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Nitta Y, Sugie A. Studies of neurodegenerative diseases using Drosophila and the development of novel approaches for their analysis. Fly (Austin) 2022; 16:275-298. [PMID: 35765969 PMCID: PMC9336468 DOI: 10.1080/19336934.2022.2087484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of Drosophila in neurodegenerative disease research has contributed to the identification of modifier genes for the pathology. The basis for neurodegenerative disease occurrence in Drosophila is the conservation of genes across species and the ability to perform rapid genetic analysis using a compact brain. Genetic findings previously discovered in Drosophila can reveal molecular pathologies involved in human neurological diseases in later years. Disease models using Drosophila began to be generated during the development of genetic engineering. In recent years, results of reverse translational research using Drosophila have been reported. In this review, we discuss research on neurodegenerative diseases; moreover, we introduce various methods for quantifying neurodegeneration in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohei Nitta
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sugie
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan,CONTACT Atsushi Sugie Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
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2
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Kim T, Song B, Lee IS. Drosophila Glia: Models for Human Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E4859. [PMID: 32660023 PMCID: PMC7402321 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21144859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Revised: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Glial cells are key players in the proper formation and maintenance of the nervous system, thus contributing to neuronal health and disease in humans. However, little is known about the molecular pathways that govern glia-neuron communications in the diseased brain. Drosophila provides a useful in vivo model to explore the conserved molecular details of glial cell biology and their contributions to brain function and disease susceptibility. Herein, we review recent studies that explore glial functions in normal neuronal development, along with Drosophila models that seek to identify the pathological implications of glial defects in the context of various central nervous system disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Im-Soon Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for CHANS, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea; (T.K.); (B.S.)
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3
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Deal SL, Yamamoto S. Unraveling Novel Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration Through a Large-Scale Forward Genetic Screen in Drosophila. Front Genet 2019; 9:700. [PMID: 30693015 PMCID: PMC6339878 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegeneration is characterized by progressive loss of neurons. Genetic and environmental factors both contribute to demise of neurons, leading to diverse devastating cognitive and motor disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases in humans. Over the past few decades, the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has become an integral tool to understand the molecular, cellular and genetic mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration. Extensive tools and sophisticated technologies allow Drosophila geneticists to identify and study evolutionarily conserved genes that are essential for neural maintenance. In this review, we will focus on a large-scale mosaic forward genetic screen on the fly X-chromosome that led to the identification of a number of essential genes that exhibit neurodegenerative phenotypes when mutated. Most genes identified from this screen are evolutionarily conserved and many have been linked to human diseases with neurological presentations. Systematic electrophysiological and ultrastructural characterization of mutant tissue in the context of the Drosophila visual system, followed by a series of experiments to understand the mechanism of neurodegeneration in each mutant led to the discovery of novel molecular pathways that are required for neuronal integrity. Defects in mitochondrial function, lipid and iron metabolism, protein trafficking and autophagy are recurrent themes, suggesting that insults that eventually lead to neurodegeneration may converge on a set of evolutionarily conserved cellular processes. Insights from these studies have contributed to our understanding of known neurodegenerative diseases such as Leigh syndrome and Friedreich's ataxia and have also led to the identification of new human diseases. By discovering new genes required for neural maintenance in flies and working with clinicians to identify patients with deleterious variants in the orthologous human genes, Drosophila biologists can play an active role in personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L Deal
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
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4
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Furotani K, Kamimura K, Yajima T, Nakayama M, Enomoto R, Tamura T, Okazawa H, Sone M. Suppression of the synaptic localization of a subset of proteins including APP partially ameliorates phenotypes of the Drosophila Alzheimer's disease model. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0204048. [PMID: 30226901 PMCID: PMC6143267 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
APP (amyloid precursor protein), the causative molecule of Alzheimer's disease, is synthesized in neuronal cell bodies and subsequently transported to synapses. We previously showed that the yata gene is required for the synaptic transport of the APP orthologue in Drosophila melanogaster. In this study, we examined the effect of a reduction in yata expression in the Drosophila Alzheimer's disease model, in which expression of human mutant APP was induced. The synaptic localization of APP and other synaptic proteins was differentially inhibited by yata knockdown and null mutation. Expression of APP resulted in abnormal synaptic morphology and the premature death of animals. These phenotypes were partially but significantly rescued by yata knockdown, whereas yata knockdown itself caused no abnormality. Moreover, we observed that synaptic transmission accuracy was impaired in our model, and this phenotype was improved by yata knockdown. Thus, our data suggested that the phenotypes caused by APP can be partially prevented by inhibition of the synaptic localization of a subset of synaptic proteins including APP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koto Furotani
- Faculty of Science, Toho University, Funabashi, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Rena Enomoto
- Faculty of Science, Toho University, Funabashi, Japan
| | - Takuya Tamura
- Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Okazawa
- Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaki Sone
- Faculty of Science, Toho University, Funabashi, Japan
- * E-mail:
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5
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Jonson M, Nyström S, Sandberg A, Carlback M, Michno W, Hanrieder J, Starkenberg A, Nilsson KPR, Thor S, Hammarström P. Aggregated Aβ1-42 Is Selectively Toxic for Neurons, Whereas Glial Cells Produce Mature Fibrils with Low Toxicity in Drosophila. Cell Chem Biol 2018; 25:595-610.e5. [PMID: 29657084 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Revised: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The basis for selective vulnerability of certain cell types for misfolded proteins (MPs) in neurodegenerative diseases is largely unknown. This knowledge is crucial for understanding disease progression in relation to MPs spreading in the CNS. We assessed this issue in Drosophila by cell-specific expression of human Aβ1-42 associated with Alzheimer's disease. Expression of Aβ1-42 in various neurons resulted in concentration-dependent severe neurodegenerative phenotypes, and intraneuronal ring-tangle-like aggregates with immature fibril properties when analyzed by aggregate-specific ligands. Unexpectedly, expression of Aβ1-42 from a pan-glial driver produced a mild phenotype despite massive brain load of Aβ1-42 aggregates, even higher than in the strongest neuronal driver. Glial cells formed more mature fibrous aggregates, morphologically distinct from aggregates found in neurons, and was mainly extracellular. Our findings implicate that Aβ1-42 cytotoxicity is both cell and aggregate morphotype dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Jonson
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping SE-581 83, Sweden
| | - Sofie Nyström
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping SE-581 83, Sweden
| | - Alexander Sandberg
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping SE-581 83, Sweden
| | - Marcus Carlback
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping SE-581 83, Sweden
| | - Wojciech Michno
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 431 80 Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Jörg Hanrieder
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, 431 80 Mölndal, Sweden; Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London W1C3BG, UK
| | - Annika Starkenberg
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping SE-581 85, Sweden
| | - K Peter R Nilsson
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping SE-581 83, Sweden
| | - Stefan Thor
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping SE-581 85, Sweden
| | - Per Hammarström
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping SE-581 83, Sweden.
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6
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Identification of hepta-histidine as a candidate drug for Huntington's disease by in silico-in vitro- in vivo-integrated screens of chemical libraries. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33861. [PMID: 27653664 PMCID: PMC5032119 DOI: 10.1038/srep33861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We identified drug seeds for treating Huntington’s disease (HD) by combining in vitro single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy, in silico molecular docking simulations, and in vivo fly and mouse HD models to screen for inhibitors of abnormal interactions between mutant Htt and physiological Ku70, an essential DNA damage repair protein in neurons whose function is known to be impaired by mutant Htt. From 19,468 and 3,010,321 chemicals in actual and virtual libraries, fifty-six chemicals were selected from combined in vitro-in silico screens; six of these were further confirmed to have an in vivo effect on lifespan in a fly HD model, and two chemicals exerted an in vivo effect on the lifespan, body weight and motor function in a mouse HD model. Two oligopeptides, hepta-histidine (7H) and Angiotensin III, rescued the morphological abnormalities of primary neurons differentiated from iPS cells of human HD patients. For these selected drug seeds, we proposed a possible common structure. Unexpectedly, the selected chemicals enhanced rather than inhibited Htt aggregation, as indicated by dynamic light scattering analysis. Taken together, these integrated screens revealed a new pathway for the molecular targeted therapy of HD.
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7
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Shimada MK, Sanbonmatsu R, Yamaguchi-Kabata Y, Yamasaki C, Suzuki Y, Chakraborty R, Gojobori T, Imanishi T. Selection pressure on human STR loci and its relevance in repeat expansion disease. Mol Genet Genomics 2016; 291:1851-69. [PMID: 27290643 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-016-1219-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) comprise repeats of one to several base pairs. Because of the high mutability due to strand slippage during DNA synthesis, rapid evolutionary change in the number of repeating units directly shapes the range of repeat-number variation according to selection pressure. However, the remaining questions include: Why are STRs causing repeat expansion diseases maintained in the human population; and why are these limited to neurodegenerative diseases? By evaluating the genome-wide selection pressure on STRs using the database we constructed, we identified two different patterns of relationship in repeat-number polymorphisms between DNA and amino-acid sequences, although both patterns are evolutionary consequences of avoiding the formation of harmful long STRs. First, a mixture of degenerate codons is represented in poly-proline (poly-P) repeats. Second, long poly-glutamine (poly-Q) repeats are favored at the protein level; however, at the DNA level, STRs encoding long poly-Qs are frequently divided by synonymous SNPs. Furthermore, significant enrichments of apoptosis and neurodevelopment were biological processes found specifically in genes encoding poly-Qs with repeat polymorphism. This suggests the existence of a specific molecular function for polymorphic and/or long poly-Q stretches. Given that the poly-Qs causing expansion diseases were longer than other poly-Qs, even in healthy subjects, our results indicate that the evolutionary benefits of long and/or polymorphic poly-Q stretches outweigh the risks of long CAG repeats predisposing to pathological hyper-expansions. Molecular pathways in neurodevelopment requiring long and polymorphic poly-Q stretches may provide a clue to understanding why poly-Q expansion diseases are limited to neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto K Shimada
- Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan. .,National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2-3-26 Aomi Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan. .,Japan Biological Informatics Consortium, 10F TIME24 Building, 2-4-32 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8073, Japan.
| | - Ryoko Sanbonmatsu
- Japan Biological Informatics Consortium, 10F TIME24 Building, 2-4-32 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8073, Japan
| | - Yumi Yamaguchi-Kabata
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2-3-26 Aomi Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan.,Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8573, Japan
| | - Chisato Yamasaki
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2-3-26 Aomi Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan.,Japan Biological Informatics Consortium, 10F TIME24 Building, 2-4-32 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8073, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Suzuki
- Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, 1 Yamanohata, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8501, Japan
| | - Ranajit Chakraborty
- Health Science Center, University of North Texas, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA
| | - Takashi Gojobori
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2-3-26 Aomi Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan.,Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Ibn Al-Haytham Building (West), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Tadashi Imanishi
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2-3-26 Aomi Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064, Japan.,Department of Molecular Life Science, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara, Kanagawa, 259-1193, Japan
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8
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Lewis EA, Smith GA. Using Drosophila models of Huntington's disease as a translatable tool. J Neurosci Methods 2015; 265:89-98. [PMID: 26241927 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2015.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Revised: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The Huntingtin (Htt) protein is essential for a wealth of intracellular signaling cascades and when mutated, causes multifactorial dysregulation of basic cellular processes. Understanding the contribution to each of these intracellular pathways is essential for the elucidation of mechanisms that drive pathophysiology. Using appropriate models of Huntington's disease (HD) is key to finding the molecular mechanisms that contribute to neurodegeneration. While mouse models and cell lines expressing mutant Htt have been instrumental to HD research, there has been a significant contribution to our understating of the disease from studies utilizing Drosophila melanogaster. Flies have an Htt protein, so the endogenous pathways with which it interacts are likely conserved. Transgenic flies engineered to overexpress the human mutant HTT gene display protein aggregation, neurodegeneration, behavioral deficits and a reduced lifespan. The short life span of flies, low cost of maintaining stocks and genetic tools available for in vivo manipulation make them ideal for the discovery of new genes that are involved in HD pathology. It is possible to do rapid genome wide screens for enhancers or suppressors of the mutant Htt-mediated phenotype, expressed in specific tissues or neuronal subtypes. However, there likely remain many yet unknown genes that modify disease progression, which could be found through additional screening approaches using the fly. Importantly, there have been instances where genes discovered in Drosophila have been translated to HD mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Lewis
- Neurobiology Department, Aaron Lazare Research Building, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Gaynor A Smith
- Neurobiology Department, Aaron Lazare Research Building, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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Gatto RG, Chu Y, Ye AQ, Price SD, Tavassoli E, Buenaventura A, Brady ST, Magin RL, Kordower JH, Morfini GA. Analysis of YFP(J16)-R6/2 reporter mice and postmortem brains reveals early pathology and increased vulnerability of callosal axons in Huntington's disease. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 24:5285-98. [PMID: 26123489 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cumulative evidence indicates that the onset and severity of Huntington's disease (HD) symptoms correlate with connectivity deficits involving specific neuronal populations within cortical and basal ganglia circuits. Brain imaging studies and pathological reports further associated these deficits with alterations in cerebral white matter structure and axonal pathology. However, whether axonopathy represents an early pathogenic event or an epiphenomenon in HD remains unknown, nor is clear the identity of specific neuronal populations affected. To directly evaluate early axonal abnormalities in the context of HD in vivo, we bred transgenic YFP(J16) with R6/2 mice, a widely used HD model. Diffusion tensor imaging and fluorescence microscopy studies revealed a marked degeneration of callosal axons long before the onset of motor symptoms. Accordingly, a significant fraction of YFP-positive cortical neurons in YFP(J16) mice cortex were identified as callosal projection neurons. Callosal axon pathology progressively worsened with age and was influenced by polyglutamine tract length in mutant huntingtin (mhtt). Degenerating axons were dissociated from microscopically visible mhtt aggregates and did not result from loss of cortical neurons. Interestingly, other axonal populations were mildly or not affected, suggesting differential vulnerability to mhtt toxicity. Validating these results, increased vulnerability of callosal axons was documented in the brains of HD patients. Observations here provide a structural basis for the alterations in cerebral white matter structure widely reported in HD patients. Collectively, our data demonstrate a dying-back pattern of degeneration for cortical projection neurons affected in HD, suggesting that axons represent an early and potentially critical target for mhtt toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo G Gatto
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 808 S. Wood St., Rm 578 M/C 512, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Yaping Chu
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA and
| | - Allen Q Ye
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Steven D Price
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 808 S. Wood St., Rm 578 M/C 512, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Ehsan Tavassoli
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 808 S. Wood St., Rm 578 M/C 512, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Andrea Buenaventura
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 808 S. Wood St., Rm 578 M/C 512, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Scott T Brady
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 808 S. Wood St., Rm 578 M/C 512, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Richard L Magin
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Jeffrey H Kordower
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA and
| | - Gerardo A Morfini
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 808 S. Wood St., Rm 578 M/C 512, Chicago, IL 60612, USA,
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