately help existing therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yifang Liu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Aram Comjean
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, USA
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35
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Chen YCD, Chen YC, Rajesh R, Shoji N, Jacy M, Lacin H, Erclik T, Desplan C. Using single-cell RNA sequencing to generate predictive cell-type-specific split-GAL4 reagents throughout development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2307451120. [PMID: 37523539 PMCID: PMC10410749 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307451120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-type-specific tools facilitate the identification and functional characterization of the distinct cell types that form the complexity of neuronal circuits. A large collection of existing genetic tools in Drosophila relies on enhancer activity to label different subsets of cells and has been extremely useful in analyzing functional circuits in adults. However, these enhancer-based GAL4 lines often do not reflect the expression of nearby gene(s) as they only represent a small portion of the full gene regulatory elements. While genetic intersectional techniques such as the split-GAL4 system further improve cell-type-specificity, it requires significant time and resources to screen through combinations of enhancer expression patterns. Here, we use existing developmental single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) datasets to select gene pairs for split-GAL4 and provide a highly efficient and predictive pipeline (scMarco) to generate cell-type-specific split-GAL4 lines at any time during development, based on the native gene regulatory elements. These gene-specific split-GAL4 lines can be generated from a large collection of coding intronic MiMIC/CRIMIC lines or by CRISPR knock-in. We use the developing Drosophila visual system as a model to demonstrate the high predictive power of scRNAseq-guided gene-specific split-GAL4 lines in targeting known cell types, annotating clusters in scRNAseq datasets as well as in identifying novel cell types. Lastly, the gene-specific split-GAL4 lines are broadly applicable to any other Drosophila tissue. Our work opens new avenues for generating cell-type-specific tools for the targeted manipulation of distinct cell types throughout development and represents a valuable resource for the Drosophila community.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yen-Chung Chen
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York,NY10003
| | - Raghuvanshi Rajesh
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York,NY10003
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, Abu Dhabi51133, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nathalie Shoji
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York,NY10003
| | - Maisha Jacy
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York,NY10003
| | - Haluk Lacin
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City, MO64110
| | - Ted Erclik
- Department of Biology and Cell, University of Toronto - Mississauga, Mississauga, ONL5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Toronto - Mississauga, Mississauga, ONL5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Claude Desplan
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York,NY10003
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, Abu Dhabi51133, United Arab Emirates
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36
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Tanaka R, Zhou B, Agrochao M, Badwan BA, Au B, Matos NCB, Clark DA. Neural mechanisms to incorporate visual counterevidence in self motion estimation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.04.522814. [PMID: 36711843 PMCID: PMC9881891 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.04.522814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In selecting appropriate behaviors, animals should weigh sensory evidence both for and against specific beliefs about the world. For instance, animals measure optic flow to estimate and control their own rotation. However, existing models of flow detection can confuse the movement of external objects with genuine self motion. Here, we show that stationary patterns on the retina, which constitute negative evidence against self rotation, are used by the fruit fly Drosophila to suppress inappropriate stabilizing rotational behavior. In silico experiments show that artificial neural networks optimized to distinguish self and world motion similarly detect stationarity and incorporate negative evidence. Employing neural measurements and genetic manipulations, we identified components of the circuitry for stationary pattern detection, which runs parallel to the fly's motion- and optic flow-detectors. Our results exemplify how the compact brain of the fly incorporates negative evidence to improve heading stability, exploiting geometrical constraints of the visual world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Tanaka
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Present Address: Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich, Munich 80802, Germany
| | - Baohua Zhou
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Margarida Agrochao
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Bara A. Badwan
- School of Engineering and Applied Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Braedyn Au
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Natalia C. B. Matos
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Damon A. Clark
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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Tran H, Le L, Singh BN, Kramer J, Steward R. Tet Controls Axon Guidance in Early Brain Development through Glutamatergic Signaling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.02.539069. [PMID: 37398066 PMCID: PMC10312521 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.02.539069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Mutations in human TET proteins have been found in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we report a new function of Tet in regulating Drosophila early brain development. We found that mutation in the Tet DNA-binding domain ( Tet AXXC ) resulted in axon guidance defects in the mushroom body (MB). Tet is required in early brain development during the outgrowth of MB β axons. Transcriptomic study shows that glutamine synthetase 2 (Gs2), a key enzyme in glutamatergic signaling, is significantly downregulated in the Tet AXXC mutant brains. CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis or RNAi knockdown of Gs2 recapitulates the Tet AXXC mutant phenotype. Surprisingly, Tet and Gs2 act in the insulin-producing cells (IPCs) to control MB axon guidance, and overexpression of Gs2 in these cells rescues the axon guidance defects of Tet AXXC . Treating Tet AXXC with the metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist MPEP can rescue while treating with glutamate enhances the phenotype confirming Tet function in regulating glutamatergic signaling. Tet AXXC and the Drosophila homolog of Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein protein mutant ( Fmr1 3 ) have similar axon guidance defects and reduction in Gs2 mRNA levels. Interestingly, overexpression of Gs2 in the IPCs also rescues the Fmr1 3 phenotype, suggesting functional overlapping of the two genes. Our studies provide the first evidence that Tet can control the guidance of axons in the developing brain by modulating glutamatergic signaling and the function is mediated by its DNA-binding domain.
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Ewen-Campen B, Luan H, Xu J, Singh R, Joshi N, Thakkar T, Berger B, White BH, Perrimon N. split-intein Gal4 provides intersectional genetic labeling that is repressible by Gal80. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2304730120. [PMID: 37276389 PMCID: PMC10268248 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304730120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The split-Gal4 system allows for intersectional genetic labeling of highly specific cell types and tissues in Drosophila. However, the existing split-Gal4 system, unlike the standard Gal4 system, cannot be repressed by Gal80, and therefore cannot be controlled temporally. This lack of temporal control precludes split-Gal4 experiments in which a genetic manipulation must be restricted to specific timepoints. Here, we describe a split-Gal4 system based on a self-excising split-intein, which drives transgene expression as strongly as the current split-Gal4 system and Gal4 reagents, yet which is repressible by Gal80. We demonstrate the potent inducibility of "split-intein Gal4" in vivo using both fluorescent reporters and via reversible tumor induction in the gut. Further, we show that our split-intein Gal4 can be extended to the drug-inducible GeneSwitch system, providing an independent method for intersectional labeling with inducible control. We also show that the split-intein Gal4 system can be used to generate highly cell type-specific genetic drivers based on in silico predictions generated by single-cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) datasets, and we describe an algorithm ("Two Against Background" or TAB) to predict cluster-specific gene pairs across multiple tissue-specific scRNA datasets. We provide a plasmid toolkit to efficiently create split-intein Gal4 drivers based on either CRISPR knock-ins to target genes or using enhancer fragments. Altogether, the split-intein Gal4 system allows for the creation of highly specific intersectional genetic drivers that are inducible/repressible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Ewen-Campen
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Haojiang Luan
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
| | - Jun Xu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Rohit Singh
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Neha Joshi
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Tanuj Thakkar
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Bonnie Berger
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
- Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02143
| | - Benjamin H. White
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- HHMI, Boston, MA02115
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Cheong HSJ, Boone KN, Bennett MM, Salman F, Ralston JD, Hatch K, Allen RF, Phelps AM, Cook AP, Phelps JS, Erginkaya M, Lee WCA, Card GM, Daly KC, Dacks AM. Organization of an Ascending Circuit that Conveys Flight Motor State. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.07.544074. [PMID: 37333334 PMCID: PMC10274802 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.07.544074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Natural behaviors are a coordinated symphony of motor acts which drive self-induced or reafferent sensory activation. Single sensors only signal presence and magnitude of a sensory cue; they cannot disambiguate exafferent (externally-induced) from reafferent sources. Nevertheless, animals readily differentiate between these sources of sensory signals to make appropriate decisions and initiate adaptive behavioral outcomes. This is mediated by predictive motor signaling mechanisms, which emanate from motor control pathways to sensory processing pathways, but how predictive motor signaling circuits function at the cellular and synaptic level is poorly understood. We use a variety of techniques, including connectomics from both male and female electron microscopy volumes, transcriptomics, neuroanatomical, physiological and behavioral approaches to resolve the network architecture of two pairs of ascending histaminergic neurons (AHNs), which putatively provide predictive motor signals to several sensory and motor neuropil. Both AHN pairs receive input primarily from an overlapping population of descending neurons, many of which drive wing motor output. The two AHN pairs target almost exclusively non-overlapping downstream neural networks including those that process visual, auditory and mechanosensory information as well as networks coordinating wing, haltere, and leg motor output. These results support the conclusion that the AHN pairs multi-task, integrating a large amount of common input, then tile their output in the brain, providing predictive motor signals to non-overlapping sensory networks affecting motor control both directly and indirectly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han S. J. Cheong
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States of America
| | - Kaitlyn N. Boone
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
| | - Marryn M. Bennett
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
| | - Farzaan Salman
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
| | - Jacob D. Ralston
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
| | - Kaleb Hatch
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
| | - Raven F. Allen
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
| | - Alec M. Phelps
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
| | - Andrew P. Cook
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
| | - Jasper S. Phelps
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America
| | - Mert Erginkaya
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, 1400-038, Portugal
| | - Wei-Chung A. Lee
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America
| | - Gwyneth M. Card
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States of America
- Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States of America
| | - Kevin C. Daly
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
| | - Andrew M. Dacks
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States of America
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Palumbo RJ, Hanes SD. Catalytic activity of the Bin3/MEPCE methyltransferase domain is dispensable for 7SK snRNP function in Drosophila melanogaster. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.01.543302. [PMID: 37333392 PMCID: PMC10274667 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.01.543302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Methylphosphate Capping Enzyme (MEPCE) monomethylates the gamma phosphate at the 5' end of the 7SK noncoding RNA, a modification thought to protect 7SK from degradation. 7SK serves as a scaffold for assembly of a snRNP complex that inhibits transcription by sequestering the positive elongation factor P-TEFb. While much is known about the biochemical activity of MEPCE in vitro, little is known about its functions in vivo, or what roles- if any-there are for regions outside the conserved methyltransferase domain. Here, we investigated the role of Bin3, the Drosophila ortholog of MEPCE, and its conserved functional domains in Drosophila development. We found that bin3 mutant females had strongly reduced rates of egg-laying, which was rescued by genetic reduction of P-TEFb activity, suggesting that Bin3 promotes fecundity by repressing P-TEFb. bin3 mutants also exhibited neuromuscular defects, analogous to a patient with MEPCE haploinsufficiency. These defects were also rescued by genetic reduction of P-TEFb activity, suggesting that Bin3 and MEPCE have conserved roles in promoting neuromuscular function by repressing P-TEFb. Unexpectedly, we found that a Bin3 catalytic mutant (Bin3Y795A) could still bind and stabilize 7SK and rescue all bin3 mutant phenotypes, indicating that Bin3 catalytic activity is dispensable for 7SK stability and snRNP function in vivo. Finally, we identified a metazoan-specific motif (MSM) outside of the methyltransferase domain and generated mutant flies lacking this motif (Bin3ΔMSM). Bin3ΔMSM mutant flies exhibited some-but not all-bin3 mutant phenotypes, suggesting that the MSM is required for a 7SK-independent, tissue-specific function of Bin3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Palumbo
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University 750 East Adams Street, 4283 Weiskotten Hall, Syracuse, New York, 13210
| | - Steven D Hanes
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University 750 East Adams Street, 4283 Weiskotten Hall, Syracuse, New York, 13210
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Rohrbach EW, Knapp EM, Deshpande SA, Krantz DE. Drosophila cells that express octopamine receptors can either inhibit or promote oviposition. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.03.539296. [PMID: 37205438 PMCID: PMC10187210 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.03.539296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Adrenergic signaling is known to play a critical role in regulating female reproductive processes in both mammals and insects. In Drosophila , the ortholog of noradrenaline, octopamine (Oa), is required for ovulation as well as several other female reproductive processes. Loss of function studies using mutant alleles of receptors, transporters, and biosynthetic enzymes for Oa have led to a model in which disruption of octopaminergic pathways reduces egg laying. However, neither the complete expression pattern in the reproductive tract nor the role of most octopamine receptors in oviposition is known. We show that all six known Oa receptors are expressed in peripheral neurons at multiple sites within in the female fly reproductive tract as well as in non-neuronal cells within the sperm storage organs. The complex pattern of Oa receptor expression in the reproductive tract suggests the potential for influencing multiple regulatory pathways, including those known to inhibit egg-laying in unmated flies. Indeed, activation of some neurons that express Oa receptors inhibits oviposition, and neurons that express different subtypes of Oa receptor can affect different stages of egg laying. Stimulation of some Oa receptor expressing neurons (OaRNs) also induces contractions in lateral oviduct muscle and activation of non-neuronal cells in the sperm storage organs by Oa generates OAMB-dependent intracellular calcium release. Our results are consistent with a model in which adrenergic pathways play a variety of complex roles in the fly reproductive tract that includes both the stimulation and inhibition of oviposition.
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Chung HL, Ye Q, Park YJ, Zuo Z, Mok JW, Kanca O, Tattikota SG, Lu S, Perrimon N, Lee HK, Bellen HJ. Very-long-chain fatty acids induce glial-derived sphingosine-1-phosphate synthesis, secretion, and neuroinflammation. Cell Metab 2023; 35:855-874.e5. [PMID: 37084732 PMCID: PMC10160010 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
VLCFAs (very-long-chain fatty acids) are the most abundant fatty acids in myelin. Hence, during demyelination or aging, glia are exposed to higher levels of VLCFA than normal. We report that glia convert these VLCFA into sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) via a glial-specific S1P pathway. Excess S1P causes neuroinflammation, NF-κB activation, and macrophage infiltration into the CNS. Suppressing the function of S1P in fly glia or neurons, or administration of Fingolimod, an S1P receptor antagonist, strongly attenuates the phenotypes caused by excess VLCFAs. In contrast, elevating the VLCFA levels in glia and immune cells exacerbates these phenotypes. Elevated VLCFA and S1P are also toxic in vertebrates based on a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Indeed, reducing VLCFA with bezafibrate ameliorates the phenotypes. Moreover, simultaneous use of bezafibrate and fingolimod synergizes to improve EAE, suggesting that lowering VLCFA and S1P is a treatment avenue for MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyung-Lok Chung
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Qi Ye
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ye-Jin Park
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Zhongyuan Zuo
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jung-Wan Mok
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Shenzhao Lu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nobert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hyun Kyoung Lee
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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Ewen-Campen B, Luan H, Xu J, Singh R, Joshi N, Thakkar T, Berger B, White BH, Perrimon N. split-intein Gal4 provides intersectional genetic labeling that is fully repressible by Gal80. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.24.534001. [PMID: 36993523 PMCID: PMC10055387 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.24.534001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
The split-Gal4 system allows for intersectional genetic labeling of highly specific cell-types and tissues in Drosophila . However, the existing split-Gal4 system, unlike the standard Gal4 system, cannot be repressed by Gal80, and therefore cannot be controlled temporally. This lack of temporal control precludes split-Gal4 experiments in which a genetic manipulation must be restricted to specific timepoints. Here, we describe a new split-Gal4 system based on a self-excising split-intein, which drives transgene expression as strongly as the current split-Gal4 system and Gal4 reagents, yet which is fully repressible by Gal80. We demonstrate the potent inducibility of "split-intein Gal4" in vivo using both fluorescent reporters and via reversible tumor induction in the gut. Further, we show that our split-intein Gal4 can be extended to the drug-inducible GeneSwitch system, providing an independent method for intersectional labeling with inducible control. We also show that the split-intein Gal4 system can be used to generate highly cell-type specific genetic drivers based on in silico predictions generated by single cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) datasets, and we describe a new algorithm ("Two Against Background" or TAB) to predict cluster-specific gene pairs across multiple tissue-specific scRNA datasets. We provide a plasmid toolkit to efficiently create split-intein Gal4 drivers based on either CRISPR knock-ins to target genes or using enhancer fragments. Altogether, the split-intein Gal4 system allows for the creation of highly specific intersectional genetic drivers that are inducible/repressible. Significance statement The split-Gal4 system allows Drosophila researchers to drive transgene expression with extraordinary cell type specificity. However, the existing split-Gal4 system cannot be controlled temporally, and therefore cannot be applied to many important areas of research. Here, we present a new split-Gal4 system based on a self-excising split-intein, which is fully controllable by Gal80, as well as a related drug-inducible split GeneSwitch system. This approach can both leverage and inform single-cell RNAseq datasets, and we introduce an algorithm to identify pairs of genes that precisely and narrowly mark a desired cell cluster. Our split-intein Gal4 system will be of value to the Drosophila research community, and allow for the creation of highly specific genetic drivers that are also inducible/repressible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Ewen-Campen
- These authors contributed equally
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Haojiang Luan
- These authors contributed equally
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jun Xu
- These authors contributed equally
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Rohit Singh
- These authors contributed equally
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Neha Joshi
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tanuj Thakkar
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bonnie Berger
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA 02143
| | - Benjamin H White
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- HHMI, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Praschberger R, Kuenen S, Schoovaerts N, Kaempf N, Singh J, Janssens J, Swerts J, Nachman E, Calatayud C, Aerts S, Poovathingal S, Verstreken P. Neuronal identity defines α-synuclein and tau toxicity. Neuron 2023; 111:1577-1590.e11. [PMID: 36948206 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic α-synuclein and tau are critical drivers of neurodegeneration, and their mutations cause neuronal loss in patients. Whether the underlying preferential neuronal vulnerability is a cell-type-intrinsic property or a consequence of increased expression levels remains elusive. Here, we explore cell-type-specific α-synuclein and tau expression in human brain datasets and use deep phenotyping as well as brain-wide single-cell RNA sequencing of >200 live neuron types in fruit flies to determine which cellular environments react most to α-synuclein or tau toxicity. We detect phenotypic and transcriptomic evidence of differential neuronal vulnerability independent of α-synuclein or tau expression levels. Comparing vulnerable with resilient neurons in Drosophila enabled us to predict numerous human neuron subtypes with increased intrinsic susceptibility to pathogenic α-synuclein or tau. By uncovering synapse- and Ca2+ homeostasis-related genes as tau toxicity modifiers, our work paves the way to leverage neuronal identity to uncover modifiers of neurodegeneration-associated toxic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Praschberger
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Sabine Kuenen
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nils Schoovaerts
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Natalie Kaempf
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jeevanjot Singh
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jasper Janssens
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jef Swerts
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Eliana Nachman
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Carles Calatayud
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stein Aerts
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Patrik Verstreken
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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45
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Garrett EC, Bielawski AM, Ruchti E, Sherer LM, Waghmare I, Hess-Homeier D, McCabe BD, Stowers RS, Certel SJ. The matricellular protein Drosophila Cellular Communication Network Factor is required for synaptic transmission and female fertility. Genetics 2023; 223:iyac190. [PMID: 36602539 PMCID: PMC9991515 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Within the extracellular matrix, matricellular proteins are dynamically expressed nonstructural proteins that interact with cell surface receptors, growth factors, and proteases, as well as with structural matrix proteins. The cellular communication network factors family of matricellular proteins serve regulatory roles to regulate cell function and are defined by their conserved multimodular organization. Here, we characterize the expression and neuronal requirement for the Drosophila cellular communication network factor family member. Drosophila cellular communication network factor is expressed in the nervous system throughout development including in subsets of monoamine-expressing neurons. Drosophila cellular communication network factor-expressing abdominal ganglion neurons innervate the ovaries and uterus and the loss of Drosophila cellular communication network factor results in reduced female fertility. In addition, Drosophila cellular communication network factor accumulates at the synaptic cleft and is required for neurotransmission at the larval neuromuscular junction. Analyzing the function of the single Drosophila cellular communication network factor family member will enhance our potential to understand how the microenvironment impacts neurotransmitter release in distinct cellular contexts and in response to activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashley M Bielawski
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Evelyne Ruchti
- Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lewis M Sherer
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Indrayani Waghmare
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Program in Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt-Ingram Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - David Hess-Homeier
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Brian D McCabe
- Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - R Steven Stowers
- Department of Cell Biology and Microbiology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Sarah J Certel
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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Jones JD, Holder BL, Eiken KR, Vogt A, Velarde AI, Elder AJ, McEllin JA, Dissel S. Regulation of sleep by cholinergic neurons located outside the central brain in Drosophila. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002012. [PMID: 36862736 PMCID: PMC10013921 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep is a complex and plastic behavior regulated by multiple brain regions and influenced by numerous internal and external stimuli. Thus, to fully uncover the function(s) of sleep, cellular resolution of sleep-regulating neurons needs to be achieved. Doing so will help to unequivocally assign a role or function to a given neuron or group of neurons in sleep behavior. In the Drosophila brain, neurons projecting to the dorsal fan-shaped body (dFB) have emerged as a key sleep-regulating area. To dissect the contribution of individual dFB neurons to sleep, we undertook an intersectional Split-GAL4 genetic screen focusing on cells contained within the 23E10-GAL4 driver, the most widely used tool to manipulate dFB neurons. In this study, we demonstrate that 23E10-GAL4 expresses in neurons outside the dFB and in the fly equivalent of the spinal cord, the ventral nerve cord (VNC). Furthermore, we show that 2 VNC cholinergic neurons strongly contribute to the sleep-promoting capacity of the 23E10-GAL4 driver under baseline conditions. However, in contrast to other 23E10-GAL4 neurons, silencing these VNC cells does not block sleep homeostasis. Thus, our data demonstrate that the 23E10-GAL4 driver contains at least 2 different types of sleep-regulating neurons controlling distinct aspects of sleep behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D. Jones
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Brandon L. Holder
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Kiran R. Eiken
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Alex Vogt
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Adriana I. Velarde
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Alexandra J. Elder
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Jennifer A. McEllin
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Stephane Dissel
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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47
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Lapraz F, Boutres C, Fixary-Schuster C, De Queiroz BR, Plaçais PY, Cerezo D, Besse F, Préat T, Noselli S. Asymmetric activity of NetrinB controls laterality of the Drosophila brain. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1052. [PMID: 36828820 PMCID: PMC9958012 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36644-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Left-Right (LR) asymmetry of the nervous system is widespread across animals and is thought to be important for cognition and behaviour. But in contrast to visceral organ asymmetry, the genetic basis and function of brain laterality remain only poorly characterized. In this study, we performed RNAi screening to identify genes controlling brain asymmetry in Drosophila. We found that the conserved NetrinB (NetB) pathway is required for a small group of bilateral neurons to project asymmetrically into a pair of neuropils (Asymmetrical Bodies, AB) in the central brain in both sexes. While neurons project unilaterally into the right AB in wild-type flies, netB mutants show a bilateral projection phenotype and hence lose asymmetry. Developmental time course analysis reveals an initially bilateral connectivity, eventually resolving into a right asymmetrical circuit during metamorphosis, with the NetB pathway being required just prior symmetry breaking. We show using unilateral clonal analysis that netB activity is required specifically on the right side for neurons to innervate the right AB. We finally show that loss of NetB pathway activity leads to specific alteration of long-term memory, providing a functional link between asymmetrical circuitry determined by NetB and animal cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Lapraz
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France.
| | - C Boutres
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
| | | | | | - P Y Plaçais
- Plasticité du Cerveau, UMR 8249, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - D Cerezo
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
| | - F Besse
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
| | - T Préat
- Plasticité du Cerveau, UMR 8249, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - S Noselli
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France.
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48
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Chen YCD, Chen YC, Rajesh R, Shoji N, Jacy M, Lacin H, Erclik T, Desplan C. Using single-cell RNA sequencing to generate cell-type-specific split-GAL4 reagents throughout development. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.03.527019. [PMID: 36778312 PMCID: PMC9915743 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.03.527019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Cell-type-specific tools facilitate the identification and functional characterization of distinct cell types, which underly the complexity of neuronal circuits. A large collection of existing genetic tools in Drosophila relies on enhancer activity to label different subsets of cells. These enhancer-based GAL4 lines often fail to show a predicable expression pattern to reflect the expression of nearby gene(s), partly due to an incomplete capture of the full gene regulatory elements. While genetic intersectional technique such as the split-GAL4 system further improve cell-type-specificity, it requires significant time and resource to generate and screen through combinations of enhancer expression patterns. In addition, since existing enhancer-based split-GAL4 lines that show cell-type-specific labeling in adult are not necessarily active nor specific in early development, there is a relative lack of tools for the study of neural development. Here, we use an existing single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) dataset to select gene pairs and provide an efficient pipeline to generate cell-type-specific split-GAL4 lines based on the native genetic regulatory elements. These gene-specific split-GAL4 lines can be generated from a large collection of coding intronic MiMIC/CRIMIC lines either by embryo injection or in vivo cassette swapping crosses and/or CRISPR knock-in at the N or C terminal of the gene. We use the developing Drosophila visual system as a model to demonstrate the high prediction power of scRNAseq-guided gene specific split-GAL4 lines in targeting known cell types. The toolkit allows efficient cluster annotation in scRNAseq datasets but also the identification of novel cell types. Lastly, the gene-specific split-GAL4 lines are broadly applicable to Drosophila tissues. Our work opens new avenues for generating cell-type-specific tools for the targeted manipulation of distinct cell types throughout development and represents a valuable resource to the fly research community. Significance Statement Understanding the functional role of individual cell types in the nervous systems has remained a major challenge for neuroscience researchers, partly due to incomplete identification and characterization of underlying cell types. To study the development of individual cell types and their functional roles in health and disease, experimental access to a specific cell type is often a prerequisite. Here, we establish an experimental pipeline to generate gene-specific split-GAL4 guided by single-cell RNA sequencing datasets. These lines show high accuracy for labeling targeted cell types from early developmental stages to adulthood and can be applied to any tissues in Drosophila. The collection of gene-speicifc-split-GAL4 will provide a valuable resource to the entire fly research community.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yen-Chung Chen
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Raghuvanshi Rajesh
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, Abu Dhabi 51133, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nathalie Shoji
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Maisha Jacy
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Haluk Lacin
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ted Erclik
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A1, Canada
| | - Claude Desplan
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, Abu Dhabi 51133, United Arab Emirates
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49
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Mele S, Martelli F, Lin J, Kanca O, Christodoulou J, Bellen HJ, Piper MDW, Johnson TK. Drosophila as a diet discovery tool for treating amino acid disorders. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2023; 34:85-105. [PMID: 36567227 DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Amino acid disorders (AADs) are a large group of rare inherited conditions that collectively impact one in 6500 live births, often resulting in rapid neurological decline and death during infancy. For several AADs, including phenylketonuria, dietary modification prevents physiological deterioration and ameliorates symptoms. Despite this remarkable potential for treatment success, dietary therapy for most AADs remains largely unexplored. Although animal models have provided novel insights into AAD mechanisms, few have been used for therapeutic diet discovery. Here, we find that of all the animal models, Drosophila is particularly well suited for nutrigenomic disease modelling, having amino acid pathways conserved with humans, exceptional genetic tractability, and the unique availability of a synthetic customisable diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Mele
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Felipe Martelli
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Jiayi Lin
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - John Christodoulou
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Matthew D W Piper
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
| | - Travis K Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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50
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Lassetter AP, Corty MM, Barria R, Sheehan AE, Hill JQ, Aicher SA, Fox AN, Freeman MR. Glial TGFβ activity promotes neuron survival in peripheral nerves. J Cell Biol 2023; 222:e202111053. [PMID: 36399182 PMCID: PMC9679965 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202111053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintaining long, energetically demanding axons throughout the life of an animal is a major challenge for the nervous system. Specialized glia ensheathe axons and support their function and integrity throughout life, but glial support mechanisms remain poorly defined. Here, we identified a collection of secreted and transmembrane molecules required in glia for long-term axon survival in vivo. We showed that the majority of components of the TGFβ superfamily are required in glia for sensory neuron maintenance but not glial ensheathment of axons. In the absence of glial TGFβ signaling, neurons undergo age-dependent degeneration that can be rescued either by genetic blockade of Wallerian degeneration or caspase-dependent death. Blockade of glial TGFβ signaling results in increased ATP in glia that can be mimicked by enhancing glial mitochondrial biogenesis or suppressing glial monocarboxylate transporter function. We propose that glial TGFβ signaling supports axon survival and suppresses neurodegeneration through promoting glial metabolic support of neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Megan M. Corty
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Romina Barria
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Amy E. Sheehan
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Jo Q. Hill
- Department of Chemical Physiology & Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Sue A. Aicher
- Department of Chemical Physiology & Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
| | - A. Nicole Fox
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
| | - Marc R. Freeman
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
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