101
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Phanindhar K, Mishra RK. Auxin-inducible degron system: an efficient protein degradation tool to study protein function. Biotechniques 2023; 74:186-198. [PMID: 37191015 DOI: 10.2144/btn-2022-0108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation, with its rapid protein depletion kinetics, allows the measurement of acute changes in the cell. The auxin-inducible degron (AID) system, rapidly degrades AID-tagged proteins only in the presence of auxin. The AID system being inducible makes the study of essential genes and dynamic processes like cell differentiation, cell cycle and genome organization feasible. The AID degradation system has been adapted to yeast, protozoans, C. elegans, Drosophila, zebrafish, mouse and mammalian cell lines. Using the AID system, researchers have unveiled novel functions for essential proteins at developmental stages that were previously difficult to investigate due to early lethality. This comprehensive review discusses the development, advancements, applications and drawbacks of the AID system and compares it with other available protein degradation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kundurthi Phanindhar
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Rakesh K Mishra
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India
- Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
- Tata Institute for Genetics & Society (TIGS), Bangalore, 560065, India
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102
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Sheahan TD, Grewal A, Korthauer LE, Blumenthal EM. The Drosophila drop-dead gene is required for eggshell integrity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.25.538335. [PMID: 37163052 PMCID: PMC10168300 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.25.538335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The eggshell of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a useful model for understanding the synthesis of a complex extracellular matrix. The eggshell is synthesized during mid-to-late oogenesis by the somatic follicle cells that surround the developing oocyte. We previously reported that female flies mutant for the gene drop-dead ( drd ) are sterile, but the underlying cause of the sterility remained unknown. In this study, we examined the role of drd in eggshell synthesis. We show that eggs laid by drd mutant females are fertilized but arrest early in embryogenesis, and that the innermost layer of the eggshell, the vitelline membrane, is abnormally permeable to dye in these eggs. In addition, the major vitelline membrane proteins fail to become crosslinked by nonreducible bonds, a process that normally occurs during egg activation following ovulation, as evidenced by their solubility and detection by Western blot in laid eggs. In contrast, the Cp36 protein, which is found in the outer chorion layers of the eggshell, becomes crosslinked normally. To link the drd expression pattern with these phenotypes, we show that drd is expressed in the ovarian follicle cells beginning in mid-oogenesis, and, importantly, that all drd mutant eggshell phenotypes could be recapitulated by selective knockdown of drd expression in the follicle cells. To determine whether drd expression was required for the crosslinking itself, we performed in vitro activation and crosslinking experiments. The vitelline membranes of control egg chambers could become crosslinked either by incubation in hyperosmotic medium, which activates the egg chambers, or by exogenous peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide. In contrast, neither treatment resulted in the crosslinking of the vitelline membrane in drd mutant egg chambers. These results indicate that drd expression in the follicle cells is necessary for vitelline membrane proteins to serve as substrates for peroxidase-mediated cross-linking at the end of oogenesis.
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103
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Sanal N, Keding L, Gigengack U, Michalke E, Rumpf S. TORC1 regulation of dendrite regrowth after pruning is linked to actin and exocytosis. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010526. [PMID: 37167328 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurite pruning and regrowth are important mechanisms to adapt neural circuits to distinct developmental stages. Neurite regrowth after pruning often depends on differential regulation of growth signaling pathways, but their precise mechanisms of action during regrowth are unclear. Here, we show that the PI3K/TORC1 pathway is required for dendrite regrowth after pruning in Drosophila peripheral neurons during metamorphosis. TORC1 impinges on translation initiation, and our analysis of 5' untranslated regions (UTRs) of remodeling factor mRNAs linked to actin suggests that TOR selectively stimulates the translation of regrowth over pruning factors. Furthermore, we find that dendrite regrowth also requires the GTPase RalA and the exocyst complex as regulators of polarized secretion, and we provide evidence that this pathway is also regulated by TOR. We propose that TORC1 coordinates dendrite regrowth after pruning by coordinately stimulating the translation of regrowth factors involved in cytoskeletal regulation and secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeraja Sanal
- Multiscale Imaging Center, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Lorena Keding
- Multiscale Imaging Center, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ulrike Gigengack
- Multiscale Imaging Center, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Esther Michalke
- Multiscale Imaging Center, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sebastian Rumpf
- Multiscale Imaging Center, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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104
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Escobedo SE, McGovern SE, Jauregui-Lozano JP, Stanhope SC, Anik P, Singhal K, DeBernardis R, Weake VM. Targeted RNAi screen identifies transcriptional mechanisms that prevent premature degeneration of adult photoreceptors. FRONTIERS IN EPIGENETICS AND EPIGENOMICS 2023; 1:1187980. [PMID: 37901602 PMCID: PMC10603763 DOI: 10.3389/freae.2023.1187980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Aging is associated with a decline in visual function and increased prevalence of ocular disease, correlating with changes in the transcriptome and epigenome of cells in the eye. Here, we sought to identify the transcriptional mechanisms that are necessary to maintain photoreceptor viability and function during aging. To do this, we performed a targeted photoreceptor-specific RNAi screen in Drosophila to identify transcriptional regulators whose knockdown results in premature, age-dependent retinal degeneration. From an initial set of 155 RNAi lines each targeting a unique gene and spanning a diverse set of transcription factors, chromatin remodelers, and histone modifiers, we identified 18 high-confidence target genes whose decreased expression in adult photoreceptors leads to premature and progressive retinal degeneration. These 18 target genes were enriched for factors involved in the regulation of transcription initiation, pausing, and elongation, suggesting that these processes are essential for maintaining the health of aging photoreceptors. To identify the genes regulated by these factors, we profiled the photoreceptor transcriptome in a subset of lines. Strikingly, two of the 18 target genes, Spt5 and domino, show similar changes in gene expression to those observed in photoreceptors with advanced age. Together, our data suggest that dysregulation of factors involved in transcription initiation and elongation plays a key role in shaping the transcriptome of aging photoreceptors. Further, our findings indicate that the age-dependent changes in gene expression not only correlate but might also contribute to an increased risk of retinal degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer E. Escobedo
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Sarah E. McGovern
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | | | - Sarah C. Stanhope
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Paul Anik
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Kratika Singhal
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Ryan DeBernardis
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Vikki M. Weake
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
- Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
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105
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Datta I, Vassel T, Linkous B, Odum T, Drew C, Taylor A, Bangi E. A targeted genetic modifier screen in Drosophila uncovers vulnerabilities in a genetically complex model of colon cancer. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad053. [PMID: 36880303 PMCID: PMC10151408 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad053] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Received on 16 January 2023; accepted on 21 February 2023Kinases are key regulators of cellular signal transduction pathways. Many diseases, including cancer, are associated with global alterations in protein phosphorylation networks. As a result, kinases are frequent targets of drug discovery efforts. However, target identification and assessment, a critical step in targeted drug discovery that involves identifying essential genetic mediators of disease phenotypes, can be challenging in complex, heterogeneous diseases like cancer, where multiple concurrent genomic alterations are common. Drosophila is a particularly useful genetic model system to identify novel regulators of biological processes through unbiased genetic screens. Here, we report 2 classic genetic modifier screens focusing on the Drosophila kinome to identify kinase regulators in 2 different backgrounds: KRAS TP53 PTEN APC, a multigenic cancer model that targets 4 genes recurrently mutated in human colon tumors and KRAS alone, a simpler model that targets one of the most frequently altered pathways in cancer. These screens identified hits unique to each model and one shared by both, emphasizing the importance of capturing the genetic complexity of human tumor genome landscapes in experimental models. Our follow-up analysis of 2 hits from the KRAS-only screen suggests that classical genetic modifier screens in heterozygous mutant backgrounds that result in a modest, nonlethal reduction in candidate gene activity in the context of a whole animal-a key goal of systemic drug treatment-may be a particularly useful approach to identify the most rate-limiting genetic vulnerabilities in disease models as ideal candidate drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishwaree Datta
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
| | - Tajah Vassel
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
| | - Benjamin Linkous
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
| | - Tyler Odum
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
| | - Christian Drew
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
| | - Andrew Taylor
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
| | - Erdem Bangi
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
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106
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Varte V, Munkelwitz JW, Rincon-Limas DE. Insights from Drosophila on Aβ- and tau-induced mitochondrial dysfunction: mechanisms and tools. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1184080. [PMID: 37139514 PMCID: PMC10150963 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1184080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative dementia in older adults worldwide. Sadly, there are no disease-modifying therapies available for treatment due to the multifactorial complexity of the disease. AD is pathologically characterized by extracellular deposition of amyloid beta (Aβ) and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau. Increasing evidence suggest that Aβ also accumulates intracellularly, which may contribute to the pathological mitochondrial dysfunction observed in AD. According with the mitochondrial cascade hypothesis, mitochondrial dysfunction precedes clinical decline and thus targeting mitochondria may result in new therapeutic strategies. Unfortunately, the precise mechanisms connecting mitochondrial dysfunction with AD are largely unknown. In this review, we will discuss how the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is contributing to answer mechanistic questions in the field, from mitochondrial oxidative stress and calcium dysregulation to mitophagy and mitochondrial fusion and fission. In particular, we will highlight specific mitochondrial insults caused by Aβ and tau in transgenic flies and will also discuss a variety of genetic tools and sensors available to study mitochondrial biology in this flexible organism. Areas of opportunity and future directions will be also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanlalrinchhani Varte
- Department of Neurology, McKnight Brain Institute, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Jeremy W. Munkelwitz
- Department of Neurology, McKnight Brain Institute, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Diego E. Rincon-Limas
- Department of Neurology, McKnight Brain Institute, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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107
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Duan Q, Estrella R, Carson A, Chen Y, Volkan PC. The effect of Drosophila attP40 background on the glomerular organization of Or47b olfactory receptor neurons. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad022. [PMID: 36695023 PMCID: PMC10085800 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad022] [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: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophage integrase-directed insertion of transgenic constructs into specific genomic loci has been widely used by Drosophila community. The attP40 landing site located on the second chromosome gained popularity because of its high inducible transgene expression levels. Here, unexpectedly, we found that homozygous attP40 chromosome disrupts normal glomerular organization of Or47b olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) class in Drosophila. This effect is not likely to be caused by the loss of function of Msp300, where the attP40 docking site is inserted. Moreover, the attP40 background seems to genetically interact with the second chromosome Or47b-GAL4 driver, which results in a similar glomerular defect. Whether the ORN phenotype is caused by the neighbouring genes around Msp300 locus in the presence of attP40-based insertions or a second unknown mutation in the attP40 background remains elusive. Our findings tell a cautionary tale about using this popular transgenic landing site, highlighting the importance of rigorous controls to rule out the attP40 landing site-associated background effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qichen Duan
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Rachel Estrella
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Allison Carson
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Yang Chen
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Pelin C Volkan
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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108
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Vaikakkara Chithran A, Allan DW, O'Connor TP. Adult expression of Semaphorins and Plexins is essential for motor neuron survival. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5894. [PMID: 37041188 PMCID: PMC10090137 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32943-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Axon guidance cues direct the growth and steering of neuronal growth cones, thus guiding the axons to their targets during development. Nonetheless, after axons have reached their targets and established functional circuits, many mature neurons continue to express these developmental cues. The role of axon guidance cues in the adult nervous system has not been fully elucidated. Using the expression pattern data available on FlyBase, we found that more than 96% of the guidance genes that are expressed in the Drosophila melanogaster embryo continue to be expressed in adults. We utilized the GeneSwitch and TARGET systems to spatiotemporally knockdown the expression of these guidance genes selectively in the adult neurons, once the development was completed. We performed an RNA interference (RNAi) screen against 44 guidance genes in the adult Drosophila nervous system and identified 14 genes that are required for adult survival and normal motility. Additionally, we show that adult expression of Semaphorins and Plexins in motor neurons is necessary for neuronal survival, indicating that guidance genes have critical functions in the mature nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarya Vaikakkara Chithran
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, 3402-2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Douglas W Allan
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Timothy P O'Connor
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
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109
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Liu X, Zhao Y, Zou W. Molecular mechanisms of neurite regeneration and repair: insights from C. elegans and Drosophila. CELL REGENERATION (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2023; 12:12. [PMID: 37005942 PMCID: PMC10067779 DOI: 10.1186/s13619-022-00155-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
The difficulties of injured and degenerated neurons to regenerate neurites and regain functions are more significant than in other body tissues, making neurodegenerative and related diseases hard to cure. Uncovering the secrets of neural regeneration and how this process may be inhibited after injury will provide insights into novel management and potential treatments for these diseases. Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster are two of the most widely used and well-established model organisms endowed with advantages in genetic manipulation and live imaging to explore this fundamental question about neural regeneration. Here, we review the classical models and techniques, and the involvement and cooperation of subcellular structures during neurite regeneration using these two organisms. Finally, we list several important open questions that we look forward to inspiring future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofan Liu
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuqing Zhao
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, China
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Zhejiang University and University of Edinburgh, Jiaxing, China
| | - Wei Zou
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, China.
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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110
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Das M, Cheng D, Matzat T, Auld VJ. Innexin-Mediated Adhesion between Glia Is Required for Axon Ensheathment in the Peripheral Nervous System. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2260-2276. [PMID: 36801823 PMCID: PMC10072304 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1323-22.2023] [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: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Glia are essential to protecting and enabling nervous system function and a key glial function is the formation of the glial sheath around peripheral axons. Each peripheral nerve in the Drosophila larva is ensheathed by three glial layers, which structurally support and insulate the peripheral axons. How peripheral glia communicate with each other and between layers is not well established and we investigated the role of Innexins in mediating glial function in the Drosophila periphery. Of the eight Drosophila Innexins, we found two (Inx1 and Inx2) are important for peripheral glia development. In particular loss of Inx1 and Inx2 resulted in defects in the wrapping glia leading to disruption of the glia wrap. Of interest loss of Inx2 in the subperineurial glia also resulted in defects in the neighboring wrapping glia. Inx plaques were observed between the subperineurial glia and the wrapping glia suggesting that gap junctions link these two glial cell types. We found Inx2 is key to Ca2+ pulses in the peripheral subperineurial glia but not in the wrapping glia, and we found no evidence of gap junction communication between subperineurial and wrapping glia. Rather we have clear evidence that Inx2 plays an adhesive and channel-independent role between the subperineurial and wrapping glia to ensure the integrity of the glial wrap.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Gap junctions are critical for glia communication and formation of myelin in myelinating glia. However, the role of gap junctions in non-myelinating glia is not well studied, yet non-myelinating glia are critical for peripheral nerve function. We found the Innexin gap junction proteins are present between different classes of peripheral glia in Drosophila. Here Innexins form junctions to facilitate adhesion between the different glia but do so in a channel-independent manner. Loss of adhesion leads to disruption of the glial wrap around axons and leads to fragmentation of the wrapping glia membranes. Our work points to an important role for gap junction proteins in mediating insulation by non-myelinating glia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mriga Das
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Duo Cheng
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Till Matzat
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Vanessa J Auld
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
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111
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Scott H, Novikov B, Ugur B, Allen B, Mertsalov I, Monagas-Valentin P, Koff M, Baas Robinson S, Aoki K, Veizaj R, Lefeber DJ, Tiemeyer M, Bellen H, Panin V. Glia-neuron coupling via a bipartite sialylation pathway promotes neural transmission and stress tolerance in Drosophila. eLife 2023; 12:e78280. [PMID: 36946697 PMCID: PMC10110239 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78280] [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: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Modification by sialylated glycans can affect protein functions, underlying mechanisms that control animal development and physiology. Sialylation relies on a dedicated pathway involving evolutionarily conserved enzymes, including CMP-sialic acid synthetase (CSAS) and sialyltransferase (SiaT) that mediate the activation of sialic acid and its transfer onto glycan termini, respectively. In Drosophila, CSAS and DSiaT genes function in the nervous system, affecting neural transmission and excitability. We found that these genes function in different cells: the function of CSAS is restricted to glia, while DSiaT functions in neurons. This partition of the sialylation pathway allows for regulation of neural functions via a glia-mediated control of neural sialylation. The sialylation genes were shown to be required for tolerance to heat and oxidative stress and for maintenance of the normal level of voltage-gated sodium channels. Our results uncovered a unique bipartite sialylation pathway that mediates glia-neuron coupling and regulates neural excitability and stress tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary Scott
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
| | - Boris Novikov
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
| | - Berrak Ugur
- Departments of Molecular and Human Genetics and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, and Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Brooke Allen
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
| | - Ilya Mertsalov
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
| | - Pedro Monagas-Valentin
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
| | - Melissa Koff
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
| | - Sarah Baas Robinson
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of GeorgiaAthensUnited States
| | - Kazuhiro Aoki
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of GeorgiaAthensUnited States
| | - Raisa Veizaj
- Translational Metabolic Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical CenterNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Dirk J Lefeber
- Translational Metabolic Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical CenterNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Michael Tiemeyer
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of GeorgiaAthensUnited States
| | - Hugo Bellen
- Departments of Molecular and Human Genetics and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, and Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Vladislav Panin
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
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112
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di Pietro F, Osswald M, De Las Heras JM, Cristo I, López-Gay J, Wang Z, Pelletier S, Gaugué I, Leroy A, Martin C, Morais-de-Sá E, Bellaïche Y. Systematic analysis of RhoGEF/GAP localizations uncovers regulators of mechanosensing and junction formation during epithelial cell division. Curr Biol 2023; 33:858-874.e7. [PMID: 36917931 PMCID: PMC10017266 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Cell proliferation is central to epithelial tissue development, repair, and homeostasis. During cell division, small RhoGTPases control both actomyosin dynamics and cell-cell junction remodeling to faithfully segregate the genome while maintaining tissue polarity and integrity. To decipher the mechanisms of RhoGTPase spatiotemporal regulation during epithelial cell division, we generated a transgenic fluorescently tagged library for the 48 Drosophila Rho guanine exchange factors (RhoGEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), and we systematically characterized their endogenous distributions by time-lapse microscopy. Therefore, we unveiled candidate regulators of the interplay between actomyosin and junctional dynamics during epithelial cell division. Building on these findings, we established that the conserved RhoGEF Cysts and RhoGEF4 play sequential and distinct roles to couple cytokinesis with de novo junction formation. During ring contraction, Cysts via Rho1 participates in the neighbor mechanosensing response, promoting daughter-daughter cell membrane juxtaposition in preparation to de novo junction formation. Subsequently and upon midbody formation, RhoGEF4 via Rac acts in the dividing cell to ensure the withdrawal of the neighboring cell membranes, thus controlling de novo junction length and cell-cell arrangements upon cytokinesis. Altogether, our findings delineate how the RhoGTPases Rho and Rac are locally and temporally activated during epithelial cytokinesis, highlighting the RhoGEF/GAP library as a key resource to understand the broad range of biological processes regulated by RhoGTPases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florencia di Pietro
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Mariana Osswald
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular; i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - José M De Las Heras
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Inês Cristo
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Jesús López-Gay
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Zhimin Wang
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Pelletier
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Gaugué
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Adrien Leroy
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Charlotte Martin
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Eurico Morais-de-Sá
- IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular; i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Yohanns Bellaïche
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, Genetics and Developmental Biology, 75005 Paris, France.
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113
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Pueyo JI, Salazar J, Grincho C, Berni J, Towler BP, Newbury SF. Purriato is a conserved small open reading frame gene that interacts with the CASA pathway to regulate muscle homeostasis and epithelial tissue growth in Drosophila. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1117454. [PMID: 36968202 PMCID: PMC10036370 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1117454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in proteogenomic techniques and bioinformatic pipelines have permitted the detection of thousands of translated small Open Reading Frames (smORFs), which contain less than 100 codons, in eukaryotic genomes. Hundreds of these actively translated smORFs display conserved sequence, structure and evolutionary signatures indicating that the translated peptides could fulfil important biological roles. Despite their abundance, only tens of smORF genes have been fully characterised; these act mainly as regulators of canonical proteins involved in essential cellular processes. Importantly, some of these smORFs display conserved functions with their mutations being associated with pathogenesis. Thus, investigating smORF roles in Drosophila will not only expand our understanding of their functions but it may have an impact in human health. Here we describe the function of a novel and essential Drosophila smORF gene named purriato (prto). prto belongs to an ancient gene family whose members have expanded throughout the Protostomia clade. prto encodes a transmembrane peptide which is localized in endo-lysosomes and perinuclear and plasma membranes. prto is dynamically expressed in mesodermal tissues and imaginal discs. Targeted prto knockdown (KD) in these organs results in changes in nuclear morphology and endo-lysosomal distributions correlating with the loss of sarcomeric homeostasis in muscles and reduction of mitosis in wing discs. Consequently, prto KD mutants display severe reduction of motility, and shorter wings. Finally, our genetic interaction experiments show that prto function is closely associated to the CASA pathway, a conserved mechanism involved in turnover of mis-folded proteins and linked to muscle dystrophies and neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, this study shows the relevance of smORFs in regulating important cellular functions and supports the systematic characterisation of this class of genes to understand their functions and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose I. Pueyo
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Jorge Salazar
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Carolina Grincho
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Jimena Berni
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin P. Towler
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah F. Newbury
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
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114
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Hebbar S, Traikov S, Hälsig C, Knust E. Modulating the Kynurenine pathway or sequestering toxic 3-hydroxykynurenine protects the retina from light-induced damage in Drosophila. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010644. [PMID: 36952572 PMCID: PMC10035932 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Tissue health is regulated by a myriad of exogenous or endogenous factors. Here we investigated the role of the conserved Kynurenine pathway (KP) in maintaining retinal homeostasis in the context of light stress in Drosophila melanogaster. cinnabar, cardinal and scarlet are fly genes that encode different steps in the KP. Along with white, these genes are known regulators of brown pigment (ommochrome) biosynthesis. Using white as a sensitized genetic background, we show that mutations in cinnabar, cardinal and scarlet differentially modulate light-induced retinal damage. Mass Spectrometric measurements of KP metabolites in flies with different genetic combinations support the notion that increased levels of 3-hydroxykynurenine (3OH-K) and Xanthurenic acid (XA) enhance retinal damage, whereas Kynurenic Acid (KYNA) and Kynurenine (K) are neuro-protective. This conclusion was corroborated by showing that feeding 3OH-K results in enhanced retinal damage, whereas feeding KYNA protects the retina in sensitized genetic backgrounds. Interestingly, the harmful effects of free 3OH-K are diminished by its sub-cellular compartmentalization. Sequestering of 3OH-K enables the quenching of its toxicity through conversion to brown pigment or conjugation to proteins. This work enabled us to decouple the role of these KP genes in ommochrome formation from their role in retinal homeostasis. Additionally, it puts forward new hypotheses on the importance of the balance of KP metabolites and their compartmentalization in disease alleviation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarita Hebbar
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Sofia Traikov
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Catrin Hälsig
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Knust
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
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115
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Marie PP, Fan S, Mason J, Wells A, Mendes CC, Wainwright SM, Scott S, Fischer R, Harris AL, Wilson C, Goberdhan DCI. Accessory ESCRT-III proteins are conserved and selective regulators of Rab11a-exosome formation. J Extracell Vesicles 2023; 12:e12311. [PMID: 36872252 PMCID: PMC9986085 DOI: 10.1002/jev2.12311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Exosomes are secreted nanovesicles with potent signalling activity that are initially formed as intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) in late Rab7-positive multivesicular endosomes, and also in recycling Rab11a-positive endosomes, particularly under some forms of nutrient stress. The core proteins of the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) participate in exosome biogenesis and ILV-mediated destruction of ubiquitinylated cargos. Accessory ESCRT-III components have reported roles in ESCRT-III-mediated vesicle scission, but their precise functions are poorly defined. They frequently only appear essential under stress. Comparative proteomics analysis of human small extracellular vesicles revealed that accessory ESCRT-III proteins, CHMP1A, CHMP1B, CHMP5 and IST1, are increased in Rab11a-enriched exosome preparations. We show that these proteins are required to form ILVs in Drosophila secondary cell recycling endosomes, but unlike core ESCRTs, they are not involved in degradation of ubiquitinylated proteins in late endosomes. Furthermore, CHMP5 knockdown in human HCT116 colorectal cancer cells selectively inhibits Rab11a-exosome production. Accessory ESCRT-III knockdown suppresses seminal fluid-mediated reproductive signalling by secondary cells and the growth-promoting activity of Rab11a-exosome-containing EVs from HCT116 cells. We conclude that accessory ESCRT-III components have a specific, ubiquitin-independent role in Rab11a-exosome generation, a mechanism that might be targeted to selectively block pro-tumorigenic activities of these vesicles in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline P. Marie
- Department of Physiology Anatomy and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Shih‐Jung Fan
- Department of Physiology Anatomy and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - John Mason
- Department of Physiology Anatomy and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Adam Wells
- Department of Physiology Anatomy and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Cláudia C. Mendes
- Department of Physiology Anatomy and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - S. Mark Wainwright
- Department of Physiology Anatomy and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Sheherezade Scott
- Department of Physiology Anatomy and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Roman Fischer
- Target Discovery InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Clive Wilson
- Department of Physiology Anatomy and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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116
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Dede M, Hart T. Recovering false negatives in CRISPR fitness screens with JLOE. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:1637-1651. [PMID: 36727483 PMCID: PMC9976895 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
It is widely accepted that pooled library CRISPR knockout screens offer greater sensitivity and specificity than prior technologies in detecting genes whose disruption leads to fitness defects, a critical step in identifying candidate cancer targets. However, the assumption that CRISPR screens are saturating has been largely untested. Through integrated analysis of screen data in cancer cell lines generated by the Cancer Dependency Map, we show that a typical CRISPR screen has a ∼20% false negative rate, in addition to library-specific false negatives. Replicability falls sharply as gene expression decreases, while cancer subtype-specific genes within a tissue show distinct profiles compared to false negatives. Cumulative analyses across tissues improves our understanding of core essential genes and suggest only a small number of lineage-specific essential genes, enriched for transcription factors that define pathways of tissue differentiation. To recover false negatives, we introduce a method, Joint Log Odds of Essentiality (JLOE), which builds on our prior work with BAGEL to selectively rescue the false negatives without an increased false discovery rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merve Dede
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Traver Hart
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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117
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Chechenova M, Stratton H, Kiani K, Gerberich E, Alekseyenko A, Tamba N, An S, Castillo L, Czajkowski E, Talley C, Bryantsev A. Quantitative model of aging-related muscle degeneration: a Drosophila study. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.19.529145. [PMID: 36865342 PMCID: PMC9980004 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.19.529145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Changes in the composition and functionality of somatic muscles is a universal hallmark of aging that is displayed by a wide range of species. In humans, complications arising from muscle decline due to sarcopenia aggravate morbidity and mortality rates. The genetics of aging-related deterioration of muscle tissue is not well understood, which prompted us to characterize aging-related muscle degeneration in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), a leading model organism in experimental genetics. Adult flies demonstrate spontaneous degeneration of muscle fibers in all types of somatic muscles, which correlates with functional, chronological, and populational aging. Morphological data imply that individual muscle fibers die by necrosis. Using quantitative analysis, we demonstrate that muscle degeneration in aging flies has a genetic component. Chronic neuronal overstimulation of muscles promotes fiber degeneration rates, suggesting a role for the nervous system in muscle aging. From the other hand, muscles decoupled from neuronal stimulation retain a basal level of spontaneous degeneration, suggesting the presence of intrinsic factors. Based on our characterization, Drosophila can be adopted for systematic screening and validation of genetic factors linked to aging-related muscle loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chechenova
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
| | - Hannah Stratton
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
| | - Kaveh Kiani
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
| | - Erik Gerberich
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
| | - Alesia Alekseyenko
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
| | - Natasya Tamba
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
| | - SooBin An
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
| | - Lizzet Castillo
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
| | - Emily Czajkowski
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
| | - Christina Talley
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
| | - Anton Bryantsev
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
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118
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Contreras A, Jones MK, Eldon ED, Klig LS. Inositol in Disease and Development: Roles of Catabolism via myo-Inositol Oxygenase in Drosophila melanogaster. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:4185. [PMID: 36835596 PMCID: PMC9967586 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24044185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Inositol depletion has been associated with diabetes and related complications. Increased inositol catabolism, via myo-inositol oxygenase (MIOX), has been implicated in decreased renal function. This study demonstrates that the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster catabolizes myo-inositol via MIOX. The levels of mRNA encoding MIOX and MIOX specific activity are increased when fruit flies are grown on a diet with inositol as the sole sugar. Inositol as the sole dietary sugar can support D. melanogaster survival, indicating that there is sufficient catabolism for basic energy requirements, allowing for adaptation to various environments. The elimination of MIOX activity, via a piggyBac WH-element inserted into the MIOX gene, results in developmental defects including pupal lethality and pharate flies without proboscises. In contrast, RNAi strains with reduced levels of mRNA encoding MIOX and reduced MIOX specific activity develop to become phenotypically wild-type-appearing adult flies. myo-Inositol levels in larval tissues are highest in the strain with this most extreme loss of myo-inositol catabolism. Larval tissues from the RNAi strains have inositol levels higher than wild-type larval tissues but lower levels than the piggyBac WH-element insertion strain. myo-Inositol supplementation of the diet further increases the myo-inositol levels in the larval tissues of all the strains, without any noticeable effects on development. Obesity and blood (hemolymph) glucose, two hallmarks of diabetes, were reduced in the RNAi strains and further reduced in the piggyBac WH-element insertion strain. Collectively, these data suggest that moderately increased myo-inositol levels do not cause developmental defects and directly correspond to reduced larval obesity and blood (hemolymph) glucose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Altagracia Contreras
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Melissa K. Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
- Genentech, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Elizabeth D. Eldon
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
| | - Lisa S. Klig
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
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119
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Brischigliaro M, Fernandez-Vizarra E, Viscomi C. Mitochondrial Neurodegeneration: Lessons from Drosophila melanogaster Models. Biomolecules 2023; 13:378. [PMID: 36830747 PMCID: PMC9953451 DOI: 10.3390/biom13020378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The fruit fly-i.e., Drosophila melanogaster-has proven to be a very useful model for the understanding of basic physiological processes, such as development or ageing. The availability of straightforward genetic tools that can be used to produce engineered individuals makes this model extremely interesting for the understanding of the mechanisms underlying genetic diseases in physiological models. Mitochondrial diseases are a group of yet-incurable genetic disorders characterized by the malfunction of the oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS), which is the highly conserved energy transformation system present in mitochondria. The generation of D. melanogaster models of mitochondrial disease started relatively recently but has already provided relevant information about the molecular mechanisms and pathological consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction. Here, we provide an overview of such models and highlight the relevance of D. melanogaster as a model to study mitochondrial disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Brischigliaro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, 35129 Padova, Italy
| | - Erika Fernandez-Vizarra
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, 35129 Padova, Italy
| | - Carlo Viscomi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, 35129 Padova, Italy
- Centre for the Study of Neurodegeneration (CESNE), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
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120
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Abstract
Intercellular communication by Wnt proteins governs many essential processes during development, tissue homeostasis and disease in all metazoans. Many context-dependent effects are initiated in the Wnt-producing cells and depend on the export of lipidated Wnt proteins. Although much focus has been on understanding intracellular Wnt signal transduction, the cellular machinery responsible for Wnt secretion became better understood only recently. After lipid modification by the acyl-transferase Porcupine, Wnt proteins bind their dedicated cargo protein Evi/Wntless for transport and secretion. Evi/Wntless and Porcupine are conserved transmembrane proteins, and their 3D structures were recently determined. In this Review, we summarise studies and structural data highlighting how Wnts are transported from the ER to the plasma membrane, and the role of SNX3-retromer during the recycling of its cargo receptor Evi/Wntless. We also describe the regulation of Wnt export through a post-translational mechanism and review the importance of Wnt secretion for organ development and cancer, and as a future biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Wolf
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division of Signalling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg University, BioQuant and Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Boutros
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division of Signalling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg University, BioQuant and Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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121
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Neuropeptide diuretic hormone 31 mediates memory and sleep via distinct neural pathways in Drosophila. Neurosci Res 2023:S0168-0102(23)00037-8. [PMID: 36780946 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2023.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
Memory formation and sleep regulation are critical for brain functions in animals from invertebrates to humans. Neuropeptides play a pivotal role in regulating physiological behaviors, including memory formation and sleep. However, the detailed mechanisms by which neuropeptides regulate these physiological behaviors remains unclear. Herein, we report that neuropeptide diuretic hormone 31 (DH31) positively regulates memory formation and sleep in Drosophila melanogaster. The expression of DH31 in the dorsal and ventral fan-shaped body (dFB and vFB) neurons of the central complex and ventral lateral clock neurons (LNvs) in the brain was responsive to sleep regulation. In addition, the expression of membrane-tethered DH31 in dFB neurons rescued sleep defects in Dh31 mutants, suggesting that DH31 secreted from dFB, vFB, and LNvs acts on the DH31 receptor in the dFB to regulate sleep partly in an autoregulatory feedback loop. Moreover, the expression of DH31 in octopaminergic neurons, but not in the dFB neurons, is involved in forming intermediate-term memory. Our results suggest that DH31 regulates memory formation and sleep through distinct neural pathways.
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122
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Baisgaard AE, Koldby KM, Kristensen TN, Nyegaard M, Rohde PD. Functionally Validating Evolutionary Conserved Risk Genes for Parkinson's Disease in Drosophila melanogaster. INSECTS 2023; 14:168. [PMID: 36835737 PMCID: PMC9958964 DOI: 10.3390/insects14020168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a heterogeneous and complex neurodegenerative disorder and large-scale genetic studies have identified >130 genes associated with PD. Although genomic studies have been decisive for our understanding of the genetic contributions underlying PD, these associations remain as statistical associations. Lack of functional validation limits the biological interpretation; however, it is labour extensive, expensive, and time consuming. Therefore, the ideal biological system for functionally validating genetic findings must be simple. The study aim was to assess systematically evolutionary conserved PD-associated genes using Drosophila melanogaster. From a literature review, a total of 136 genes have found to be associated with PD in GWAS studies, of which 11 are strongly evolutionary conserved between Homo sapiens and D. melanogaster. By ubiquitous gene expression knockdown of the PD-genes in D. melanogaster, the flies' escape response was investigated by assessing their negative geotaxis response, a phenotype that has previously been used to investigate PD in D. melanogaster. Gene expression knockdown was successful in 9/11 lines, and phenotypic consequences were observed in 8/9 lines. The results provide evidence that genetically modifying expression levels of PD genes in D. melanogaster caused reduced climbing ability of the flies, potentially supporting their role in dysfunctional locomotion, a hallmark of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalie Elton Baisgaard
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| | | | | | - Mette Nyegaard
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Palle Duun Rohde
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
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123
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Buffered EGFR signaling regulated by spitz-to-argos expression ratio is a critical factor for patterning the Drosophila eye. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010622. [PMID: 36730442 PMCID: PMC9928117 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway plays a critical role in regulating tissue patterning. Drosophila EGFR signaling achieves specificity through multiple ligands and feedback loops to finetune signaling outcomes spatiotemporally. The principal Drosophila EGF ligand, cleaved Spitz, and the negative feedback regulator, Argos are diffusible and can act both in a cell autonomous and non-autonomous manner. The expression dose of Spitz and Argos early in photoreceptor cell fate determination has been shown to be critical in patterning the Drosophila eye, but the exact identity of the cells expressing these genes in the larval eye disc has been elusive. Using single molecule RNA Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (smFISH), we reveal an intriguing differential expression of spitz and argos mRNA in the Drosophila third instar eye imaginal disc indicative of directional non-autonomous EGFR signaling. By genetically tuning EGFR signaling, we show that rather than absolute levels of expression, the ratio of expression of spitz-to-argos to be a critical determinant of the final adult eye phenotype. Proximate effects on EGFR signaling in terms of cell cycle and differentiation markers are affected differently in the different perturbations. Proper ommatidial patterning is robust to thresholds around a tightly maintained wildtype spitz-to-argos ratio, and breaks down beyond. This provides a powerful instance of developmental buffering against gene expression fluctuations.
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124
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Soriano A, Petit C, Ryan S, Jemc JC. Tracking Follicle Cell Development. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2626:151-177. [PMID: 36715904 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2970-3_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Somatic follicle cells are critical support cells for Drosophila oogenesis, as they provide signals and molecules needed to produce a mature egg. Throughout this process, the follicle cells differentiate into multiple subpopulations and transition between three different cell cycle programs to support nurse cell and oocyte development. The follicle cells are mitotic in early egg chamber development, as they cover the germline cyst. In mid-oogenesis, follicle cells switch from mitosis to endocycling, increasing their ploidy from 2C to 16C. Finally, in late oogenesis, cells transition from endocycling to gene amplification, increasing the copy number of a small subset of genes, including the genes encoding proteins required for egg maturation. In order to explore the genetic regulation of these cell cycle switches and follicle cell development and specification, clonal analysis and the GAL4/UAS system are used frequently to reduce or increase expression of genes of interest. These genetic approaches combined with immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization are powerful tools for characterizing the mechanisms regulating follicle cell development and the mitosis/endocycle and endocycle/gene amplification transitions. This chapter describes the genetic tools available to manipulate gene expression in follicle cells, as well as the methods and reagents that can be utilized to explore gene expression throughout follicle cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrianna Soriano
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Houston Baptist University, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Savannah Ryan
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jennifer C Jemc
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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125
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Stanković D, Csordás G, Uhlirova M. Drosophila pVALIUM10 TRiP RNAi lines cause undesired silencing of Gateway-based transgenes. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202201801. [PMID: 36446522 PMCID: PMC9711858 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201801] [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: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-transcriptional gene silencing using double-stranded RNA has revolutionized the field of functional genetics, allowing fast and easy disruption of gene function in various organisms. In Drosophila, many transgenic RNAi lines have been generated in large-scale efforts, including the Drosophila Transgenic RNAi Project (TRiP), to facilitate in vivo knockdown of virtually any Drosophila gene with spatial and temporal resolution. The available transgenic RNAi lines represent a fundamental resource for the fly community, providing an unprecedented opportunity to address a vast range of biological questions relevant to basic and biomedical research fields. However, caution should be applied regarding the efficiency and specificity of the RNAi approach. Here, we demonstrate that pVALIUM10-based RNAi lines, representing ∼13% of the total TRiP collection (1,808 of 13,410 pVALIUM TRiP-based RNAi lines), cause unintended off-target silencing of transgenes expressed from Gateway destination vectors. The silencing is mediated by targeting attB1 and attB2 sequences generated via site-specific recombination and included in the transcribed mRNA. Deleting these attB sites from the Gateway expression vector prevents silencing and restores expected transgene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrije Stanković
- Institute for Genetics and Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gábor Csordás
- Institute of Genetics, Biological Research Centre of the Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Mirka Uhlirova
- Institute for Genetics and Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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126
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Nikolenko JV, Georgieva SG, Kopytova DV. Diversity of MLE Helicase Functions in the Regulation of Gene Expression in Higher Eukaryotes. Mol Biol 2023. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893323010107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
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127
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Zuniga G, Levy S, Ramirez P, Mange JD, Gonzalez E, Gamez M, Frost B. Tau-induced deficits in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay contribute to neurodegeneration. Alzheimers Dement 2023; 19:405-420. [PMID: 35416419 PMCID: PMC9673995 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION While brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies have evidence of altered RNA processing, we lack a mechanistic understanding of how altered RNA processing arises in these disorders and if such changes are causally linked to neurodegeneration. METHODS Using Drosophila melanogaster models of tauopathy, we find that overall activity of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), a key RNA quality-control mechanism, is reduced. Genetic manipulation of NMD machinery significantly modifies tau-induced neurotoxicity, suggesting that deficits in NMD are causally linked to neurodegeneration. Mechanistically, we find that deficits in NMD are a consequence of aberrant RNA export and RNA accumulation within nuclear envelope invaginations in tauopathy. We identify a pharmacological activator of NMD that suppresses neurodegeneration in tau transgenic Drosophila, indicating that tau-induced deficits in RNA quality control are druggable. DISCUSSION Our studies suggest that NMD activators should be explored for their potential therapeutic value to patients with tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Zuniga
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Simon Levy
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Paulino Ramirez
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Jasmine De Mange
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Elias Gonzalez
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Maria Gamez
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Bess Frost
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
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128
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Mitochondrial remodelling is essential for female germ cell differentiation and survival. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010610. [PMID: 36696418 PMCID: PMC9901744 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Stem cells often possess immature mitochondria with few inner membrane invaginations, which increase as stem cells differentiate. Despite this being a conserved feature across many stem cell types in numerous organisms, how and why mitochondria undergo such remodelling during stem cell differentiation has remained unclear. Here, using Drosophila germline stem cells (GSCs), we show that Complex V drives mitochondrial remodelling during the early stages of GSC differentiation, prior to terminal differentiation. This endows germline mitochondria with the capacity to generate large amounts of ATP required for later egg growth and development. Interestingly, impairing mitochondrial remodelling prior to terminal differentiation results in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lipid bilayer stress, Protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK)-mediated activation of the Integrated Stress Response (ISR) and germ cell death. Taken together, our data suggest that mitochondrial remodelling is an essential and tightly integrated aspect of stem cell differentiation. This work sheds light on the potential impact of mitochondrial dysfunction on stem and germ cell function, highlighting ER lipid bilayer stress as a potential major driver of phenotypes caused by mitochondrial dysfunction.
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129
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Giesecke A, Johnstone PS, Lamaze A, Landskron J, Atay E, Chen KF, Wolf E, Top D, Stanewsky R. A novel period mutation implicating nuclear export in temperature compensation of the Drosophila circadian clock. Curr Biol 2023; 33:336-350.e5. [PMID: 36584676 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Circadian clocks are self-sustained molecular oscillators controlling daily changes of behavioral activity and physiology. For functional reliability and precision, the frequency of these molecular oscillations must be stable at different environmental temperatures, known as "temperature compensation." Despite being an intrinsic property of all circadian clocks, this phenomenon is not well understood at the molecular level. Here, we use behavioral and molecular approaches to characterize a novel mutation in the period (per) clock gene of Drosophila melanogaster, which alters a predicted nuclear export signal (NES) of the PER protein and affects temperature compensation. We show that this new perI530A allele leads to progressively longer behavioral periods and clock oscillations with increasing temperature in both clock neurons and peripheral clock cells. While the mutant PERI530A protein shows normal circadian fluctuations and post-translational modifications at cool temperatures, increasing temperatures lead to both severe amplitude dampening and hypophosphorylation of PERI530A. We further show that PERI530A displays reduced repressor activity at warmer temperatures, presumably because it cannot inactivate the transcription factor CLOCK (CLK), indicated by temperature-dependent altered CLK post-translational modification in perI530A flies. With increasing temperatures, nuclear accumulation of PERI530A within clock neurons is increased, suggesting that wild-type PER is exported out of the nucleus at warm temperatures. Downregulating the nuclear export factor CRM1 also leads to temperature-dependent changes of behavioral rhythms, suggesting that the PER NES and the nuclear export of clock proteins play an important role in temperature compensation of the Drosophila circadian clock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Giesecke
- Institute of Neuro- and Behavioural Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Peter S Johnstone
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Angelique Lamaze
- Institute of Neuro- and Behavioural Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Johannes Landskron
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo, 0318 Oslo, Norway
| | - Ezgi Atay
- Institute of Neuro- and Behavioural Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Ko-Fan Chen
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Eva Wolf
- Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) and Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Deniz Top
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Ralf Stanewsky
- Institute of Neuro- and Behavioural Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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130
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Di Leva F, Filosi M, Oyston L, Silvestri E, Picard A, Lavdas AA, Lobbestael E, Baekelandt V, Neely GG, Pramstaller PP, Hicks AA, Corti C. Increased Levels of the Parkinson's Disease-Associated Gene ITPKB Correlate with Higher Expression Levels of α-Synuclein, Independent of Mutation Status. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:1984. [PMID: 36768321 PMCID: PMC9916293 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24031984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Autosomal dominant mutations in the gene encoding α-synuclein (SNCA) were the first to be linked with hereditary Parkinson's disease (PD). Duplication and triplication of SNCA has been observed in PD patients, together with mutations at the N-terminal of the protein, among which A30P and A53T influence the formation of fibrils. By overexpressing human α-synuclein in the neuronal system of Drosophila, we functionally validated the ability of IP3K2, an ortholog of the GWAS identified risk gene, Inositol-trisphosphate 3-kinase B (ITPKB), to modulate α-synuclein toxicity in vivo. ITPKB mRNA and protein levels were also increased in SK-N-SH cells overexpressing wild-type α-synuclein, A53T or A30P mutants. Kinase overexpression was detected in the cytoplasmatic and in the nuclear compartments in all α-synuclein cell types. By quantifying mRNAs in the cortex of PD patients, we observed higher levels of ITPKB mRNA when SNCA was expressed more (p < 0.05), compared to controls. A positive correlation was also observed between SNCA and ITPKB expression in the cortex of patients, which was not seen in the controls. We replicated this observation in a public dataset. Our data, generated in SK-N-SH cells and in cortex from PD patients, show that the expression of α-synuclein and ITPKB is correlated in pathological situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Di Leva
- Institute for Biomedicine, Eurac Research, Affiliated Institute of the University of Lübeck, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Michele Filosi
- Institute for Biomedicine, Eurac Research, Affiliated Institute of the University of Lübeck, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Lisa Oyston
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Erica Silvestri
- Institute for Biomedicine, Eurac Research, Affiliated Institute of the University of Lübeck, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Anne Picard
- Institute for Biomedicine, Eurac Research, Affiliated Institute of the University of Lübeck, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Alexandros A. Lavdas
- Institute for Biomedicine, Eurac Research, Affiliated Institute of the University of Lübeck, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Evy Lobbestael
- Laboratory for Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Veerle Baekelandt
- Laboratory for Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - G. Gregory Neely
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Peter P. Pramstaller
- Institute for Biomedicine, Eurac Research, Affiliated Institute of the University of Lübeck, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Andrew A. Hicks
- Institute for Biomedicine, Eurac Research, Affiliated Institute of the University of Lübeck, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Corrado Corti
- Institute for Biomedicine, Eurac Research, Affiliated Institute of the University of Lübeck, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
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131
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Krämer R, Wolterhoff N, Galic M, Rumpf S. Developmental pruning of sensory neurites by mechanical tearing in Drosophila. J Cell Biol 2023; 222:213805. [PMID: 36648440 PMCID: PMC9856751 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202205004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanical forces actively shape cells during development, but little is known about their roles during neuronal morphogenesis. Developmental neurite pruning, a critical circuit specification mechanism, often involves neurite abscission at predetermined sites by unknown mechanisms. Pruning of Drosophila sensory neuron dendrites during metamorphosis is triggered by the hormone ecdysone, which induces local disassembly of the dendritic cytoskeleton. Subsequently, dendrites are severed at positions close to the soma by an unknown mechanism. We found that ecdysone signaling causes the dendrites to become mechanically fragile. Severing occurs during periods of increased pupal morphogenetic tissue movements, which exert mechanical forces on the destabilized dendrites. Tissue movements and dendrite severing peak during pupal ecdysis, a period of strong abdominal contractions, and abolishing ecdysis causes non-cell autonomous dendrite pruning defects. Thus, our data establish mechanical tearing as a novel mechanism during neurite pruning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Krämer
- https://ror.org/00pd74e08Institute for Neurobiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Neele Wolterhoff
- https://ror.org/00pd74e08Institute for Neurobiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Milos Galic
- Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sebastian Rumpf
- https://ror.org/00pd74e08Institute for Neurobiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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132
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Loreau V, Rees R, Chan EH, Taxer W, Gregor K, Mußil B, Pitaval C, Luis NM, Mangeol P, Schnorrer F, Görlich D. A nanobody toolbox to investigate localisation and dynamics of Drosophila titins and other key sarcomeric proteins. eLife 2023; 12:79343. [PMID: 36645120 PMCID: PMC9886281 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Measuring the positions and dynamics of proteins in intact tissues or whole animals is key to understanding protein function. However, to date, this is challenging, as the accessibility of large antibodies to dense tissues is often limited, and fluorescent proteins inserted close to a domain of interest may affect protein function. These complications apply in particular to muscle sarcomeres, arguably one of the most protein-dense assemblies in nature, which complicates studying sarcomere morphogenesis at molecular resolution. Here, we introduce a toolbox of nanobodies recognising various domains of the two Drosophila titin homologs, Sallimus and Projectin, as well as the key sarcomeric proteins Obscurin, α-Actinin, and Zasp52. We verified the superior labelling qualities of our nanobodies in muscle tissue as compared to antibodies. By applying our toolbox to larval muscles, we found a gigantic Sallimus isoform stretching more than 2 µm to bridge the sarcomeric I-band, while Projectin covers almost the entire myosin filaments in a polar orientation. Transgenic expression of tagged nanobodies confirmed their high affinity-binding without affecting target protein function. Finally, adding a degradation signal to anti-Sallimus nanobodies suggested that it is difficult to fully degrade Sallimus in mature sarcomeres; however, expression of these nanobodies caused developmental lethality. These results may inspire the generation of similar toolboxes for other large protein complexes in Drosophila or mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Loreau
- Turing Centre for Living Systems, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IDBMMarseilleFrance
| | - Renate Rees
- Department of Cellular Logistics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary SciencesGöttingenGermany
| | - Eunice HoYee Chan
- Turing Centre for Living Systems, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IDBMMarseilleFrance
| | - Waltraud Taxer
- Department of Cellular Logistics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary SciencesGöttingenGermany
| | - Kathrin Gregor
- Department of Cellular Logistics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary SciencesGöttingenGermany
| | - Bianka Mußil
- Department of Cellular Logistics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary SciencesGöttingenGermany
| | - Christophe Pitaval
- Turing Centre for Living Systems, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IDBMMarseilleFrance
| | - Nuno Miguel Luis
- Turing Centre for Living Systems, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IDBMMarseilleFrance
| | - Pierre Mangeol
- Turing Centre for Living Systems, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IDBMMarseilleFrance
| | - Frank Schnorrer
- Turing Centre for Living Systems, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IDBMMarseilleFrance
| | - Dirk Görlich
- Department of Cellular Logistics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary SciencesGöttingenGermany
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Maier D, Bauer M, Boger M, Sanchez Jimenez A, Yuan Z, Fechner J, Scharpf J, Kovall RA, Preiss A, Nagel AC. Genetic and Molecular Interactions between HΔCT, a Novel Allele of the Notch Antagonist Hairless, and the Histone Chaperone Asf1 in Drosophila melanogaster. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:205. [PMID: 36672946 PMCID: PMC9858708 DOI: 10.3390/genes14010205] [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: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular differentiation relies on the highly conserved Notch signaling pathway. Notch activity induces gene expression changes that are highly sensitive to chromatin landscape. We address Notch gene regulation using Drosophila as a model, focusing on the genetic and molecular interactions between the Notch antagonist Hairless and the histone chaperone Asf1. Earlier work implied that Asf1 promotes the silencing of Notch target genes via Hairless (H). Here, we generate a novel HΔCT allele by genome engineering. Phenotypically, HΔCT behaves as a Hairless gain of function allele in several developmental contexts, indicating that the conserved CT domain of H has an attenuator role under native biological contexts. Using several independent methods to assay protein-protein interactions, we define the sequences of the CT domain that are involved in Hairless-Asf1 binding. Based on previous models, where Asf1 promotes Notch repression via Hairless, a loss of Asf1 binding should reduce Hairless repressive activity. However, tissue-specific Asf1 overexpression phenotypes are increased, not rescued, in the HΔCT background. Counterintuitively, Hairless protein binding mitigates the repressive activity of Asf1 in the context of eye development. These findings highlight the complex connections of Notch repressors and chromatin modulators during Notch target-gene regulation and open the avenue for further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Maier
- Institute of Biology, Genetics Department 190g, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Milena Bauer
- Institute of Biology, Genetics Department 190g, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mike Boger
- Institute of Biology, Genetics Department 190g, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany
- European Center for Angioscience, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Ludolf-Krehl-Straße 13–17, D-68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anna Sanchez Jimenez
- Institute of Biology, Genetics Department 190g, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Zhenyu Yuan
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Medical Sciences Building 2201, Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Johannes Fechner
- Institute of Biology, Genetics Department 190g, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany
- Institute of Biomedical Genetics (IBMG), University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Janika Scharpf
- Institute of Biology, Genetics Department 190g, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Rhett A. Kovall
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Medical Sciences Building 2201, Albert Sabin Way, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Anette Preiss
- Institute of Biology, Genetics Department 190g, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Anja C. Nagel
- Institute of Biology, Genetics Department 190g, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 30, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany
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134
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Palermo J, Chesi A, Zimmerman A, Sonti S, Pahl MC, Lasconi C, Brown EB, Pippin JA, Wells AD, Doldur-Balli F, Mazzotti DR, Pack AI, Gehrman PR, Grant SF, Keene AC. Variant-to-gene mapping followed by cross-species genetic screening identifies GPI-anchor biosynthesis as a regulator of sleep. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabq0844. [PMID: 36608130 PMCID: PMC9821868 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq0844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in humans have identified loci robustly associated with several heritable diseases or traits, yet little is known about the functional roles of the underlying causal variants in regulating sleep duration or quality. We applied an ATAC-seq/promoter focused Capture C strategy in human iPSC-derived neural progenitors to carry out a "variant-to-gene" mapping campaign that identified 88 candidate sleep effector genes connected to relevant GWAS signals. To functionally validate the role of the implicated effector genes in sleep regulation, we performed a neuron-specific RNA interference screen in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, followed by validation in zebrafish. This approach identified a number of genes that regulate sleep including a critical role for glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor biosynthesis. These results provide the first physical variant-to-gene mapping of human sleep genes followed by a model organism-based prioritization, revealing a conserved role for GPI-anchor biosynthesis in sleep regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Palermo
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Alessandra Chesi
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Amber Zimmerman
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
| | - Shilpa Sonti
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Matthew C. Pahl
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Chiara Lasconi
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Elizabeth B. Brown
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - James A. Pippin
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Andrew D. Wells
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
| | - Fusun Doldur-Balli
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
| | - Diego R. Mazzotti
- Division of Medical Informatics, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66103, USA
- Division of Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66103, USA
| | - Allan I. Pack
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
| | - Phillip R. Gehrman
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
| | - Struan F.A. Grant
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Divisions of Human Genetics and Endocrinology and Diabetes, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Alex C. Keene
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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135
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Rebelo AR, Homem CCF. dMyc-dependent upregulation of CD98 amino acid transporters is required for Drosophila brain tumor growth. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:30. [PMID: 36609617 PMCID: PMC9823048 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04668-6] [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: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Tumor cells have an increased demand for nutrients to sustain their growth, but how these increased metabolic needs are ensured or how this influences tumor formation and progression remains unclear. To unravel tumor metabolic dependencies, particularly from extracellular metabolites, we have analyzed the role of plasma membrane metabolic transporters in Drosophila brain tumors. Using a well-established neural stem cell-derived tumor model, caused by brat knockdown, we have found that 13 plasma membrane metabolic transporters, including amino acid, carbohydrate and monocarboxylate transporters, are upregulated in tumors and are required for tumor growth. We identified CD98hc and several of the light chains with which it can form heterodimeric amino acid transporters, as crucial players in brat RNAi (brat IR) tumor progression. Knockdown of these components of CD98 heterodimers caused a dramatic reduction in tumor growth. Our data also reveal that the oncogene dMyc is required and sufficient for the upregulation of CD98 transporter subunits in these tumors. Furthermore, tumor-upregulated dmyc and CD98 transporters orchestrate the overactivation of the growth-promoting signaling pathway TOR, forming a core growth regulatory network to support brat IR tumor progression. Our findings highlight the important link between oncogenes, metabolism, and signaling pathways in the regulation of tumor growth and allow for a better understanding of the mechanisms necessary for tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Rebelo
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Catarina C F Homem
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
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136
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Ochoa E, Ramirez P, Gonzalez E, De Mange J, Ray WJ, Bieniek KF, Frost B. Pathogenic tau-induced transposable element-derived dsRNA drives neuroinflammation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabq5423. [PMID: 36608133 PMCID: PMC9821943 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq5423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Deposition of tau protein aggregates in the brain of affected individuals is a defining feature of "tauopathies," including Alzheimer's disease. Studies of human brain tissue and various model systems of tauopathy report that toxic forms of tau negatively affect nuclear and genomic architecture, identifying pathogenic tau-induced heterochromatin decondensation and consequent retrotransposon activation as a causal mediator of neurodegeneration. On the basis of their similarity to retroviruses, retrotransposons drive neuroinflammation via toxic intermediates, including double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). We find that dsRNA and dsRNA sensing machinery are elevated in astrocytes of postmortem brain tissue from patients with Alzheimer's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy and in brains of tau transgenic mice. Using a Drosophila model of tauopathy, we identify specific tau-induced retrotransposons that form dsRNA and find that pathogenic tau and heterochromatin decondensation causally drive dsRNA-mediated neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. Our study suggests that pathogenic tau-induced heterochromatin decondensation and retrotransposon activation cause elevation of inflammatory, transposable element-derived dsRNA in the adult brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Ochoa
- Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Paulino Ramirez
- Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Elias Gonzalez
- Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Jasmine De Mange
- Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - William J. Ray
- The Neurodegeneration Consortium, Therapeutics Discovery Division, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kevin F. Bieniek
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Bess Frost
- Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
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137
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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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138
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Liu CQ, Qu XC, He MF, Liang DH, Xie SM, Zhang XX, Lin YM, Zhang WJ, Wu KC, Qiao JD. Efficient strategies based on behavioral and electrophysiological methods for epilepsy-related gene screening in the Drosophila model. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1121877. [PMID: 37152436 PMCID: PMC10157486 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1121877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction With the advent of trio-based whole-exome sequencing, the identification of epilepsy candidate genes has become easier, resulting in a large number of potential genes that need to be validated in a whole-organism context. However, conducting animal experiments systematically and efficiently remains a challenge due to their laborious and time-consuming nature. This study aims to develop optimized strategies for validating epilepsy candidate genes using the Drosophila model. Methods This study incorporate behavior, morphology, and electrophysiology for genetic manipulation and phenotypic examination. We utilized the Gal4/UAS system in combination with RNAi techniques to generate loss-of-function models. We performed a range of behavioral tests, including two previously unreported seizure phenotypes, to evaluate the seizure behavior of mutant and wild-type flies. We used Gal4/UAS-mGFP flies to observe the morphological alterations in the brain under a confocal microscope. We also implemented patch-clamp recordings, including a novel electrophysiological method for studying synapse function and improved methods for recording action potential currents and spontaneous EPSCs on targeted neurons. Results We applied different techniques or methods mentioned above to investigate four epilepsy-associated genes, namely Tango14, Klp3A, Cac, and Sbf, based on their genotype-phenotype correlation. Our findings showcase the feasibility and efficiency of our screening system for confirming epilepsy candidate genes in the Drosophila model. Discussion This efficient screening system holds the potential to significantly accelerate and optimize the process of identifying epilepsy candidate genes, particularly in conjunction with trio-based whole-exome sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chu-Qiao Liu
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Second Clinical Medicine School of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Chong Qu
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ming-Feng He
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - De-Hai Liang
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shi-Ming Xie
- The First Clinical Medicine School of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xi-Xing Zhang
- The Second Clinical Medicine School of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yong-Miao Lin
- The Second Clinical Medicine School of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wen-Jun Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ka-Chun Wu
- School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jing-Da Qiao
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Jing-Da Qiao, ; orcid.org/0000-0002-4693-8390
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Cabana-Domínguez J, Antón-Galindo E, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Singgih EL, O'Leary A, Norton WH, Strekalova T, Schenck A, Reif A, Lesch KP, Slattery D, Cormand B. The translational genetics of ADHD and related phenotypes in model organisms. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104949. [PMID: 36368527 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder resulting from the interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors. It is well known that ADHD co-occurs frequently with other psychiatric disorders due, in part, to shared genetics factors. Although many studies have contributed to delineate the genetic landscape of psychiatric disorders, their specific molecular underpinnings are still not fully understood. The use of animal models can help us to understand the role of specific genes and environmental stimuli-induced epigenetic modifications in the pathogenesis of ADHD and its comorbidities. The aim of this review is to provide an overview on the functional work performed in rodents, zebrafish and fruit fly and highlight the generated insights into the biology of ADHD, with a special focus on genetics and epigenetics. We also describe the behavioral tests that are available to study ADHD-relevant phenotypes and comorbid traits in these models. Furthermore, we have searched for new models to study ADHD and its comorbidities, which can be useful to test potential pharmacological treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Cabana-Domínguez
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Ester Antón-Galindo
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Euginia L Singgih
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Aet O'Leary
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; Division of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Psychology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - William Hg Norton
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Tatyana Strekalova
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, and Department of Neuropsychology and Psychiatry, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Annette Schenck
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Andreas Reif
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Klaus-Peter Lesch
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, and Department of Neuropsychology and Psychiatry, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - David Slattery
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
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140
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dSec16 Acting in Insulin-like Peptide Producing Cells Controls Energy Homeostasis in Drosophila. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 13:life13010081. [PMID: 36676030 PMCID: PMC9862641 DOI: 10.3390/life13010081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Many studies show that genetics play a major contribution to the onset of obesity. Human genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of genes that are associated with obesity. However, the majority of them have not been functionally validated. SEC16B has been identified in multiple obesity GWASs but its physiological role in energy homeostasis remains unknown. Here, we use Drosophila to determine the physiological functions of dSec16 in energy metabolism. Our results showed that global RNAi of dSec16 increased food intake and triglyceride (TAG) levels. Furthermore, this TAG increase was observed in flies with a specific RNAi of dSec16 in insulin-like peptide producing cells (IPCs) with an alteration of endocrine peptides. Together, our study demonstrates that dSec16 acting in IPCs controls energy balance and advances the molecular understanding of obesity.
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141
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Sun X, Yu B, Zhang R, Wei J, Pan G, Li C, Zhou Z. Generation of Resistance to Nosema bombycis (Dissociodihaplophasida: Nosematidae) by Degrading NbSWP12 Using the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway in Sf9-III Cells. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 115:2068-2074. [PMID: 36226858 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toac145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Nosema bombycis Naegeli (Dissociodihaplophasida: Nosematidae), an obligate intracellular parasite of the silkworm Bombyx mori, causes a devastating disease called pébrine. Every year pébrine will cause huge losses to the sericulture industry worldwide. Until now, there are no effective methods to inhibit the N. bombycis infection in silkworms. In this study, we first applied both the novel protein degradation Trim-Away technology and NSlmb (F-box domain-containing in the N-terminal part of supernumerary limbs from Drosophila melanogaster) to lepidopteran Sf9-III cells to check for specific degradation of a target protein in combination with a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv). Our results showed that the Trim-Away and NSlmb systems are both amenable to Sf9-III cells. We then created transgenic cell lines that overexpressed the protein degradation system and N. bombycis chimeric scFv targeting spore wall protein NbSWP12 and evaluated the effects of the insect transgenic cell lines on the proliferation of N. bombycis. Both methods could be applied to cell lines and both Trim-Away and NSlmb ubiquitin degradation systems effectively inhibited the proliferation of N. bombycis. Further, either of these degradation systems could be applied to individual silkworms through a transgenic platform, which would yield individual silkworms with high resistance to N. bombycis, thus greatly speeding up the process of acquiring resistant strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Prevention, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Bin Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Prevention, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Renze Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Prevention, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Junhong Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Prevention, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Guoqing Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Prevention, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Chunfeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Prevention, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zeyang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Prevention, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
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Green L, Coronado-Zamora M, Radío S, Rech GE, Salces-Ortiz J, González J. The genomic basis of copper tolerance in Drosophila is shaped by a complex interplay of regulatory and environmental factors. BMC Biol 2022; 20:275. [PMID: 36482348 PMCID: PMC9733279 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01479-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Escalation in industrialization and anthropogenic activity have resulted in an increase of pollutants released into the environment. Of these pollutants, heavy metals such as copper are particularly concerning due to their bio-accumulative nature. Due to its highly heterogeneous distribution and its dual nature as an essential micronutrient and toxic element, the genetic basis of copper tolerance is likely shaped by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. RESULTS In this study, we utilized the natural variation present in multiple populations of Drosophila melanogaster collected across Europe to screen for variation in copper tolerance. We found that latitude and the degree of urbanization at the collection sites, rather than any other combination of environmental factors, were linked to copper tolerance. While previously identified copper-related genes were not differentially expressed in tolerant vs. sensitive strains, genes involved in metabolism, reproduction, and protease induction contributed to the differential stress response. Additionally, the greatest transcriptomic and physiological responses to copper toxicity were seen in the midgut, where we found that preservation of gut acidity is strongly linked to greater tolerance. Finally, we identified transposable element insertions likely to play a role in copper stress response. CONCLUSIONS Overall, by combining genome-wide approaches with environmental association analysis, and functional analysis of candidate genes, our study provides a unique perspective on the genetic and environmental factors that shape copper tolerance in natural D. melanogaster populations and identifies new genes, transposable elements, and physiological traits involved in this complex phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Llewellyn Green
- grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Coronado-Zamora
- grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Santiago Radío
- grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gabriel E. Rech
- grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Judit Salces-Ortiz
- grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josefa González
- grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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143
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Swope RD, Hertzler JI, Stone MC, Kothe GO, Rolls MM. The exocyst complex is required for developmental and regenerative neurite growth in vivo. Dev Biol 2022; 492:1-13. [PMID: 36162553 PMCID: PMC10228574 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The exocyst complex is an important regulator of intracellular trafficking and tethers secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane. Understanding of its role in neuron outgrowth remains incomplete, and previous studies have come to different conclusions about its importance for axon and dendrite growth, particularly in vivo. To investigate exocyst function in vivo we used Drosophila sensory neurons as a model system. To bypass early developmental requirements in other cell types, we used neuron-specific RNAi to target seven exocyst subunits. Initial neuronal development proceeded normally in these backgrounds, however, we considered this could be due to residual exocyst function. To probe neuronal growth capacity at later times after RNAi initiation, we used laser microsurgery to remove axons or dendrites and prompt regrowth. Exocyst subunit RNAi reduced axon regeneration, although new axons could be specified. In control neurons, a vesicle trafficking marker often concentrated in the new axon, but this pattern was disrupted in Sec6 RNAi neurons. Dendrite regeneration was also severely reduced by exocyst RNAi, even though the trafficking marker did not accumulate in a strongly polarized manner during normal dendrite regeneration. The requirement for the exocyst was not limited to injury contexts as exocyst subunit RNAi eliminated dendrite regrowth after developmental pruning. We conclude that the exocyst is required for injury-induced and developmental neurite outgrowth, but that residual protein function can easily mask this requirement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel D Swope
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - J Ian Hertzler
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Michelle C Stone
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Gregory O Kothe
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Melissa M Rolls
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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He L, Huang Y, Tang X. RNAi-based pest control: Production, application and the fate of dsRNA. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1080576. [PMID: 36524052 PMCID: PMC9744970 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1080576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The limitations of conventional pesticides have raised the demand for innovative and sustainable solutions for plant protection. RNA Interference (RNAi) triggered by dsRNA has evolved as a promising strategy to control insects in a species-specific manner. In this context, we review the methods for mass production of dsRNA, the approaches of exogenous application of dsRNA in the field, and the fate of dsRNA after application. Additionally, we describe the opportunities and challenges of using nanoparticles as dsRNA carriers to control insects. Furthermore, we provide future directions to improve pest management efficiency by utilizing the synergistic effects of multiple target genes. Meanwhile, the establishment of a standardized framework for assessment and regulatory consensus is critical to the commercialization of RNA pesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li He
- School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Yangtze River Delta Eco-Environmental Change and Management Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanna Huang
- School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Yangtze River Delta Eco-Environmental Change and Management Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Xueming Tang
- School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Yangtze River Delta Eco-Environmental Change and Management Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
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145
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Frappaolo A, Karimpour-Ghahnavieh A, Cesare G, Sechi S, Fraschini R, Vaccari T, Giansanti MG. GOLPH3 protein controls organ growth by interacting with TOR signaling proteins in Drosophila. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:1003. [PMID: 36435842 PMCID: PMC9701223 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-05438-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The oncoprotein GOLPH3 (Golgi phosphoprotein 3) is an evolutionarily conserved phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate effector, mainly localized to the Golgi apparatus, where it supports organelle architecture and vesicular trafficking. Overexpression of human GOLPH3 correlates with poor prognosis in several cancer types and is associated with enhanced signaling downstream of mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin). However, the molecular link between GOLPH3 and mTOR remains elusive. Studies in Drosophila melanogaster have shown that Translationally controlled tumor protein (Tctp) and 14-3-3 proteins are required for organ growth by supporting the function of the small GTPase Ras homolog enriched in the brain (Rheb) during mTORC1 (mTOR complex 1) signaling. Here we demonstrate that Drosophila GOLPH3 (dGOLPH3) physically interacts with Tctp and 14-3-3ζ. RNAi-mediated knockdown of dGOLPH3 reduces wing and eye size and enhances the phenotypes of Tctp RNAi. This phenotype is partially rescued by overexpression of Tctp, 14-3-3ζ, or Rheb. We also show that the Golgi localization of Rheb in Drosophila cells depends on dGOLPH3. Consistent with dGOLPH3 involvement in Rheb-mediated mTORC1 activation, depletion of dGOLPH3 also reduces levels of phosphorylated ribosomal S6 kinase, a downstream target of mTORC1. Finally, the autophagy flux and the expression of autophagic transcription factors of the TFEB family, which anti correlates with mTOR signaling, are compromised upon reduction of dGOLPH3. Overall, our data provide the first in vivo demonstration that GOLPH3 regulates organ growth by directly associating with mTOR signaling proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Frappaolo
- grid.7841.aIstituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, c/o Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Angela Karimpour-Ghahnavieh
- grid.7841.aIstituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, c/o Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Giuliana Cesare
- grid.4708.b0000 0004 1757 2822Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Stefano Sechi
- grid.7841.aIstituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, c/o Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Roberta Fraschini
- grid.7563.70000 0001 2174 1754Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università degli studi di Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Thomas Vaccari
- grid.4708.b0000 0004 1757 2822Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Giansanti
- grid.7841.aIstituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, c/o Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Roma, Italy
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146
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Pratomo AR, Salim E, Hori A, Kuraishi T. Drosophila as an Animal Model for Testing Plant-Based Immunomodulators. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314801. [PMID: 36499123 PMCID: PMC9735809 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Allopathic medicines play a key role in the prevention and treatment of diseases. However, long-term consumption of these medicines may cause serious undesirable effects that harm human health. Plant-based medicines have emerged as alternatives to allopathic medicines because of their rare side effects. They contain several compounds that have the potential to improve health and treat diseases in humans, including their function as immunomodulators to treat immune-related diseases. Thus, the discovery of potent and safe immunomodulators from plants is gaining considerable research interest. Recently, Drosophila has gained prominence as a model organism in evaluating the efficacy of plant and plant-derived substances. Drosophila melanogaster "fruit fly" is a well-known, high-throughput model organism that has been used to study different biological aspects of development and diseases for more than 110 years. Most developmental and cell signaling pathways and 75% of human disease-related genes are conserved between humans and Drosophila. Using Drosophila, one can easily examine the pharmacological effects of plants/plant-derived components by employing a variety of tests in flies, such as survival, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cell death tests. This review focused on D. melanogaster's potential for identifying immunomodulatory features associated with plants/plant-derived components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andre Rizky Pratomo
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Emil Salim
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, Indonesia
- Correspondence: (E.S.); (T.K.)
| | - Aki Hori
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Takayuki Kuraishi
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
- AMED-PRIME, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, 1-7-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
- JST-FOREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo 102-0081, Japan
- Correspondence: (E.S.); (T.K.)
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147
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Palumbo RJ, Belkevich AE, Pascual HG, Knutson BA. A clinically-relevant residue of POLR1D is required for Drosophila development. Dev Dyn 2022; 251:1780-1797. [PMID: 35656583 PMCID: PMC10723622 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND POLR1D is a subunit of RNA Polymerases I and III, which synthesize ribosomal RNAs. Dysregulation of these polymerases cause several types of diseases, including ribosomopathies. The craniofacial disorder Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCS) is a ribosomopathy caused by mutations in several subunits of RNA Polymerase I, including POLR1D. Here, we characterized the effect of a missense mutation in POLR1D and RNAi knockdown of POLR1D on Drosophila development. RESULTS We found that a missense mutation in Drosophila POLR1D (G30R) reduced larval rRNA levels, slowed larval growth, and arrested larval development. Remarkably, the G30R substitution is at an orthologous glycine in POLR1D that is mutated in a TCS patient (G52E). We showed that the G52E mutation in human POLR1D, and the comparable substitution (G30E) in Drosophila POLR1D, reduced their ability to heterodimerize with POLR1C in vitro. We also found that POLR1D is required early in the development of Drosophila neural cells. Furthermore, an RNAi screen revealed that POLR1D is also required for development of non-neural Drosophila cells, suggesting the possibility of defects in other cell types. CONCLUSIONS These results establish a role for POLR1D in Drosophila development, and present Drosophila as an attractive model to evaluate the molecular defects of TCS mutations in POLR1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Palumbo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Alana E Belkevich
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Haleigh G Pascual
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Bruce A Knutson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
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148
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Hewitt VL, Miller-Fleming L, Twyning MJ, Andreazza S, Mattedi F, Prudent J, Polleux F, Vagnoni A, Whitworth AJ. Decreasing pdzd8-mediated mito-ER contacts improves organismal fitness and mitigates Aβ 42 toxicity. Life Sci Alliance 2022; 5:5/11/e202201531. [PMID: 35831024 PMCID: PMC9279675 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria-ER contact sites (MERCs) orchestrate many important cellular functions including regulating mitochondrial quality control through mitophagy and mediating mitochondrial calcium uptake. Here, we identify and functionally characterize the Drosophila ortholog of the recently identified mammalian MERC protein, Pdzd8. We find that reducing pdzd8-mediated MERCs in neurons slows age-associated decline in locomotor activity and increases lifespan in Drosophila. The protective effects of pdzd8 knockdown in neurons correlate with an increase in mitophagy, suggesting that increased mitochondrial turnover may support healthy aging of neurons. In contrast, increasing MERCs by expressing a constitutive, synthetic ER-mitochondria tether disrupts mitochondrial transport and synapse formation, accelerates age-related decline in locomotion, and reduces lifespan. Although depletion of pdzd8 prolongs the survival of flies fed with mitochondrial toxins, it is also sufficient to rescue locomotor defects of a fly model of Alzheimer's disease expressing Amyloid β42 (Aβ42). Together, our results provide the first in vivo evidence that MERCs mediated by the tethering protein pdzd8 play a critical role in the regulation of mitochondrial quality control and neuronal homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria L Hewitt
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Leonor Miller-Fleming
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Madeleine J Twyning
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Simonetta Andreazza
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Francesca Mattedi
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, IoPPN, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Julien Prudent
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Franck Polleux
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Mortimer B Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Kavli Institute for Brain Sciences, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alessio Vagnoni
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, IoPPN, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alexander J Whitworth
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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149
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Amstrup AB, Bæk I, Loeschcke V, Givskov Sørensen J. A functional study of the role of Turandot genes in Drosophila melanogaster: An emerging candidate mechanism for inducible heat tolerance. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 143:104456. [PMID: 36396076 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2022.104456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Plastic responses to heat stress have been shown to temporarily increase heat stress tolerance in many small ectotherms. Heat shock proteins (Hsps) have previously been shown to play a role in this induced heat stress tolerance. The heat shock response is fast but short lived, with the cellular Hsp concentration peaking within a few hours after induction. Induced heat stress tolerance, on the other hand, peaks 16-32 h after induction. Therefore, the inducible heat stress response must depend on additional mechanisms. The Turandot gene family has been suggested as a candidate. It contains eight genes that are all upregulated to some degree following heat stress in Drosophila melanogaster. Previously, Turandot A (totA) and Turandot X (totX) have been linked to induced heat stress tolerance. The study presented here aimed to investigate the temporal dynamics of Turandot expression and the functional role of totA and totC for heat stress tolerance. This was done by assaying the temporal heat tolerance and Turandot gene expression after a heat insult, and by exposing Turandot gene knock down flies to a range of heat hardening treatments, and evaluating the effects on heat tolerance. Successful gene knock down was verified by gene expression assays. In addition, expression of hsp70A was included. Both totA, totC, and hsp70A expression increased following a heat hardening treatment, while the results for totX were less clear. The expression of totC temporally co-occurred with and was functionally linked to increased heat tolerance. Expression of totA did not have a significant effect on heat stress tolerance. The complexity of inducible heat tolerance was underlined by the result that knock down of Turandot genes led to increased expression of hsp70. The results suggest that heat tolerance is determined by the interaction between several mechanisms, of which Turandot genes constitute one such mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ida Bæk
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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150
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Palozzi JM, Jeedigunta SP, Minenkova AV, Monteiro VL, Thompson ZS, Lieber T, Hurd TR. Mitochondrial DNA quality control in the female germline requires a unique programmed mitophagy. Cell Metab 2022; 34:1809-1823.e6. [PMID: 36323236 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2022.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondria have their own DNA (mtDNA), which is susceptible to the accumulation of disease-causing mutations. To prevent deleterious mutations from being inherited, the female germline has evolved a conserved quality control mechanism that remains poorly understood. Here, through a large-scale screen, we uncover a unique programmed germline mitophagy (PGM) that is essential for mtDNA quality control. We find that PGM is developmentally triggered as germ cells enter meiosis by inhibition of the target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1). We identify a role for the RNA-binding protein Ataxin-2 (Atx2) in coordinating the timing of PGM with meiosis. We show that PGM requires the mitophagy receptor BNIP3, mitochondrial fission and translation factors, and members of the Atg1 complex, but not the mitophagy factors PINK1 and Parkin. Additionally, we report several factors that are critical for germline mtDNA quality control and show that pharmacological manipulation of one of these factors promotes mtDNA quality control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M Palozzi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Swathi P Jeedigunta
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Anastasia V Minenkova
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Vernon L Monteiro
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Zoe S Thompson
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Toby Lieber
- HHMI and Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thomas R Hurd
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada.
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