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Tower J, Agrawal S, Alagappan MP, Bell HS, Demeter M, Havanoor N, Hegde VS, Jia Y, Kothawade S, Lin X, Nadig C, Rajashekharappa NS, Rao D, Rao SS, Sancheti P, Saria A, Shantharamu NH, Sharma V, Tadepalli K, Varma A. Behavioral and molecular markers of death in Drosophila melanogaster. Exp Gerontol 2019; 126:110707. [PMID: 31445108 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2019.110707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Fly movement was tracked through 3-dimensional (3D) space as the fly died, using either reflected visible light, reflected infrared (IR) light, or fly GFP fluorescence. Behaviors measured included centrophobism, negative geotaxis, velocity, and total activity. In addition, frequency of directional heading changes (FDHC) was calculated as a measure of erratic movement. Nine middle-aged flies were tracked as they died during normal aging, and fifteen young flies were tracked as they died from dehydration/starvation stress. Episodes of increased FDHC were observed 0-8 h prior to death for the majority of the flies. FDHC was also increased with age in flies with neuronal expression of a human Abeta42 protein fragment associated with Alzheimer's disease. Finally, green autofluorescence appeared in the eye and body immediately prior to and coincident with death, and fluorescence of GFP targeted to the retina increased immediately prior to and coincident with death. The results suggest the potential utility of FDHC, green autofluorescence, and retinal GFP as markers of neuronal malfunction and imminent death.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Tower
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America.
| | - Siddharth Agrawal
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Muthu Palaniappan Alagappan
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Hans S Bell
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Marton Demeter
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Nitin Havanoor
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Vinaykumar S Hegde
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Yiding Jia
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Suraj Kothawade
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Xinyi Lin
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Chaitanya Nadig
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Naveen S Rajashekharappa
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Divyashree Rao
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Sanjay Subba Rao
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Prathamesh Sancheti
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Anuj Saria
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Nagarabhi H Shantharamu
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Vatsal Sharma
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Karthik Tadepalli
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
| | - Anuj Varma
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, United States of America
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Abstract
The fly visual system has served for decades as a model for receptor spectral multiplicity and vitamin A utilization. A diverse armamentarium of structural techniques has dovetailed with convenient electrophysiology, photochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology in Drosophila to facilitate recent progress, which is reviewed here. New data are also presented. Ultrastructure of retinula cells of carotenoid-deprived flies shows that organelles associated with protein biosynthesis, i.e., rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, are present, while organelles associated with rhabdomere turnover, i.e., multivesicular bodies (MVBs), are rare. Ultrastructure and morphometry suggest that retinoic acid-rearing stimulates membrane export and rhabdomere buildup, even though functional rhodopsin is missing. Confocal microscopy suggests that RH4, one of the ultraviolet rhodopsins, may reside in the previously-described pale fluorescent R7 cells with RH3 in the yellow fluorescent R7 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- R D Lee
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, Missouri 63103-2010, USA
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Schraermeyer U, Dohms M. Atypical granules in the eyes of the white mutant of Drosophila melanogaster are lysosome-related organelles. PIGMENT CELL RESEARCH 1993; 6:73-84. [PMID: 8391698 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0749.1993.tb00585.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
In the pigment cells of the white mutant of Drosophila melanogaster, as described earlier, two types of abnormal granules are found by conventional electron microscopy. However, both types of abnormal granules, in addition to those in pigment cell invaginations, are also present in the cytoplasm of the photoreceptor cells. Three enzymes (acid phosphatase, peroxidase, and tyrosinase) are localized within the eyes of wild type and white mutant Drosophila melanogaster by electron microscopy. Peroxidase activity is present in lamellar bodies close to the rhabdomeral microvilli of both fly types. However the organelles containing peroxidase activity are 6-fold more frequent in the wild type than in the mutant. Acid phosphatase is present in lamellar bodies between and at the bases of the rhabdomeral microvilli of the wild type, as well as in ommochrome granules of the photoreceptor cells. In the white mutant, however, acid phosphatase was located in electron lucent vacuoles in the cytoplasm of the receptor cells. These acid phosphatase-positive vacuoles also contained both types of abnormal granules. The latter result indicates that abnormal granules in the receptor cells originate from lysosomal degradation and that targeting of lysosomal enzymes is altered in the white mutant. Due to the tyrosinase activity in the hemolymph of flies, the extracellular spaces are electron dense after DOPA incubation. Since some abnormal granules within the photoreceptor cells are not surrounded by an extracellular space, they can be assumed to originate within the photoreceptor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Schraermeyer
- Institut für Biologie II (Zoologie), RWTH Aachen, Germany
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Chen DM, Christianson JS, Sapp RJ, Stark WS. Visual receptor cycle in normal and period mutant Drosophila: microspectrophotometry, electrophysiology, and ultrastructural morphometry. Vis Neurosci 1992; 9:125-35. [PMID: 1504021 DOI: 10.1017/s0952523800009585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Visual pigment, sensitivity, and rhabdomere size were measured throughout a 12-h light/12-h dark cycle in Drosophila. Visual pigment and sensitivity were measured during subsequent constant darkness [dark/dark (D/D)]. MSP (microspectrophotometry) and the ERG (electroretinogram) revealed a cycling of visual pigment and sensitivity, respectively. A visual pigment decrease of 40% was noted at 4 h after light onset that recovered 2-4 h later in white-eyed (otherwise wild-type, w per+) flies. The ERG sensitivity [in w per+ flies in light/dark (L/D)] decreased by 75% at 4 h after light onset, more than expected if mediated by visual pigment (MSP) changes alone. ERG sensitivity begins decreasing 8 h before light onset while decreases in visual pigment begin 2 h after light onset. These cycles continue in constant darkness (D/D), suggesting a circadian rhythm. White-eyed period (per) mutants show similar cycles of visual pigment level and sensitivity in L/D; per's alterations, if any on the D/D cycles were subtle. The cross-sectional areas of rhabdomeres in w per+ were measured using electron micrographic (EM) morphometry. Area changed little through the L/D cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Chen
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia 65211
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Abstract
Peroxisomes were localized in the head of wild-type and mutant strains of Drosophila melanogaster by use of a cytochemical method for the demonstration of D-amino acid oxidase activity. With similar techniques we had found previously that vertebrate photoreceptors have few, if any, bodies with cytochemically demonstrable oxidase activity, but that the pigment epithelial cells adjacent to the photoreceptors have a substantial population of such bodies. Peroxisomes in Drosophila were very abundant in the fat body. Probable peroxisomes were also present in the peripheral retina of the eye, including in retinular (retinula) and pigment cells, but there were very few of them. Thus, our results suggest that the fat body, which lies adjacent to the eye, is the principal site of peroxisomal function in the head. Peroxisome functions in the Drosophila head may include participation in the genesis of eye pigments.
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Affiliation(s)
- R St Jules
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
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