1
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Isaacson JR, Berg MD, Jagiello J, Yeung W, Charles B, Villén J, Brandl CJ, Moehring AJ. Mistranslating tRNA variants have anticodon- and sex-specific impacts on Drosophila melanogaster. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.11.598535. [PMID: 38915589 PMCID: PMC11195196 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.11.598535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are vital in determining the specificity of translation. Mutations in tRNA genes can result in the misincorporation of amino acids into nascent polypeptides in a process known as mistranslation. Since mistranslation has different impacts, depending on the type of amino acid substitution, our goal here was to compare the impact of different mistranslating tRNASer variants on fly development, lifespan, and behaviour. We established two mistranslating fly lines, one with a tRNASer variant that misincorporates serine at valine codons (V→S) and the other that misincorporates serine at threonine codons (T→S). While both mistranslating tRNAs increased development time and developmental lethality, the severity of the impacts differed depending on amino acid substitution and sex. The V→S variant extended embryonic, larval, and pupal development whereas the T→S only extended larval and pupal development. Females, but not males, containing either mistranslating tRNA presented with significantly more anatomical deformities than controls. Mistranslating females also experienced extended lifespan whereas mistranslating male lifespan was unaffected. In addition, mistranslating flies from both sexes showed improved locomotion as they aged, suggesting delayed neurodegeneration. Therefore, although mistranslation causes detrimental effects, we demonstrate that mistranslation also has positive effects on complex traits such as lifespan and locomotion. This has important implications for human health given the prevalence of tRNA variants in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew D. Berg
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195
| | - Jessica Jagiello
- Department of Biology, Western University, N6A 5B7, London, Canada
| | - William Yeung
- Department of Biology, Western University, N6A 5B7, London, Canada
| | - Brendan Charles
- Department of Biology, Western University, N6A 5B7, London, Canada
| | - Judit Villén
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195
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2
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Mi K, Li Y, Yang Y, Secombe J, Liu X. DVT: a high-throughput analysis pipeline for locomotion and social behavior in adult Drosophila melanogaster. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:187. [PMID: 37798731 PMCID: PMC10557313 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01125-0] [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: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drosophila melanogaster is excellent animal model for understanding the molecular basis of human neurological and motor disorders. The experimental conditions and chamber design varied between studies. Moreover, most previously established paradigms focus on fly trace detection algorithm development. A comprehensive understanding on how fly behaves in the chamber is still lacking. RESULTS In this report, we established 74 unique behavior metrics quantifying spatiotemporal characteristics of adult fly locomotion and social behaviors, of which 49 were newly proposed. By the aiding of the developed analysis pipeline, Drosophila video tracking (DVT), we identified siginificantly different patterns of fly behavior confronted with different chamber height, fly density, illumination and experimental time. Meanwhile, three fly strains which are widely used as control lines, Canton-S(CS), w1118 and Oregon-R (OR), were found to exhibit distinct motion explosiveness and exercise endurance. CONCLUSIONS We believe the proposed behavior metrics set and pipeline should help identify subtle spatial and temporal differences of drosophila behavior confronted with different environmental factors or gene variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Mi
- Department of Pathogen Biology-Microbiology Division, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Offspring Health, Key Laboratory of Pathogen of Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Center of Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
- The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yiqing Li
- Department of Pathogen Biology-Microbiology Division, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Offspring Health, Key Laboratory of Pathogen of Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Center of Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Yuhang Yang
- Department of Pathogen Biology-Microbiology Division, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Offspring Health, Key Laboratory of Pathogen of Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Center of Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Julie Secombe
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Xingyin Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology-Microbiology Division, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Offspring Health, Key Laboratory of Pathogen of Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Center of Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China.
- The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China.
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3
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Use of invertebrates to model chemically induced parkinsonism-symptoms. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:435-445. [PMID: 36645005 PMCID: PMC9987996 DOI: 10.1042/bst20221172] [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: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence of neurological diseases is currently growing due to the combination of several factor, including poor lifestyle and environmental imbalance which enhance the contribution of genetic factors. Parkinson's disease (PD), a chronic and progressive neurological condition, is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative human diseases. Development of models may help to understand its pathophysiology. This review focuses on studies using invertebrate models to investigate certain chemicals that generate parkinsonian-like symptoms models. Additionally, we report some preliminary results of our own research on a crustacean (the crab Ucides cordatus) and a solitary ascidian (Styela plicata), used after induction of parkinsonism with 6-hydroxydopamine and the pesticide rotenone, respectively. We also discuss the advantages, limits, and drawbacks of using invertebrate models to study PD. We suggest prospects and directions for future investigations of PD, based on invertebrate models.
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4
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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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5
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Cozma E, Rao M, Dusick M, Genereaux J, Rodriguez-Mias RA, Villén J, Brandl CJ, Berg MD. Anticodon sequence determines the impact of mistranslating tRNA Ala variants. RNA Biol 2023; 20:791-804. [PMID: 37776539 PMCID: PMC10543346 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2023.2257471] [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] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) maintain translation fidelity through accurate charging by their cognate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and codon:anticodon base pairing with the mRNA at the ribosome. Mistranslation occurs when an amino acid not specified by the genetic message is incorporated into proteins and has applications in biotechnology, therapeutics and is relevant to disease. Since the alanyl-tRNA synthetase uniquely recognizes a G3:U70 base pair in tRNAAla and the anticodon plays no role in charging, tRNAAla variants with anticodon mutations have the potential to mis-incorporate alanine. Here, we characterize the impact of the 60 non-alanine tRNAAla anticodon variants on the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Overall, 36 tRNAAla anticodon variants decreased growth in single- or multi-copy. Mass spectrometry analysis of the cellular proteome revealed that 52 of 57 anticodon variants, not decoding alanine or stop codons, induced mistranslation when on single-copy plasmids. Variants with G/C-rich anticodons resulted in larger growth deficits than A/U-rich variants. In most instances, synonymous anticodon variants impact growth differently, with anticodons containing U at base 34 being the least impactful. For anticodons generating the same amino acid substitution, reduced growth generally correlated with the abundance of detected mistranslation events. Differences in decoding specificity, even between synonymous anticodons, resulted in each tRNAAla variant mistranslating unique sets of peptides and proteins. We suggest that these differences in decoding specificity are also important in determining the impact of tRNAAla anticodon variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ecaterina Cozma
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Megha Rao
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Madison Dusick
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie Genereaux
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Judit Villén
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christopher J. Brandl
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Matthew D. Berg
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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6
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Barwell T, Raina S, Seroude L. Protocol for recording and analyzing spontaneous locomotion in Drosophila. STAR Protoc 2022; 3:101888. [PMID: 36595964 PMCID: PMC9722781 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The quantitative analysis of locomotion is used to study many biological processes. Here, we describe how to record the locomotion of up to 50 Drosophila individuals and process the resulting video files using FlyTracker. We detail the use of modifiable MatLab scripts to process structure array files generated by FlyTracker. We have applied this to study Drosophila movement during aging, but it could be used to address a variety of research questions. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Barwell et al. (2021).1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Barwell
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, BioSciences Complex, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada,Corresponding author
| | - Sehaj Raina
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, BioSciences Complex, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada,Department of Biology, York University, Life Sciences Building, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Laurent Seroude
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, BioSciences Complex, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada,Corresponding author
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7
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Grzejda D, Mach J, Schweizer JA, Hummel B, Rezansoff AM, Eggenhofer F, Panhale A, Lalioti ME, Cabezas Wallscheid N, Backofen R, Felsenberg J, Hilgers V. The long noncoding RNA mimi scaffolds neuronal granules to maintain nervous system maturity. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo5578. [PMID: 36170367 PMCID: PMC9519039 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo5578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
RNA binding proteins and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) assemble into ribonucleoprotein granules that regulate mRNA trafficking, local translation, and turnover. The dysregulation of RNA-protein condensation disturbs synaptic plasticity and neuron survival and has been widely associated with human neurological disease. Neuronal granules are thought to condense around particular proteins that dictate the identity and composition of each granule type. Here, we show in Drosophila that a previously uncharacterized long noncoding RNA, mimi, is required to scaffold large neuronal granules in the adult nervous system. Neuronal ELAV-like proteins directly bind mimi and mediate granule assembly, while Staufen maintains condensate integrity. mimi granules contain mRNAs and proteins involved in synaptic processes; granule loss in mimi mutant flies impairs nervous system maturity and neuropeptide-mediated signaling and causes phenotypes of neurodegeneration. Our work reports an architectural RNA for a neuronal granule and provides a handle to interrogate functions of a condensate independently of those of its constituent proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominika Grzejda
- Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg 79108, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79104, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Molecular and Cellular Biology (IMPRS- MCB), Freiburg 79108, Germany
| | - Jana Mach
- Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg 79108, Germany
| | - Johanna Aurelia Schweizer
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), Basel 4058, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel 4001, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Hummel
- Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg 79108, Germany
| | | | - Florian Eggenhofer
- Department of Computer Science, Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79110, Germany
| | - Amol Panhale
- Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg 79108, Germany
| | - Maria-Eleni Lalioti
- Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg 79108, Germany
| | | | - Rolf Backofen
- Department of Computer Science, Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79110, Germany
- BIOSS and CIBSS Centres for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79104, Germany
| | - Johannes Felsenberg
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), Basel 4058, Switzerland
| | - Valérie Hilgers
- Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg 79108, Germany
- CIBSS Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79104, Germany
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8
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Kanno K, Kayashima Y, Tamura K, Miyara T, Baba K, Koganei M, Natsume M, Imai S. Fatty acid tryptamide from cacao elongates Drosophila melanogaster lifespan with sirtuin-dependent heat shock protein expression. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12080. [PMID: 35840713 PMCID: PMC9287426 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16471-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Life span is increasing in developed countries as Japan, and an aging society is becoming a problem. In fact, healthy lifespan is not extended, and it is desired to extend it by functional food. Cacao (Theobroma cacao) contains various active components and is considered a preventative agent against metabolic disease. In addition, it has long been thought that regular cacao intake extends a healthy lifespan. However, there is no direct evidence for this belief. The purpose of this study is to identify the cacao component that elongate the lifespan of D. melanogaster as a model organism and to elucidate its functional mechanism. The activation of sirtuins, a family of NAD+-dependent deacetylases, has been reported to extend the lifespans of various organisms. Heat shock factor 1 is known to be deacetylated by reaction with sirtuins, thereby inducing gene expression of various heat shock proteins by heat stress and effectively extending the lifespan of organisms. Therefore, we evaluated whether components in cacao activate sirtuins and extend the lifespan of D. melanogaster. In the process, we discovered the fatty acid tryptamide as a lifespan-elongating component of cacao. Therefore, we investigated whether the fatty acid tryptamide from cacao upregulates the genes of heat shock proteins. As a result, it was confirmed that the gene expression of multiple heat shock proteins was significantly increased. This suggests that fatty acid tryptamide may activate sirtuins, increase gene expression of heat shock proteins, and elongate the lifespan of D. melanogaster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiko Kanno
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Technology, 1404-1, Katakura, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0982, Japan
| | - Yasunari Kayashima
- Department of Food and Nutrition, Yamanashi Gakuin Junior College, 2-4-5 Sakaori, Kofu-shi, Yamanashi, 400-8575, Japan
| | - Kazuji Tamura
- Meiji.Co., Ltd., 1-29-1, Nanakuni, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0919, Japan
| | - Takako Miyara
- Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd., 788, Kayama, Odawara, Kanagawa, 250-0852, Japan
| | - Kento Baba
- Meiji.Co., Ltd., 1-29-1, Nanakuni, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0919, Japan
| | - Megumi Koganei
- Meiji.Co., Ltd., 1-29-1, Nanakuni, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0919, Japan
| | - Midori Natsume
- Meiji.Co., Ltd., 1-29-1, Nanakuni, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0919, Japan
| | - Shinjiro Imai
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Technology, 1404-1, Katakura, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0982, Japan.
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9
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Nicotine Has a Therapeutic Window of Effectiveness in a Drosophila melanogaster Model of Parkinson’s Disease. PARKINSON'S DISEASE 2022; 2022:9291077. [PMID: 35844833 PMCID: PMC9286976 DOI: 10.1155/2022/9291077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Strong epidemiological evidence and studies in models of Parkinson's disease (PD) suggest that nicotine may be therapeutically beneficial in PD patients. However, a number of clinical trials utilizing nicotine in PD patients have had mixed results, indicating that either nicotine is not beneficial in PD patients, or an important aspect of nicotine therapy was absent. We hypothesized that nicotine must be administered early in the adult fly life in order to have beneficial effects. We show that continuous early nicotine administration improves both climbing and flight deficiencies present in homozygous park25 mutant PD model Drosophila melanogaster. Using a new climbing assay, we identify several climbing deficiencies in this PD model that are improved or rescued by continuous nicotine treatment. Amongst these benefits, it appears that nicotine improves the ability of the park25 flies to descend the climbing vial by being able to climb down more. In support of our hypothesis, we show that in order for nicotine benefits on climbing and flight to happen, nicotine administration must occur in a discrete time frame following adult fly eclosure: within one day for climbing or five days for flight. This therapeutic window of nicotine administration in this PD model fly may help to explain the lack of efficacy of nicotine in human clinical trials.
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10
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O'Hanlon ME, Tweedy C, Scialo F, Bass R, Sanz A, Smulders-Srinivasan TK. Mitochondrial electron transport chain defects modify Parkinson's disease phenotypes in a Drosophila model. Neurobiol Dis 2022; 171:105803. [PMID: 35764292 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Mitochondrial defects have been implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD) since complex I poisons were found to cause accelerated parkinsonism in young people in the early 1980s. More evidence of mitochondrial involvement arose when many of the genes whose mutations caused inherited PD were discovered to be subcellularly localized to mitochondria or have mitochondrial functions. However, the details of how mitochondrial dysfunction might impact or cause PD remain unclear. The aim of our study was to better understand mitochondrial dysfunction in PD by evaluating mitochondrial respiratory complex mutations in a Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) model of PD. METHODS We have conducted a targeted heterozygous enhancer/suppressor screen using Drosophila mutations within mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) genes against a null PD mutation in parkin. The interactions were assessed by climbing assays at 2-5 days as an indicator of motor function. A strong enhancer mutation in COX5A was examined further for L-dopa rescue, oxygen consumption, mitochondrial content, and reactive oxygen species. A later timepoint of 16-20 days was also investigated for both COX5A and a suppressor mutation in cyclope. Generalized Linear Models and similar statistical tests were used to verify significance of the findings. RESULTS We have discovered that mutations in individual genes for subunits within the mitochondrial respiratory complexes have interactions with parkin, while others do not, irrespective of complex. One intriguing mutation in a complex IV subunit (cyclope) shows a suppressor rescue effect at early time points, improving the gross motor defects caused by the PD mutation, providing a strong candidate for drug discovery. Most mutations, however, show varying degrees of enhancement or slight suppression of the PD phenotypes. Thus, individual mitochondrial mutations within different oxidative phosphorylation complexes have different interactions with PD with regard to degree and direction. Upon further investigation of the strongest enhancer (COX5A), the mechanism by which these interactions occur initially does not appear to be based on defects in ATP production, but rather may be related to increased levels of reactive oxygen species. CONCLUSIONS Our work highlights some key subunits potentially involved in mechanisms underlying PD pathogenesis, implicating ETC complexes other than complex I in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E O'Hanlon
- School of Health & Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough TS1 3BX, United Kingdom; National Horizons Centre, Teesside University, Darlington DL1 1HG, United Kingdom. M.O'
| | - Clare Tweedy
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.
| | - Filippo Scialo
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, Newcastle University, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5PL, United Kingdom.
| | - Rosemary Bass
- Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK.
| | - Alberto Sanz
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, Newcastle University, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5PL, United Kingdom.
| | - Tora K Smulders-Srinivasan
- School of Health & Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough TS1 3BX, United Kingdom; National Horizons Centre, Teesside University, Darlington DL1 1HG, United Kingdom; Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK.
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11
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Isaacson JR, Berg MD, Charles B, Jagiello J, Villén J, Brandl CJ, Moehring AJ. A novel mistranslating tRNA model in Drosophila melanogaster has diverse, sexually dimorphic effects. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2022; 12:6526391. [PMID: 35143655 PMCID: PMC9073681 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are the adaptor molecules required for reading the genetic code and producing proteins. Transfer RNA variants can lead to genome-wide mistranslation, the misincorporation of amino acids not specified by the standard genetic code into nascent proteins. While genome sequencing has identified putative mistranslating transfer RNA variants in human populations, little is known regarding how mistranslation affects multicellular organisms. Here, we create a multicellular model of mistranslation by integrating a serine transfer RNA variant that mistranslates serine for proline (tRNAUGG,G26ASer) into the Drosophila melanogaster genome. We confirm mistranslation via mass spectrometry and find that tRNAUGG,G26ASer misincorporates serine for proline at a frequency of ∼0.6% per codon. tRNAUGG,G26ASer extends development time and decreases the number of flies that reach adulthood. While both sexes of adult flies containing tRNAUGG,G26ASer present with morphological deformities and poor climbing performance, these effects are more pronounced in female flies and the impact on climbing performance is exacerbated by age. This model will enable studies into the synergistic effects of mistranslating transfer RNA variants and disease-causing alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua R Isaacson
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Matthew D Berg
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Brendan Charles
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Jessica Jagiello
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Judit Villén
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Christopher J Brandl
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Amanda J Moehring
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
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12
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Suzuki M, Sango K, Nagai Y. Roles of α-Synuclein and Disease-Associated Factors in Drosophila Models of Parkinson's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031519. [PMID: 35163450 PMCID: PMC8835920 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
α-Synuclein (αSyn) plays a major role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease. The accumulation of αSyn is a pathological hallmark of PD, and mutations in the SNCA gene encoding αSyn cause familial forms of PD. Moreover, the ectopic expression of αSyn has been demonstrated to mimic several key aspects of PD in experimental model systems. Among the various model systems, Drosophila melanogaster has several advantages for modeling human neurodegenerative diseases. Drosophila has a well-defined nervous system, and numerous tools have been established for its genetic analyses. The rapid generation cycle and short lifespan of Drosophila renders them suitable for high-throughput analyses. PD model flies expressing αSyn have contributed to our understanding of the roles of various disease-associated factors, including genetic and nongenetic factors, in the pathogenesis of PD. In this review, we summarize the molecular pathomechanisms revealed to date using αSyn-expressing Drosophila models of PD, and discuss the possibilities of using these models to demonstrate the biological significance of disease-associated factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Suzuki
- Diabetic Neuropathy Project, Department of Diseases and Infection, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan;
- Department of Neurotherapeutics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
- Correspondence: (M.S.); (Y.N.); Tel.: +81-5316-3100 (M.S.); +81-72-366-0221 (Y.N.)
| | - Kazunori Sango
- Diabetic Neuropathy Project, Department of Diseases and Infection, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan;
| | - Yoshitaka Nagai
- Department of Neurotherapeutics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama 589-8511, Japan
- Correspondence: (M.S.); (Y.N.); Tel.: +81-5316-3100 (M.S.); +81-72-366-0221 (Y.N.)
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13
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Kitani-Morii F, Friedland RP, Yoshida H, Mizuno T. Drosophila as a Model for Microbiota Studies of Neurodegeneration. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 84:479-490. [PMID: 34569965 PMCID: PMC8673522 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence show that the gut microbiota is deeply involved not only in host nutrient metabolism but also in immune function, endocrine regulation, and chronic disease. In neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the gut-brain axis, the bidirectional interaction between the brain and the gut, provides new route of pathological spread and potential therapeutic targets. Although studies of gut microbiota have been conducted mainly in mice, mammalian gut microbiota is highly diverse, complex, and sensitive to environmental changes. Drosophila melanogaster, a fruit fly, has many advantages as a laboratory animal: short life cycle, numerous and genetically homogenous offspring, less ethical concerns, availability of many genetic models, and low maintenance costs. Drosophila has a simpler gut microbiota than mammals and can be made to remain sterile or to have standardized gut microbiota by simple established methods. Research on the microbiota of Drosophila has revealed new molecules that regulate the brain-gut axis, and it has been shown that dysbiosis of the fly microbiota worsens lifespan, motor function, and neurodegeneration in AD and PD models. The results shown in fly studies represents a fundamental part of the immune and proteomic process involving gut-microbiota interactions that are highly conserved. Even though the fly’s gut microbiota are not simple mimics of humans, flies are a valuable system to learn the molecular mechanisms of how the gut microbiota affect host health and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fukiko Kitani-Morii
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology of Brain Diseases, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.,Department of Neurology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Robert P Friedland
- Department of Neurology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Hideki Yoshida
- Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Toshiki Mizuno
- Department of Neurology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
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14
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Thomas J, Smith H, Smith CA, Coward L, Gorman G, De Luca M, Jumbo-Lucioni P. The Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor Lisinopril Mitigates Memory and Motor Deficits in a Drosophila Model of Alzheimer's Disease. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY 2021; 28:307-319. [PMID: 35366264 PMCID: PMC8830455 DOI: 10.3390/pathophysiology28020020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) has been reported to reduce symptoms of cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Yet, the protective role of ACEis against AD symptoms is still controversial. Here, we aimed at determining whether oral treatment with the ACEi lisinopril has beneficial effects on cognitive and physical functions in a Drosophila melanogaster model of AD that overexpresses the human amyloid precursor protein and the human β-site APP-cleaving enzyme in neurons. We found a significant impairment in learning and memory as well as in climbing ability in young AD flies compared to control flies. After evaluation of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism, we also found that AD flies displayed a >30-fold increase in the levels of the neurotoxic 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) in their heads. Furthermore, compared to control flies, AD flies had significantly higher levels of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) hydrogen peroxide in their muscle-enriched thoraces. Lisinopril significantly improved deficits in learning and memory and climbing ability in AD flies. The positive impact of lisinopril on physical function might be, in part, explained by a significant reduction in ROS levels in the thoraces of the lisinopril-fed AD flies. However, lisinopril did not affect the levels of 3-HK. In conclusion, our findings provide novel and relevant insights into the therapeutic potential of ACEis in a preclinical AD model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimiece Thomas
- McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University, Birmingham, AL 35229, USA; (J.T.); (H.S.); (C.A.S.)
| | - Haddon Smith
- McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University, Birmingham, AL 35229, USA; (J.T.); (H.S.); (C.A.S.)
| | - C. Aaron Smith
- McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University, Birmingham, AL 35229, USA; (J.T.); (H.S.); (C.A.S.)
| | - Lori Coward
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Institute, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University, Birmingham, AL 35229, USA; (L.C.); (G.G.)
| | - Gregory Gorman
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Institute, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University, Birmingham, AL 35229, USA; (L.C.); (G.G.)
- Pharmaceutical, Social, and Administrative Sciences, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University, Birmingham, AL 35229, USA
| | - Maria De Luca
- Department of Nutrition Sciences, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA;
| | - Patricia Jumbo-Lucioni
- Pharmaceutical, Social, and Administrative Sciences, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Samford University, Birmingham, AL 35229, USA
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
- Correspondence:
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15
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Ikarashi M, Tanimoto H. Drosophila acquires seconds-scale rhythmic behavior. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:238112. [PMID: 33795422 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242443] [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: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Detection of the temporal structure of stimuli is crucial for prediction. While perception of interval timing is relevant for immediate behavioral adaptations, it has scarcely been investigated, especially in invertebrates. Here, we examined whether the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, can acquire rhythmic behavior in the range of seconds. To this end, we developed a novel temporal conditioning paradigm utilizing repeated electric shocks. Combined automatic behavioral annotation and time-frequency analysis revealed that behavioral rhythms continued after cessation of the shocks. Furthermore, we found that aging impaired interval timing. This study thus not only demonstrates the ability of insects to acquire behavioral rhythms of a few seconds, but highlights a life-course decline of temporal coordination, which is also common in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayoshi Ikarashi
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
| | - Hiromu Tanimoto
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
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16
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Sánchez JA, Gil-Martinez AL, Cisterna A, García-Ruíz S, Gómez-Pascual A, Reynolds RH, Nalls M, Hardy J, Ryten M, Botía JA. Modeling multifunctionality of genes with secondary gene co-expression networks in human brain provides novel disease insights. Bioinformatics 2021; 37:2905-2911. [PMID: 33734320 PMCID: PMC8479669 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btab175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Co-expression networks are a powerful gene expression analysis method to study how genes co-express together in clusters with functional coherence that usually resemble specific cell type behavior for the genes involved. They can be applied to bulk-tissue gene expression profiling and assign function, and usually cell type specificity, to a high percentage of the gene pool used to construct the network. One of the limitations of this method is that each gene is predicted to play a role in a specific set of coherent functions in a single cell type (i.e. at most we get a single <gene, function, cell type> for each gene). We present here GMSCA (Gene Multifunctionality Secondary Co-expression Analysis), a software tool that exploits the co-expression paradigm to increase the number of functions and cell types ascribed to a gene in bulk-tissue co-expression networks. RESULTS We applied GMSCA to 27 co-expression networks derived from bulk-tissue gene expression profiling of a variety of brain tissues. Neurons and glial cells (microglia, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes) were considered the main cell types. Applying this approach, we increase the overall number of predicted triplets <gene, function, cell type> by 46.73%. Moreover, GMSCA predicts that the SNCA gene, traditionally associated to work mainly in neurons, also plays a relevant function in oligodendrocytes. AVAILABILITYAND IMPLEMENTATION The tool is available at GitHub, https://github.com/drlaguna/GMSCA as open-source software. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan A Sánchez
- Departamento de Ingeniería de la Información y las Comunicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia E-30100, Spain
| | - Ana L Gil-Martinez
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Alejandro Cisterna
- Departamento de Ingeniería de la Información y las Comunicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia E-30100, Spain
| | - Sonia García-Ruíz
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Alicia Gómez-Pascual
- Departamento de Ingeniería de la Información y las Comunicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia E-30100, Spain
| | - Regina H Reynolds
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Mike Nalls
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, Molecular Genetics Section, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA,Data Tecnica International, Glen Echo, MD 20812, USA
| | - John Hardy
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Mina Ryten
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, London WC1E 6BT, UK,To whom correspondence should be addressed. or
| | - Juan A Botía
- Departamento de Ingeniería de la Información y las Comunicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia E-30100, Spain,Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, London WC1E 6BT, UK,To whom correspondence should be addressed. or
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17
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Khyati, Malik I, Agrawal N, Kumar V. Melatonin and curcumin reestablish disturbed circadian gene expressions and restore locomotion ability and eclosion behavior in Drosophila model of Huntington's disease. Chronobiol Int 2020; 38:61-78. [PMID: 33334207 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2020.1842752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Deficit in locomotion (motor) ability and disturbance of the circadian behavior and sleep-wake pattern characterize Huntington's disease (HD). Here, we examined the disturbance of circadian timing with the progression of HD pathogenesis, and tested the efficacy of melatonin and curcumin in preventing the motor deficit and disturbed eclosion behavior in the Drosophila model of HD. To examine circadian timing, we assayed mRNA expression of genes of the transcriptional feedback (TF) loop that generates the near 24-h rhythmicity. We performed qPCR of the Period, Timeless, Clock, Cycle, Clockwork, and Cryptochrome genes in transgenic fly heads from elav-Gal4 (pan neuronal) and PDF-Gal4 (PDF-specific neurons) driver lines through the progression of HD disease post-eclosion, from day 1 to its terminal stage on day 13. Cycle was arrhythmic from day 1, but Period and Timeless became arrhythmic on day 13 of the HD pathogenesis in elav, but not PDF, neurons. Twenty-four-hour mRNA rhythms showed alteration in the waveform properties (mesor and amplitude, not acrophase), but not in the persistence, in both elav-Gal4 and PDF-Gal4 HD flies; however, disturbance of the clock gene rhythm was delayed in PDF-Gal4 flies. To assess the preventive effects on HD pathogenesis, flies of both driver lines were provided with melatonin (50, 100, or 150 μg) or curcumin (10 μM) in the diet commencing from the larval stage. Both melatonin (100 μg) and curcumin reestablished the 24-h pattern in mRNA expression of Period and Timeless to normal (control) levels, and significantly improved both locomotion ability and eclosion behavior of HD flies. We suggest that the disturbance of circadian timekeeping progressively accelerated HD pathogenesis, possibly via modulation of the transcriptional state that resulted in the modification of the Huntington gene. These findings suggest melatonin and curcumin might be potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of HD in humans, although this needs specific investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khyati
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi , Delhi, India
| | - Indu Malik
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi , Delhi, India
| | - Namita Agrawal
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi , Delhi, India
| | - Vinod Kumar
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi , Delhi, India
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18
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Shah EJ, Gurdziel K, Ruden DM. Drosophila Exhibit Divergent Sex-Based Responses in Transcription and Motor Function After Traumatic Brain Injury. Front Neurol 2020; 11:511. [PMID: 32636795 PMCID: PMC7316956 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Every year, millions of people in the US suffer brain damage from mild to severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) that result from a sudden impact to the head. Despite TBI being a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, sex differences that contribute to varied outcomes post-injury are not extensively studied and therefore, poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to explore biological sex as a variable influencing response to TBI using Drosophila melanogaster as a model, since flies have been shown to exhibit symptoms commonly seen in other mammalian models of TBI. After inflicting TBI using the high-impact trauma device, we isolated w1118 fly brains and assessed gene transcription changes in male and female flies at control and 1, 2, and 4 hr after TBI. Our results suggest that overall, Drosophila females show more gene transcript changes than males. Females also exhibit upregulated expression changes in immune response and mitochondrial genes across all time-points. In addition, we looked at the impact of injury on mitochondrial health and motor function in both sexes before and after injury. Although both sexes report similar changes in mitochondrial oxidation and negative geotaxis, locomotor activity appears to be more impaired in males than females. These data suggest that sex-differences not only influence the response to TBI but also contribute to varied outcomes post-injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekta J Shah
- Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Katherine Gurdziel
- Office of the Vice President for Research, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Douglas M Ruden
- Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States.,Office of the Vice President for Research, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States.,Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States
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