1
|
Chauvin SD, Ando S, Holley JA, Sugie A, Zhao FR, Poddar S, Kato R, Miner CA, Nitta Y, Krishnamurthy SR, Saito R, Ning Y, Hatano Y, Kitahara S, Koide S, Stinson WA, Fu J, Surve N, Kumble L, Qian W, Polishchuk O, Andhey PS, Chiang C, Liu G, Colombeau L, Rodriguez R, Manel N, Kakita A, Artyomov MN, Schultz DC, Coates PT, Roberson EDO, Belkaid Y, Greenberg RA, Cherry S, Gack MU, Hardy T, Onodera O, Kato T, Miner JJ. Inherited C-terminal TREX1 variants disrupt homology-directed repair to cause senescence and DNA damage phenotypes in Drosophila, mice, and humans. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4696. [PMID: 38824133 PMCID: PMC11144269 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49066-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Age-related microangiopathy, also known as small vessel disease (SVD), causes damage to the brain, retina, liver, and kidney. Based on the DNA damage theory of aging, we reasoned that genomic instability may underlie an SVD caused by dominant C-terminal variants in TREX1, the most abundant 3'-5' DNA exonuclease in mammals. C-terminal TREX1 variants cause an adult-onset SVD known as retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy (RVCL or RVCL-S). In RVCL, an aberrant, C-terminally truncated TREX1 mislocalizes to the nucleus due to deletion of its ER-anchoring domain. Since RVCL pathology mimics that of radiation injury, we reasoned that nuclear TREX1 would cause DNA damage. Here, we show that RVCL-associated TREX1 variants trigger DNA damage in humans, mice, and Drosophila, and that cells expressing RVCL mutant TREX1 are more vulnerable to DNA damage induced by chemotherapy and cytokines that up-regulate TREX1, leading to depletion of TREX1-high cells in RVCL mice. RVCL-associated TREX1 mutants inhibit homology-directed repair (HDR), causing DNA deletions and vulnerablility to PARP inhibitors. In women with RVCL, we observe early-onset breast cancer, similar to patients with BRCA1/2 variants. Our results provide a mechanistic basis linking aberrant TREX1 activity to the DNA damage theory of aging, premature senescence, and microvascular disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel D Chauvin
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- RVCL Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shoichiro Ando
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Neuroscience Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Joe A Holley
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- RVCL Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Atsushi Sugie
- Department of Neuroscience of Disease, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Fang R Zhao
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Subhajit Poddar
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- RVCL Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rei Kato
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Neuroscience Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Cathrine A Miner
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- RVCL Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yohei Nitta
- Department of Neuroscience of Disease, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Siddharth R Krishnamurthy
- Metaorganism Immunity Section, Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- NIAID Microbiome Program, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rie Saito
- Department of Pathology, Clinical Neuroscience Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Yue Ning
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- RVCL Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yuya Hatano
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Neuroscience Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Sho Kitahara
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Neuroscience Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Shin Koide
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Neuroscience Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - W Alexander Stinson
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jiayuan Fu
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- RVCL Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nehalee Surve
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- RVCL Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lindsay Kumble
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- RVCL Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Wei Qian
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Oleksiy Polishchuk
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- RVCL Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Prabhakar S Andhey
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Cindy Chiang
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA
| | - Guanqun Liu
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA
| | - Ludovic Colombeau
- Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Institut Curie, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Raphaël Rodriguez
- Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Institut Curie, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Manel
- INSERM U932, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Akiyoshi Kakita
- Department of Pathology, Clinical Neuroscience Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Maxim N Artyomov
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - David C Schultz
- High-throughput Screening Core, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - P Toby Coates
- Central and Northern Adelaide Renal and Transplantation Service (CNARTS), The Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Elisha D O Roberson
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yasmine Belkaid
- Metaorganism Immunity Section, Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- NIAID Microbiome Program, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Roger A Greenberg
- Department of Cancer Biology, Penn Center for Genome Integrity, Basser Center for BRCA, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sara Cherry
- Institute for Immunology and Immune Health, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michaela U Gack
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA
| | - Tristan Hardy
- Genetics, Repromed, Monash IVF, Dulwich, South Australia, Australia
- Genetics and Molecular Pathology, SA Pathology, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Osamu Onodera
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Neuroscience Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Brain Science Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Taisuke Kato
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Brain Science Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan.
| | - Jonathan J Miner
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- RVCL Research Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
- Institute for Immunology and Immune Health, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Penn Colton Center for Autoimmunity, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Iida T, Igarashi A, Fukunaga K, Aoki T, Hidai T, Yanagi K, Yamamori M, Satou K, Go H, Kosho T, Maki R, Suzuki T, Nitta Y, Sugie A, Asaoka Y, Furutani-Seiki M, Kimura T, Matsubara Y, Kaname T. Functional analysis of RRAS2 pathogenic variants with a Noonan-like phenotype. Front Genet 2024; 15:1383176. [PMID: 38601074 PMCID: PMC11004488 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1383176] [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: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: RRAS2, a member of the R-Ras subfamily of Ras-like low-molecular-weight GTPases, is considered to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation via the RAS/MAPK signaling pathway. Seven RRAS2 pathogenic variants have been reported in patients with Noonan syndrome; however, few functional analyses have been conducted. Herein, we report two patients who presented with a Noonan-like phenotype with recurrent and novel RRAS2 pathogenic variants (p.Gly23Val and p.Gly24Glu, respectively) and the results of their functional analysis. Materials and methods: Wild-type (WT) and mutant RRAS2 genes were transiently expressed in Human Embryonic Kidney293 cells. Expression of RRAS2 and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 were confirmed by Western blotting, and the RAS signaling pathway activity was measured using a reporter assay system with the serum response element-luciferase construct. WT and p.Gly23Val RRAS2 were expressed in Drosophila eye using the glass multiple reporter-Gal4 driver. Mutant mRNA microinjection into zebrafish embryos was performed, and the embryo jaws were observed. Results: No obvious differences in the expression of proteins WT, p.Gly23Val, and p.Gly24Glu were observed. The luciferase reporter assay showed that the activity of p.Gly23Val was 2.45 ± 0.95-fold higher than WT, and p.Gly24Glu was 3.06 ± 1.35-fold higher than WT. For transgenic flies, the p.Gly23Val expression resulted in no adults flies emerging, indicating lethality. For mutant mRNA-injected zebrafish embryos, an oval shape and delayed jaw development were observed compared with WT mRNA-injected embryos. These indicated hyperactivity of the RAS signaling pathway. Discussion: Recurrent and novel RRAS2 variants that we reported showed increased in vitro or in vivo RAS signaling pathway activity because of gain-of-function RRAS2 variants. Clinical features are similar to those previously reported, suggesting that RRAS2 gain-of-function variants cause this disease in patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takaya Iida
- Department of Genome Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Arisa Igarashi
- Department of Genome Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kae Fukunaga
- Department of Genome Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Systems Biochemistry in Pathology and Regeneration, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan
| | - Taiga Aoki
- Department of Genome Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomomi Hidai
- Department of Genome Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kumiko Yanagi
- Department of Genome Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masahiko Yamamori
- Department of Genome Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhito Satou
- Department of Genome Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hayato Go
- Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tomoki Kosho
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Ryuto Maki
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Takashi Suzuki
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yohei Nitta
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sugie
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Yoichi Asaoka
- Department of Systems Biochemistry in Pathology and Regeneration, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan
| | - Makoto Furutani-Seiki
- Department of Systems Biochemistry in Pathology and Regeneration, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan
| | - Tetsuaki Kimura
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Integrated Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan
- Medical Genome Center, Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Japan
| | | | - Tadashi Kaname
- Department of Genome Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tsintzas E, Niccoli T. Using Drosophila amyloid toxicity models to study Alzheimer's disease. Ann Hum Genet 2024. [PMID: 38517001 DOI: 10.1111/ahg.12554] [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: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia and is characterised by a progressive loss of neurons, which manifests as gradual memory decline, followed by cognitive loss. Despite the significant progress in identifying novel biomarkers and understanding the prodromal pathology and symptomatology, AD remains a significant unmet clinical need. Lecanemab and aducanumab, the only Food and Drug Administration approved drugs to exhibit some disease-modifying clinical efficacy, target Aβ amyloid, underscoring the importance of this protein in disease aetiology. Nevertheless, in the absence of a definitive cure, the utilisation of preclinical models remains imperative for the identification of novel therapeutic targets and the evaluation of potential therapeutic agents. Drosophila melanogaster is a model system that can be used as a research tool to investigate neurodegeneration and therapeutic interventions. The short lifespan, low price and ease of husbandry/rearing make Drosophila an advantageous model organism from a practical perspective. However, it is the highly conserved genome and similarity of Drosophila and human neurobiology which make flies a powerful tool to investigate neurodegenerative mechanisms. In addition, the ease of transgenic modifications allows for early proof of principle studies for future therapeutic approaches in neurodegenerative research. This mini review will specifically focus on utilising Drosophila as an in vivo model of amyloid toxicity in AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elli Tsintzas
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, UK
| | - Teresa Niccoli
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wilson KA, Bar S, Dammer EB, Carrera EM, Hodge BA, Hilsabeck TAU, Bons J, Brownridge GW, Beck JN, Rose J, Granath-Panelo M, Nelson CS, Qi G, Gerencser AA, Lan J, Afenjar A, Chawla G, Brem RB, Campeau PM, Bellen HJ, Schilling B, Seyfried NT, Ellerby LM, Kapahi P. OXR1 maintains the retromer to delay brain aging under dietary restriction. Nat Commun 2024; 15:467. [PMID: 38212606 PMCID: PMC10784588 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44343-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Dietary restriction (DR) delays aging, but the mechanism remains unclear. We identified polymorphisms in mtd, the fly homolog of OXR1, which influenced lifespan and mtd expression in response to DR. Knockdown in adulthood inhibited DR-mediated lifespan extension in female flies. We found that mtd/OXR1 expression declines with age and it interacts with the retromer, which regulates trafficking of proteins and lipids. Loss of mtd/OXR1 destabilized the retromer, causing improper protein trafficking and endolysosomal defects. Overexpression of retromer genes or pharmacological restabilization with R55 rescued lifespan and neurodegeneration in mtd-deficient flies and endolysosomal defects in fibroblasts from patients with lethal loss-of-function of OXR1 variants. Multi-omic analyses in flies and humans showed that decreased Mtd/OXR1 is associated with aging and neurological diseases. mtd/OXR1 overexpression rescued age-related visual decline and tauopathy in a fly model. Hence, OXR1 plays a conserved role in preserving retromer function and is critical for neuronal health and longevity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth A Wilson
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Sudipta Bar
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Eric B Dammer
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | | | - Brian A Hodge
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Tyler A U Hilsabeck
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Joanna Bons
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | | | - Jennifer N Beck
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Jacob Rose
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | | | | | - Grace Qi
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | | | - Jianfeng Lan
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
- Guanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine in Liver Injury and Repair, The Afilliated Hospital of Guilin Medican University, Guilin, 541001, Guanxi, China
| | - Alexandra Afenjar
- Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Unité de Génétique Clinique, Hôpital Armand Trousseau, Groupe Hospitalier Universitaire, Paris, 75012, France
- Département de Génétique et Embryologie Médicale, CRMR des Malformations et Maladies Congénitales du Cervelet, GRC ConCer-LD, Sorbonne Universités, Hôpital Trousseau, Paris, 75012, France
| | - Geetanjali Chawla
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence, NH91, Tehsil Dadri, G. B. Nagar, 201314, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Rachel B Brem
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 111 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Philippe M Campeau
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Saint-Justine Research Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Departments of Molecular and Human Genetics and Neuroscience, Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | | | - Nicholas T Seyfried
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Lisa M Ellerby
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA.
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.
| | - Pankaj Kapahi
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA.
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Qiao S, Bernasek S, Gallagher KD, O'Connell J, Yamada S, Bagheri N, Amaral LAN, Carthew RW. Energy metabolism modulates the regulatory impact of activators on gene expression. Development 2024; 151:dev201986. [PMID: 38063847 PMCID: PMC10820824 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression is a regulated process fueled by ATP consumption. Therefore, regulation must be coupled to constraints imposed by the level of energy metabolism. Here, we explore this relationship both theoretically and experimentally. A stylized mathematical model predicts that activators of gene expression have variable impact depending on metabolic rate. Activators become less essential when metabolic rate is reduced and more essential when metabolic rate is enhanced. We find that, in the Drosophila eye, expression dynamics of the yan gene are less affected by loss of EGFR-mediated activation when metabolism is reduced, and the opposite effect is seen when metabolism is enhanced. The effects are also seen at the level of pattern regularity in the adult eye, where loss of EGFR-mediated activation is mitigated by lower metabolism. We propose that gene activation is tuned by energy metabolism to allow for faithful expression dynamics in the face of variable metabolic conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sha Qiao
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Sebastian Bernasek
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Kevin D. Gallagher
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Jessica O'Connell
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Shigehiro Yamada
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Neda Bagheri
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Luis A. N. Amaral
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Richard W. Carthew
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Dourlen P. Identification of Tau Toxicity Modifiers in the Drosophila Eye. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2754:483-498. [PMID: 38512684 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3629-9_27] [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] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Drosophila is a powerful model to study human diseases thanks to its genetic tools and ease of screening. Human genes can be expressed in targeted organs and their toxicity assessed on easily scorable external phenotypes that can be used as readouts to perform genetic screens of toxicity modifiers. In this chapter, I describe how to express human Tau protein in the Drosophila eye, assess protein expression by Western blot, assess Tau toxicity by quantifying the size of the Tau-induced rough eye, and perform a genetic screen of modifiers of Tau toxicity in the Drosophila eye.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Dourlen
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Facteurs de risque et déterminants moléculaires des maladies liées au vieillissement, Lille, France.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bar S, Wilson KA, Hilsabeck TA, Alderfer S, Dammer EB, Burton JB, Shah S, Holtz A, Carrera EM, Beck JN, Chen JH, Kauwe G, Tracy TE, Seyfried NT, Schilling B, Ellerby LM, Kapahi P. Neuronal Glycogen Breakdown Mitigates Tauopathy via Pentose Phosphate Pathway-Mediated Oxidative Stress Reduction. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3526342. [PMID: 37986935 PMCID: PMC10659530 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3526342/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies encompass a range of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Unfortunately, current treatment approaches for tauopathies have yielded limited success, underscoring the pressing need for novel therapeutic strategies. We observed distinct signatures of impaired glycogen metabolism in the Drosophila brain of the tauopathy model and the brain of AD patients, indicating a link between tauopathies and glycogen metabolism. We demonstrate that the breakdown of neuronal glycogen by activating glycogen phosphorylase (GlyP) ameliorates the tauopathy phenotypes in flies and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived neurons from FTD patients. We observed that glycogen breakdown redirects the glucose flux to the pentose phosphate pathway to alleviate oxidative stress. Our findings uncover a critical role for increased GlyP activity in mediating the neuroprotection benefit of dietary restriction (DR) through the cAMP-mediated protein kinase A (PKA) activation. Our studies identify impaired glycogen metabolism as a key hallmark for tauopathies and offer a promising therapeutic target in tauopathy treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sudipta Bar
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94947, USA
| | | | | | | | - Eric B. Dammer
- Emory Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Emory University, School of Medicine Core Labs, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | | | - Samah Shah
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94947, USA
| | - Anja Holtz
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94947, USA
| | | | | | - Jackson H Chen
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94947, USA
| | - Grant Kauwe
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94947, USA
| | - Tara E. Tracy
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94947, USA
| | - Nicholas T. Seyfried
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Emory Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | | | | | - Pankaj Kapahi
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94947, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Girón JC, Tarasov S, González Montaña LA, Matentzoglu N, Smith AD, Koch M, Boudinot BE, Bouchard P, Burks R, Vogt L, Yoder M, Osumi-Sutherland D, Friedrich F, Beutel RG, Mikó I. Formalizing Invertebrate Morphological Data: A Descriptive Model for Cuticle-Based Skeleto-Muscular Systems, an Ontology for Insect Anatomy, and their Potential Applications in Biodiversity Research and Informatics. Syst Biol 2023; 72:1084-1100. [PMID: 37094905 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syad025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The spectacular radiation of insects has produced a stunning diversity of phenotypes. During the past 250 years, research on insect systematics has generated hundreds of terms for naming and comparing them. In its current form, this terminological diversity is presented in natural language and lacks formalization, which prohibits computer-assisted comparison using semantic web technologies. Here we propose a Model for Describing Cuticular Anatomical Structures (MoDCAS) which incorporates structural properties and positional relationships for standardized, consistent, and reproducible descriptions of arthropod phenotypes. We applied the MoDCAS framework in creating the ontology for the Anatomy of the Insect Skeleto-Muscular system (AISM). The AISM is the first general insect ontology that aims to cover all taxa by providing generalized, fully logical, and queryable, definitions for each term. It was built using the Ontology Development Kit (ODK), which maximizes interoperability with Uberon (Uberon multispecies anatomy ontology) and other basic ontologies, enhancing the integration of insect anatomy into the broader biological sciences. A template system for adding new terms, extending, and linking the AISM to additional anatomical, phenotypic, genetic, and chemical ontologies is also introduced. The AISM is proposed as the backbone for taxon-specific insect ontologies and has potential applications spanning systematic biology and biodiversity informatics, allowing users to: 1) use controlled vocabularies and create semiautomated computer-parsable insect morphological descriptions; 2) integrate insect morphology into broader fields of research, including ontology-informed phylogenetic methods, logical homology hypothesis testing, evo-devo studies, and genotype to phenotype mapping; and 3) automate the extraction of morphological data from the literature, enabling the generation of large-scale phenomic data, by facilitating the production and testing of informatic tools able to extract, link, annotate, and process morphological data. This descriptive model and its ontological applications will allow for clear and semantically interoperable integration of arthropod phenotypes in biodiversity studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C Girón
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- Natural Science Research Laboratory, Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Sergei Tarasov
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | | | | | - Aaron D Smith
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Markus Koch
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Brendon E Boudinot
- Department of Entomology & Nematology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, CA, USA
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Erbertstraße 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA
| | - Patrice Bouchard
- Biodiversity and Bioresources, Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C6, Canada
| | - Roger Burks
- Entomology Department, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave. Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Lars Vogt
- TIB Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology, Welfengarten 1B, 30167 Hannover, Germany
| | - Matthew Yoder
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
| | | | - Frank Friedrich
- Institut für Zell- und Systembiologie der Tiere, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rolf G Beutel
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Erbertstraße 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - István Mikó
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Tan FHP, Ting ACJ, Najimudin N, Watanabe N, Shamsuddin S, Zainuddin A, Osada H, Azzam G. 3-[[(3S)-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-Carbonyl]Amino]Propanoic Acid (THICAPA) Is Protective Against Aβ42-Induced Toxicity In Vitro and in an Alzheimer's Disease Drosophila. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2023; 78:1944-1952. [PMID: 37453137 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glad169] [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: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent type of dementia globally. The accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) extracellular senile plaques in the brain is one of the hallmark mechanisms found in AD. Aβ42 is the most damaging and aggressively aggregating Aβ isomer produced in the brain. Although Aβ42 has been extensively researched as a crucial peptide connected to the development of the characteristic amyloid fibrils in AD, the specifics of its pathophysiology are still unknown. Therefore, the main objective was to identify novel compounds that could potentially mitigate the negative effects of Aβ42. 3-[[(3S)-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carbonyl]amino]propanoic acid (THICAPA) was identified as a ligand for Aβ42 and for reducing fibrillary Aβ42 aggregation. THICAPA also improved cell viability when administered to PC12 neuronal cells that were exposed to Aβ42. Additionally, this compound diminished Aβ42 toxicity in the current AD Drosophila model by rescuing the rough eye phenotype, prolonging the life span, and enhancing motor functions. Through next-generation RNA-sequencing, immune response pathways were downregulated in response to THICAPA treatment. Thus, this study suggests THICAPA as a possible disease-modifying treatment for AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florence Hui Ping Tan
- School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
- USM-RIKEN Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Sciences (URICAS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
| | | | - Nazalan Najimudin
- USM-RIKEN Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Sciences (URICAS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Nobumoto Watanabe
- USM-RIKEN Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Sciences (URICAS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
- Bioprobe Application Research Unit, RIKEN CSRS, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Shaharum Shamsuddin
- School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
- Nanobiotech Research Initiative, Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Azalina Zainuddin
- Department of Chemical Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Hiroyuki Osada
- USM-RIKEN Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Sciences (URICAS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
- Chemical Biology Research Group, RIKEN CSRS, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Ghows Azzam
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
- Malaysia Genome and Vaccine Institute (MGVI), National Institutes of Biotechnology Malaysia (NIBM), Jalan Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Qiao S, Bernasek S, Gallagher KD, Yamada S, Bagheri N, Amaral LA, Carthew RW. Energy metabolism modulates the regulatory impact of activators on gene expression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.24.563842. [PMID: 37961620 PMCID: PMC10634812 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.24.563842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression is a regulated process fueled by ATP consumption. Therefore, regulation must be coupled to constraints imposed by the level of energy metabolism. Here, we explore this relationship both theoretically and experimentally. A stylized mathematical model predicts that activators of gene expression have variable impact depending on metabolic rate. Activators become less essential when metabolic rate is reduced and more essential when metabolic rate is enhanced. We find that in the Drosophila eye, expression dynamics of the yan gene are less affected by loss of EGFR-mediated activation when metabolism is reduced, and the opposite effect is seen when metabolism is enhanced. The effects are also seen at the level of pattern regularity in the adult eye, where loss of EGFR-mediated activation is mitigated by lower metabolism. We propose that gene activation is tuned by energy metabolism to allow for faithful expression dynamics in the face of variable metabolic conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sha Qiao
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Sebastian Bernasek
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Kevin D. Gallagher
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Shigehiro Yamada
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Neda Bagheri
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Luis A.N. Amaral
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Richard W. Carthew
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Lead Contact
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Yang M, Zinkgraf M, Fitzgerald-Cook C, Harrison BR, Putzier A, Promislow DEL, Wang AM. Using Drosophila to identify naturally occurring genetic modifiers of amyloid beta 42- and tau-induced toxicity. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad132. [PMID: 37311212 PMCID: PMC10468303 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad132] [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: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by 2 pathological proteins, amyloid beta 42 and tau. The majority of Alzheimer's disease cases in the population are sporadic and late-onset Alzheimer's disease, which exhibits high levels of heritability. While several genetic risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer's disease have been identified and replicated in independent studies, including the ApoE ε4 allele, the great majority of the heritability of late-onset Alzheimer's disease remains unexplained, likely due to the aggregate effects of a very large number of genes with small effect size, as well as to biases in sample collection and statistical approaches. Here, we present an unbiased forward genetic screen in Drosophila looking for naturally occurring modifiers of amyloid beta 42- and tau-induced ommatidial degeneration. Our results identify 14 significant SNPs, which map to 12 potential genes in 8 unique genomic regions. Our hits that are significant after genome-wide correction identify genes involved in neuronal development, signal transduction, and organismal development. Looking more broadly at suggestive hits (P < 10-5), we see significant enrichment in genes associated with neurogenesis, development, and growth as well as significant enrichment in genes whose orthologs have been identified as significantly or suggestively associated with Alzheimer's disease in human GWAS studies. These latter genes include ones whose orthologs are in close proximity to regions in the human genome that are associated with Alzheimer's disease, but where a causal gene has not been identified. Together, our results illustrate the potential for complementary and convergent evidence provided through multitrait GWAS in Drosophila to supplement and inform human studies, helping to identify the remaining heritability and novel modifiers of complex diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming Yang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Matthew Zinkgraf
- Department of Biology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225, USA
| | - Cecilia Fitzgerald-Cook
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Benjamin R Harrison
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Alexandra Putzier
- Department of Biology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225, USA
| | - Daniel E L Promislow
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Adrienne M Wang
- Department of Biology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Rossi S, Di Salvio M, Balì M, De Simone A, Apolloni S, D’Ambrosi N, Arisi I, Cipressa F, Cozzolino M, Cestra G. C9orf72 Toxic Species Affect ArfGAP-1 Function. Cells 2023; 12:2007. [PMID: 37566088 PMCID: PMC10416972 DOI: 10.3390/cells12152007] [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: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Compelling evidence indicates that defects in nucleocytoplasmic transport contribute to the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In particular, hexanucleotide (G4C2) repeat expansions in C9orf72, the most common cause of genetic ALS, have a widespread impact on the transport machinery that regulates the nucleocytoplasmic distribution of proteins and RNAs. We previously reported that the expression of G4C2 hexanucleotide repeats in cultured human and mouse cells caused a marked accumulation of poly(A) mRNAs in the cell nuclei. To further characterize the process, we set out to systematically identify the specific mRNAs that are altered in their nucleocytoplasmic distribution in the presence of C9orf72-ALS RNA repeats. Interestingly, pathway analysis showed that the mRNAs involved in membrane trafficking are particularly enriched among the identified mRNAs. Most importantly, functional studies in cultured cells and Drosophila indicated that C9orf72 toxic species affect the membrane trafficking route regulated by ADP-Ribosylation Factor 1 GTPase Activating Protein (ArfGAP-1), which exerts its GTPase-activating function on the small GTPase ADP-ribosylation factor 1 to dissociate coat proteins from Golgi-derived vesicles. We demonstrate that the function of ArfGAP-1 is specifically affected by expanded C9orf72 RNA repeats, as well as by C9orf72-related dipeptide repeat proteins (C9-DPRs), indicating the retrograde Golgi-to-ER vesicle-mediated transport as a target of C9orf72 toxicity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simona Rossi
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), National Research Council (CNR), 00133 Rome, Italy; (S.R.); (I.A.)
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, c/o CERC, 00143 Rome, Italy;
| | - Michela Di Salvio
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology (IBPM), National Research Council (CNR), 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Marilisa Balì
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.B.); (A.D.S.)
| | - Assia De Simone
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.B.); (A.D.S.)
| | - Savina Apolloni
- Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy;
| | - Nadia D’Ambrosi
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, c/o CERC, 00143 Rome, Italy;
- Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy;
| | - Ivan Arisi
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), National Research Council (CNR), 00133 Rome, Italy; (S.R.); (I.A.)
- European Brain Research Institute “Rita Levi-Montalcini”, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Cipressa
- Department of Ecological and Biological Science, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy;
| | - Mauro Cozzolino
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), National Research Council (CNR), 00133 Rome, Italy; (S.R.); (I.A.)
| | - Gianluca Cestra
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, c/o CERC, 00143 Rome, Italy;
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology (IBPM), National Research Council (CNR), 00185 Rome, Italy;
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.B.); (A.D.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Vetro A, Pelorosso C, Balestrini S, Masi A, Hambleton S, Argilli E, Conti V, Giubbolini S, Barrick R, Bergant G, Writzl K, Bijlsma EK, Brunet T, Cacheiro P, Mei D, Devlin A, Hoffer MJV, Machol K, Mannaioni G, Sakamoto M, Menezes MP, Courtin T, Sherr E, Parra R, Richardson R, Roscioli T, Scala M, von Stülpnagel C, Smedley D, Torella A, Tohyama J, Koichihara R, Hamada K, Ogata K, Suzuki T, Sugie A, van der Smagt JJ, van Gassen K, Valence S, Vittery E, Malone S, Kato M, Matsumoto N, Ratto GM, Guerrini R. Stretch-activated ion channel TMEM63B associates with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies and progressive neurodegeneration. Am J Hum Genet 2023; 110:1356-1376. [PMID: 37421948 PMCID: PMC10432263 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023] Open
Abstract
By converting physical forces into electrical signals or triggering intracellular cascades, stretch-activated ion channels allow the cell to respond to osmotic and mechanical stress. Knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying associations of stretch-activated ion channels with human disease is limited. Here, we describe 17 unrelated individuals with severe early-onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), intellectual disability, and severe motor and cortical visual impairment associated with progressive neurodegenerative brain changes carrying ten distinct heterozygous variants of TMEM63B, encoding for a highly conserved stretch-activated ion channel. The variants occurred de novo in 16/17 individuals for whom parental DNA was available and either missense, including the recurrent p.Val44Met in 7/17 individuals, or in-frame, all affecting conserved residues located in transmembrane regions of the protein. In 12 individuals, hematological abnormalities co-occurred, such as macrocytosis and hemolysis, requiring blood transfusions in some. We modeled six variants (p.Val44Met, p.Arg433His, p.Thr481Asn, p.Gly580Ser, p.Arg660Thr, and p.Phe697Leu), each affecting a distinct transmembrane domain of the channel, in transfected Neuro2a cells and demonstrated inward leak cation currents across the mutated channel even in isotonic conditions, while the response to hypo-osmotic challenge was impaired, as were the Ca2+ transients generated under hypo-osmotic stimulation. Ectopic expression of the p.Val44Met and p.Gly580Cys variants in Drosophila resulted in early death. TMEM63B-associated DEE represents a recognizable clinicopathological entity in which altered cation conductivity results in a severe neurological phenotype with progressive brain damage and early-onset epilepsy associated with hematological abnormalities in most individuals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Vetro
- Neuroscience Department, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Simona Balestrini
- Neuroscience Department, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy; University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessio Masi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NeuroFarBa), Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Sophie Hambleton
- Newcastle University Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Great North Children's Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Emanuela Argilli
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Human Genetics and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Valerio Conti
- Neuroscience Department, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy
| | - Simone Giubbolini
- National Enterprise for NanoScience and NanoTechnology (NEST), Istituto Nanoscienze, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) and Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Rebekah Barrick
- Division of Metabolic Disorders, Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), Orange, CA, USA
| | - Gaber Bergant
- Clinical Institute of Genomic Medicine, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Karin Writzl
- Clinical Institute of Genomic Medicine, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Emilia K Bijlsma
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Theresa Brunet
- Institute of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany; Department of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Dr. v. Hauner Children's Hospital, LMU - University of Munich, München, Germany
| | - Pilar Cacheiro
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Davide Mei
- Neuroscience Department, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy
| | - Anita Devlin
- Newcastle University Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Great North Children's Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Mariëtte J V Hoffer
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Keren Machol
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Guido Mannaioni
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NeuroFarBa), Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Masamune Sakamoto
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004 Japan
| | - Manoj P Menezes
- Department of Neurology, The Children's Hospital at Westmead and the Children's Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney, Westmead NSW, Australia
| | - Thomas Courtin
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France; Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Département de Génétique, DMU BioGeM, Paris, France
| | - Elliott Sherr
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Human Genetics and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Riccardo Parra
- National Enterprise for NanoScience and NanoTechnology (NEST), Istituto Nanoscienze, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) and Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ruth Richardson
- Northern Genetics Service, Newcastle upon Tyne hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle, UK
| | - Tony Roscioli
- New South Wales Health Pathology Randwick Genomics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia
| | - Marcello Scala
- Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Celina von Stülpnagel
- Department of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Dr. v. Hauner Children's Hospital, LMU - University of Munich, München, Germany; Institute for Transition, Rehabilitation and Palliation, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Damian Smedley
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Annalaura Torella
- Department of Precision Medicine, University "Luigi Vanvitelli," Naples, Italy; Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Jun Tohyama
- Department of Child Neurology, Nishi-Niigata Chuo National Hospital, Niigata 950-2085, Japan
| | - Reiko Koichihara
- Department for Child Health and Human Development, Saitama Children's Medical Center, Saitama 330-8777, Japan
| | - Keisuke Hamada
- Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Ogata
- Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Takashi Suzuki
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sugie
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, Japan
| | | | - Koen van Gassen
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Stephanie Valence
- Centre de référence Maladies Rares "Déficience intellectuelle de cause rare," Sorbonne Université, Paris, France; Département de Neuropédiatrie, Hôpital Armand Trousseau, APHP, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Emma Vittery
- Northern Genetics Service, Newcastle upon Tyne hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle, UK
| | - Stephen Malone
- Department of Neurosciences, Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane QLD, Australia; Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD, Australia
| | - Mitsuhiro Kato
- Department of Pediatrics, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo 142-8666, Japan
| | - Naomichi Matsumoto
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004 Japan
| | - Gian Michele Ratto
- National Enterprise for NanoScience and NanoTechnology (NEST), Istituto Nanoscienze, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) and Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Istituto Neuroscienze CNR, Padova, Italy
| | - Renzo Guerrini
- Neuroscience Department, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Florence, Italy; University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Yamada M, Nitta Y, Uehara T, Suzuki H, Miya F, Takenouchi T, Tamura M, Ayabe S, Yoshiki A, Maeno A, Saga Y, Furuse T, Yamada I, Okamoto N, Kosaki K, Sugie A. Heterozygous loss-of-function DHX9 variants are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders: Human genetic and experimental evidences. Eur J Med Genet 2023:104804. [PMID: 37369308 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2023.104804] [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: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
DExH-box helicases are involved in unwinding of RNA and DNA. Among the 16 DExH-box genes, monoallelic variants of DHX16, DHX30, DHX34, and DHX37 are known to be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. In particular, DHX30 is well established as a causative gene for neurodevelopmental disorders. Germline variants of DHX9, the closest homolog of DHX30, have not been reported until now as being associated with congenital disorders in humans, except that one de novo heterozygous variant, p.(Arg1052Gln) of the gene was identified during comprehensive screening in a patient with autism; unfortunately, the phenotypic details of this individual are unknown. Herein, we report a patient with a heterozygous de novo missense variant, p.(Gly414Arg) of DHX9 who presented with a short stature, intellectual disability, and ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy. The variant was located in the glycine codon of the ATP-binding site, G-C-G-K-T. To assess the pathogenicity of this variants, we generated transgenic Drosophila lines expressing human wild-type and mutant DHX9 proteins: 1) the mutant proteins showed aberrant localization both in the nucleus and the cytoplasm; 2) ectopic expression of wild-type protein in the visual system led to the rough eye phenotype, whereas expression of the mutant proteins had minimal effect; 3) overexpression of the wild-type protein in the retina led to a reduction in axonal numbers, whereas expression of the mutant proteins had a less pronounced effect. Furthermore, in a gene-editing experiment of Dhx9 G416 to R416, corresponding to p.(Gly414Arg) in humans, heterozygous mice showed a reduced body size, reduced emotionality, and cardiac conduction abnormality. In conclusion, we established that heterozygosity for a loss-of-function variant of DHX9 can lead to a new neurodevelopmental disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mamiko Yamada
- Center for Medical Genetics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yohei Nitta
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Tomoko Uehara
- Center for Medical Genetics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hisato Suzuki
- Center for Medical Genetics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fuyuki Miya
- Center for Medical Genetics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshiki Takenouchi
- Department of Pediatrics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaru Tamura
- Mouse Phenotype Analysis Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Shinya Ayabe
- Experimental Animal Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Atsushi Yoshiki
- Experimental Animal Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Akiteru Maeno
- Cell Architecture Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Yumiko Saga
- Mammalian Development Laboratory, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Tamio Furuse
- Mouse Phenotype Analysis Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Ikuko Yamada
- Mouse Phenotype Analysis Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Nobuhiko Okamoto
- Department of Medical Genetics, Osaka Women's and Children's Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kenjiro Kosaki
- Center for Medical Genetics, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Atsushi Sugie
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Rathore S, Meece M, Charlton-Perkins M, Cook TA, Buschbeck EK. Probing the conserved roles of cut in the development and function of optically different insect compound eyes. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1104620. [PMID: 37065850 PMCID: PMC10102356 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1104620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Astonishing functional diversity exists among arthropod eyes, yet eye development relies on deeply conserved genes. This phenomenon is best understood for early events, whereas fewer investigations have focused on the influence of later transcriptional regulators on diverse eye organizations and the contribution of critical support cells, such as Semper cells (SCs). As SCs in Drosophila melanogaster secrete the lens and function as glia, they are critical components of ommatidia. Here, we perform RNAi-based knockdowns of the transcription factor cut (CUX in vertebrates), a marker of SCs, the function of which has remained untested in these cell types. To probe for the conserved roles of cut, we investigate two optically different compound eyes: the apposition optics of D. melanogaster and the superposition optics of the diving beetle Thermonectus marmoratus. In both cases, we find that multiple aspects of ocular formation are disrupted, including lens facet organization and optics as well as photoreceptor morphogenesis. Together, our findings support the possibility of a generalized role for SCs in arthropod ommatidial form and function and introduces Cut as a central player in mediating this role.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shubham Rathore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Michael Meece
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Mark Charlton-Perkins
- Division of Developmental Biology and Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Tiffany A. Cook
- Center of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Department of Ophthalmological, Visual and Anatomical Sciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
- *Correspondence: Tiffany A. Cook, ; Elke K. Buschbeck,
| | - Elke K. Buschbeck
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- *Correspondence: Tiffany A. Cook, ; Elke K. Buschbeck,
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Marmion RA, Simpkins AG, Barrett LA, Denberg DW, Zusman S, Schottenfeld-Roames J, Schüpbach T, Shvartsman SY. Stochastic phenotypes in RAS-dependent developmental diseases. Curr Biol 2023; 33:807-816.e4. [PMID: 36706752 PMCID: PMC10026697 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.008] [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: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Germline mutations upregulating RAS signaling are associated with multiple developmental disorders. A hallmark of these conditions is that the same mutation may present vastly different phenotypes in different individuals, even in monozygotic twins. Here, we demonstrate how the origins of such largely unexplained phenotypic variations may be dissected using highly controlled studies in Drosophila that have been gene edited to carry activating variants of MEK, a core enzyme in the RAS pathway. This allowed us to measure the small but consistent increase in signaling output of such alleles in vivo. The fraction of mutation carriers reaching adulthood was strongly reduced, but most surviving animals had normal RAS-dependent structures. We rationalize these results using a stochastic signaling model and support it by quantifying cell fate specification errors in bilaterally symmetric larval trachea, a RAS-dependent structure that allows us to isolate the effects of mutations from potential contributions of genetic modifiers and environmental differences. We propose that the small increase in signaling output shifts the distribution of phenotypes into a regime, where stochastic variation causes defects in some individuals, but not in others. Our findings shed light on phenotypic heterogeneity of developmental disorders caused by deregulated RAS signaling and offer a framework for investigating causal effects of other pathogenic alleles and mild mutations in general.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Marmion
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Alison G Simpkins
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Lena A Barrett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - David W Denberg
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Susan Zusman
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | | | - Trudi Schüpbach
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Stanislav Y Shvartsman
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, New York, NY 10010, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Currea JP, Sondhi Y, Kawahara AY, Theobald J. Measuring compound eye optics with microscope and microCT images. Commun Biol 2023; 6:246. [PMID: 36882636 PMCID: PMC9992655 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04575-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
With a great variety of shapes and sizes, compound eye morphologies give insight into visual ecology, development, and evolution, and inspire novel engineering. In contrast to our own camera-type eyes, compound eyes reveal their resolution, sensitivity, and field of view externally, provided they have spherical curvature and orthogonal ommatidia. Non-spherical compound eyes with skewed ommatidia require measuring internal structures, such as with MicroCT (µCT). Thus far, there is no efficient tool to characterize compound eye optics, from either 2D or 3D data, automatically. Here we present two open-source programs: (1) the ommatidia detecting algorithm (ODA), which measures ommatidia count and diameter in 2D images, and (2) a µCT pipeline (ODA-3D), which calculates anatomical acuity, sensitivity, and field of view across the eye by applying the ODA to 3D data. We validate these algorithms on images, images of replicas, and µCT eye scans from ants, fruit flies, moths, and a bee.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John Paul Currea
- Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Yash Sondhi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Akito Y Kawahara
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Jamie Theobald
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Chalmers MR, Kim J, Kim NC. Eip74EF is a dominant modifier for ALS-FTD-linked VCP R152H phenotypes in the Drosophila eye model. BMC Res Notes 2023; 16:30. [PMID: 36879317 PMCID: PMC9990252 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-023-06297-z] [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: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In 2012, Liu et al. reported that miR-34 is an age-related miRNA regulating age-associated events and long-term brain integrity in Drosophila. They demonstrated that modulating miR-34 and its downstream target, Eip74EF, showed beneficial effects on an age-related disease using a Drosophila model of Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 expressing SCA3trQ78. These results imply that miR-34 could be a general genetic modifier and therapeutic candidate for age-related diseases. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine the effect of miR-34 and Eip47EF on another age-related Drosophila disease model. RESULTS Using a Drosophila eye model expressing mutant Drosophila VCP (dVCP) that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), or multisystem proteinopathy (MSP), we demonstrated that abnormal eye phenotypes generated by dVCPR152H were rescued by Eip74EF siRNA expression. Contrary to our expectations, miR-34 overexpression alone in the eyes with GMR-GAL4 resulted in complete lethality due to the leaky expression of GMR-GAL4 in other tissues. Interestingly, when miR-34 was co-expressed with dVCPR152H, a few survivors were produced; however, their eye degeneration was greatly exacerbated. Our data indicate that, while confirming that the downregulation of Eip74EF is beneficial to the dVCPR152HDrosophila eye model, the high expression level of miR-34 is actually toxic to the developing flies and the role of miR-34 in dVCPR152H-mediated pathogenesis is inconclusive in the GMR-GAL4 eye model. Identifying the transcriptional targets of Eip74EF might provide valuable insights into diseases caused by mutations in VCP such as ALS, FTD, and MSP.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine R Chalmers
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN, 55812, USA
| | - JiHye Kim
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN, 55812, USA
| | - Nam Chul Kim
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN, 55812, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Palmer MJ, Fitzsimons HL. Herzog is not required for mushroom body development or courtship learning & memory but is required for eye development in Drosophila melanogaster. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2023; 2023:10.17912/micropub.biology.000720. [PMID: 36798589 PMCID: PMC9926291 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Herzog (Hzg, CG5830) shares similarity to members of the haloacid dehalogenase subfamily of small CTD phosphatases. In Drosophila it is a maternal gene essential for establishment of embryonic segment polarity, and oligomerization is required for activation of phosphatase activity. While Hzg is expressed in the brain, its role has not been investigated. To that end, we further characterized Hzg expression in the brain and found that it is highly expressed in neurons of the mushroom body where it localises to axons, and is also expressed in cortical glia. We investigated its role in mushroom body development as well as courtship learning and memory, but found that knockdown of Hzg had no impact on these processes. In contrast, knockdown in post-mitotic neurons in the eye resulted in disruption to ommatidial patterning and pigmentation, indicating it plays an important role in eye development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine J Palmer
- School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Helen L Fitzsimons
- School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
,
Correspondence to: Helen L Fitzsimons (
)
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Kim YA, Siddiqui T, Blaze J, Cosacak MI, Winters T, Kumar A, Tein E, Sproul AA, Teich AF, Bartolini F, Akbarian S, Kizil C, Hargus G, Santa-Maria I. RNA methyltransferase NSun2 deficiency promotes neurodegeneration through epitranscriptomic regulation of tau phosphorylation. Acta Neuropathol 2023; 145:29-48. [PMID: 36357715 PMCID: PMC9807547 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-022-02511-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Epitranscriptomic regulation adds a layer of post-transcriptional control to brain function during development and adulthood. The identification of RNA-modifying enzymes has opened the possibility of investigating the role epitranscriptomic changes play in the disease process. NOP2/Sun RNA methyltransferase 2 (NSun2) is one of the few known brain-enriched methyltransferases able to methylate mammalian non-coding RNAs. NSun2 loss of function due to autosomal-recessive mutations has been associated with neurological abnormalities in humans. Here, we show NSun2 is expressed in adult human neurons in the hippocampal formation and prefrontal cortex. Strikingly, we unravel decreased NSun2 protein expression and an increased ratio of pTau/NSun2 in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) as demonstrated by Western blotting and immunostaining, respectively. In a well-established Drosophila melanogaster model of tau-induced toxicity, reduction of NSun2 exacerbated tau toxicity, while overexpression of NSun2 partially abrogated the toxic effects. Conditional ablation of NSun2 in the mouse brain promoted a decrease in the miR-125b m6A levels and tau hyperphosphorylation. Utilizing human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neuronal cultures, we confirmed NSun2 deficiency results in tau hyperphosphorylation. We also found that neuronal NSun2 levels decrease in response to amyloid-beta oligomers (AβO). Notably, AβO-induced tau phosphorylation and cell toxicity in human neurons could be rescued by overexpression of NSun2. Altogether, these results indicate that neuronal NSun2 deficiency promotes dysregulation of miR-125b and tau phosphorylation in AD and highlights a novel avenue for therapeutic targeting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoon A Kim
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Tohid Siddiqui
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Helmholtz Association, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jennifer Blaze
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Mehmet Ilyas Cosacak
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Helmholtz Association, Dresden, Germany
| | - Tristan Winters
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Atul Kumar
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Ellen Tein
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Andrew A Sproul
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Andrew F Teich
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Francesca Bartolini
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Schahram Akbarian
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Caghan Kizil
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, USA
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Helmholtz Association, Dresden, Germany
- Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University and the New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, USA
| | - Gunnar Hargus
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA.
| | - Ismael Santa-Maria
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA.
- Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Edificio E, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, 28223, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Martinez P, Patel H, You Y, Jury N, Perkins A, Lee-Gosselin A, Taylor X, You Y, Viana Di Prisco G, Huang X, Dutta S, Wijeratne AB, Redding-Ochoa J, Shahid SS, Codocedo JF, Min S, Landreth GE, Mosley AL, Wu YC, McKinzie DL, Rochet JC, Zhang J, Atwood BK, Troncoso J, Lasagna-Reeves CA. Bassoon contributes to tau-seed propagation and neurotoxicity. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:1597-1607. [PMID: 36344699 PMCID: PMC9708566 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01191-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Tau aggregation is a defining histopathological feature of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. However, the cellular mechanisms involved in tau propagation remain unclear. Here, we performed an unbiased quantitative proteomic study to identify proteins that specifically interact with this tau seed. We identified Bassoon (BSN), a presynaptic scaffolding protein, as an interactor of the tau seed isolated from a mouse model of tauopathy, and from Alzheimer's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy postmortem samples. We show that BSN exacerbates tau seeding and toxicity in both mouse and Drosophila models for tauopathy, and that BSN downregulation decreases tau spreading and overall disease pathology, rescuing synaptic and behavioral impairments and reducing brain atrophy. Our findings improve the understanding of how tau seeds can be stabilized by interactors such as BSN. Inhibiting tau-seed interactions is a potential new therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative tauopathies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Martinez
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Henika Patel
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Yanwen You
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Nur Jury
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Abigail Perkins
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Audrey Lee-Gosselin
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Xavier Taylor
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Yingjian You
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Gonzalo Viana Di Prisco
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Xiaoqing Huang
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sayan Dutta
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Aruna B Wijeratne
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Javier Redding-Ochoa
- Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Syed Salman Shahid
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Juan F Codocedo
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sehong Min
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Gary E Landreth
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Amber L Mosley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Yu-Chien Wu
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - David L McKinzie
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jean-Christophe Rochet
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Jie Zhang
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Brady K Atwood
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Juan Troncoso
- Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Cristian A Lasagna-Reeves
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Anupama KP, Antony A, Shilpa O, Raghu SV, Gurushankara HP. Jatamansinol from Nardostachys jatamansi Ameliorates Tau-Induced Neurotoxicity in Drosophila Alzheimer's Disease Model. Mol Neurobiol 2022; 59:6091-6106. [PMID: 35864434 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-02964-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Nardostachys jatamansi has long been used to prepare Medhya Rasayana in traditional Indian Ayurveda medicine to treat neurological disorders and enhance memory. Jatamansinol from the N. jatamansi against Alzheimer's disease (AD) showed that it could be a multitargeted drug against AD. Drosophila is an ideal model organism for studying a progressive age-related neurodegenerative disease such as AD since its neuronal organizations and functioning are highly similar to that of humans. The current study investigates the neuroprotective properties of jatamansinol against Tau-induced neurotoxicity in the AD Drosophila model. Results indicate jatamansinol is not an antifeedant for larva and adult Drosophila. Lifespan, locomotor activity, learning and memory, Tau protein expression level, eye degeneration, oxidative stress level, and cholinesterase activities were analyzed in 10, 20, and 30-day-old control (wild type), and tauopathy flies reared on jatamansinol supplemented food or regular food without jatamansinol supplementation. Jatamansinol treatment significantly extends the lifespan, improves locomotor activity, enhances learning and memory, and reduces Tau protein levels in tauopathy flies. It boosts the antioxidant enzyme activities, prevents Tau-induced oxidative stress, ameliorates eye degeneration, and inhibits cholinesterase activities in Tau-induced AD model. This study provides the first evidence that jatamansinol protects against Tau's neurotoxic effect in the AD Drosophila model, and it can be a potential therapeutic drug candidate for AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kizhakke Purayil Anupama
- Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Thejaswini Hills, Periya, Kasaragod, 671 320, Kerala, India
| | - Anet Antony
- Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Thejaswini Hills, Periya, Kasaragod, 671 320, Kerala, India
| | - Olakkaran Shilpa
- Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Thejaswini Hills, Periya, Kasaragod, 671 320, Kerala, India
| | - Shamprasad Varija Raghu
- Neurogenetics Lab, Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri, 574 199, Karnataka, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Buhl E, Kim YA, Parsons T, Zhu B, Santa-Maria I, Lefort R, Hodge JJ. Effects of Eph/ephrin signalling and human Alzheimer's disease-associated EphA1 on behaviour and neurophysiology. Neurobiol Dis 2022; 170:105752. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
|
25
|
Tello JA, Williams HE, Eppler RM, Steinhilb ML, Khanna M. Animal Models of Neurodegenerative Disease: Recent Advances in Fly Highlight Innovative Approaches to Drug Discovery. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:883358. [PMID: 35514431 PMCID: PMC9063566 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.883358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases represent a formidable challenge to global health. As advances in other areas of medicine grant healthy living into later decades of life, aging diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders can diminish the quality of these additional years, owed largely to the lack of efficacious treatments and the absence of durable cures. Alzheimer's disease prevalence is predicted to more than double in the next 30 years, affecting nearly 15 million Americans, with AD-associated costs exceeding $1 billion by 2050. Delaying onset of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases is critical to improving the quality of life for patients and reducing the burden of disease on caregivers and healthcare systems. Significant progress has been made to model disease pathogenesis and identify points of therapeutic intervention. While some researchers have contributed to our understanding of the proteins and pathways that drive biological dysfunction in disease using in vitro and in vivo models, others have provided mathematical, biophysical, and computational technologies to identify potential therapeutic compounds using in silico modeling. The most exciting phase of the drug discovery process is now: by applying a target-directed approach that leverages the strengths of multiple techniques and validates lead hits using Drosophila as an animal model of disease, we are on the fast-track to identifying novel therapeutics to restore health to those impacted by neurodegenerative disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Judith A. Tello
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Center of Innovation in Brain Science, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Haley E. Williams
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Center of Innovation in Brain Science, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Robert M. Eppler
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, United States
| | - Michelle L. Steinhilb
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, United States
| | - May Khanna
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Center of Innovation in Brain Science, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Gao Y, Zhu Y, Wang H, Cheng Y, Zhao D, Sun Q, Chen D. Lipid-mediated phase separation of AGO proteins on the ER controls nascent-peptide ubiquitination. Mol Cell 2022; 82:1313-1328.e8. [PMID: 35325613 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.02.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
AGO/miRNA-mediated gene silencing and ubiquitin-mediated protein quality control represent two fundamental mechanisms that control proper gene expression. Here, we unexpectedly discover that fly and human AGO proteins, which are key components in the miRNA pathway, undergo lipid-mediated phase separation and condense into RNP granules on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane to control protein production. Phase separation on the ER is mediated by electrostatic interactions between a conserved lipid-binding motif within the AGOs and the lipid PI(4,5)P2. The ER-localized AGO condensates recruit the E3 ubiquitin ligase Ltn1 to catalyze nascent-peptide ubiquitination and coordinate with the VCP-Ufd1-Npl4 complex to process unwanted protein products for proteasomal degradation. Collectively, our study provides insight into the understanding of post-transcription-translation coupling controlled by AGOs via lipid-mediated phase separation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yajie Gao
- Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China; State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yuanxiang Zhu
- Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Hailong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ying Cheng
- Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Dongbo Zhao
- Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Qinmiao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Institute of Stem Cells and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Dahua Chen
- Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China; State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Jatamansinol from Nardostachys jatamansi (D.Don) DC. Protects Aβ 42-induced Neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's Disease Drosophila Model. Neurotoxicology 2022; 90:62-78. [PMID: 35247505 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2022.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Nardostachys jatamansi (D. Don) DC. is an essential plant used in Indian Ayurveda to treat neurological disorders, and it enhances memory. Its active phytochemical(s) responsible for neuroprotection is not yet studied. One of the neurological disorders, namely Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes dementia, is not having pharmacological strategies to effectively prevent the onset of AD, cure or reverse AD progression, and treat cognitive symptoms. Here is an attempt to analyze the neuroprotective effect of jatamansinol isolated from N. jatamansi against Aβ42 protein-induced neurotoxicity using the Aβ42 protein expressed Drosophila Alzheimer's disease (AD) model. Oregon-K (OK) and AD flies were reared on regular or jatamansinol supplemented food and analyzed their lifespan, locomotor activity, learning and memory, eye degeneration, oxidative stress levels, antioxidant activities, cholinesterase activities, Aβ42 protein, and Aβ42 gene expression. Jatamansinol extends the lifespan, improves locomotor activity, enhances learning and memory, and reduces Aβ42 protein levels in AD flies. Jatamansinol boosts the antioxidant enzyme activities, prevents Aβ42 protein-induced oxidative stress, ameliorates eye degeneration, and inhibits cholinesterase activities in the AD model. This study evidences the protective effect of jatamansinol against the Aβ42 protein-induced neurotoxicity in the AD Drosophila model, suggesting its possible therapeutic potential against AD.
Collapse
|
28
|
Casale AM, Liguori F, Ansaloni F, Cappucci U, Finaurini S, Spirito G, Persichetti F, Sanges R, Gustincich S, Piacentini L. Transposable element activation promotes neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model of Huntington's disease. iScience 2022; 25:103702. [PMID: 35036881 PMCID: PMC8752904 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103702] [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] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant disorder with progressive motor dysfunction and cognitive decline. The disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the IT15 gene, which elongates a polyglutamine stretch of the HD protein, Huntingtin. No therapeutic treatments are available, and new pharmacological targets are needed. Retrotransposons are transposable elements (TEs) that represent 40% and 30% of the human and Drosophila genomes and replicate through an RNA intermediate. Mounting evidence suggests that mammalian TEs are active during neurogenesis and may be involved in diseases of the nervous system. Here we show that TE expression and mobilization are increased in a Drosophila melanogaster HD model. By inhibiting TE mobilization with Reverse Transcriptase inhibitors, polyQ-dependent eye neurodegeneration and genome instability in larval brains are rescued and fly lifespan is increased. These results suggest that TE activation may be involved in polyQ-induced neurotoxicity and a potential pharmacological target. Transposable elements: new pathogenic players in Huntington's disease polyQ-Htt expression leads to widespread heterochromatin relaxation Reverse transcriptase inhibitors rescue HD-induced neurodegeneration
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Assunta Maria Casale
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Liguori
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Federico Ansaloni
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Ugo Cappucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Finaurini
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Giovanni Spirito
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Remo Sanges
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.,Central RNA Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Lucia Piacentini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Tan FHP, Ting ACJ, Leow BG, Najimudin N, Watanabe N, Azzam G. Alleviatory effects of Danshen, Salvianolic acid A and Salvianolic acid B on PC12 neuronal cells and Drosophila melanogaster model of Alzheimer's disease. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2021; 279:114389. [PMID: 34217797 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Danshen water extract (DWE), obtained from the Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Family Lamiaceae) root, is usually employed in Chinese traditional medicine as treatment to cardiovascular ailments and cerebrovascular diseases. Intriguingly, the extract was also found to contain vast beneficial properties in Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment. AIM OF THE STUDY Alzheimer's disease is the most significant type of neurodegenerative disorder plaguing societies globally. Its pathogenesis encompasses the hallmark aggregation of amyloid-beta (Aβ). Of all the Aβ oligomers formed in the brain, Aβ42 is the most toxic and aggressive. Despite this, the mechanism behind this disease remains elusive. In this study, DWE, and its major components, Salvianolic acid A (SalA) and Salvianolic acid B (SalB) were tested for their abilities to attenuate Aβ42's toxic effects. METHODS The composition of DWE was determined via Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC). DWE, SalA and SalB were first verified for their capability to diminish Aβ42 fibrillation using an in vitro activity assay. Since Aβ42 aggregation results in neuronal degeneration, the potential Aβ42 inhibitors were next evaluated on Aβ42-exposed PC12 neuronal cells. The Drosophila melanogaster AD model was then employed to determine the effects of DWE, SalA and SalB. RESULTS DWE, SalA and SalB were shown to be able to reduce fibrillation of Aβ42. When tested on PC12 neuronal cells, DWE, SalA and SalB ameliorated cells from cell death associated with Aβ42 exposure. Next, DWE and its components were tested on the Drosophila melanogaster AD model and their rescue effects were further characterized. The UPLC analysis showed that SalA and SalB were present in the brains and bodies of Drosophila after DWE feeding. When human Aβ42 was expressed, the AD Drosophila exhibited degenerated eye structures known as the rough eye phenotype (REP), reduced lifespan and deteriorated locomotor ability. Administration of DWE, SalA and SalB partially reverted the REP, increased the age of AD Drosophila and improved most of the mobility of AD Drosophila. CONCLUSION Collectively, DWE and its components may have therapeutic potential for AD patients and possibly other forms of brain diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florence Hui Ping Tan
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia; USM-RIKEN International Centre for Ageing Science (URICAS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia.
| | | | - Ban Guan Leow
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia.
| | - Nazalan Najimudin
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia; USM-RIKEN International Centre for Ageing Science (URICAS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia.
| | - Nobumoto Watanabe
- USM-RIKEN International Centre for Ageing Science (URICAS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia; Bioprobe Application Research Unit, RIKEN Centre for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN, Japan.
| | - Ghows Azzam
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia; USM-RIKEN International Centre for Ageing Science (URICAS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Drosophila Models for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Neuropathy Related to Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12101519. [PMID: 34680913 PMCID: PMC8536177 DOI: 10.3390/genes12101519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) represent the largest cluster of proteins implicated in Charcot–Marie–Tooth neuropathy (CMT), the most common neuromuscular disorder. Dominant mutations in six aaRS cause different axonal CMT subtypes with common clinical characteristics, including progressive distal muscle weakness and wasting, impaired sensory modalities, gait problems and skeletal deformities. These clinical manifestations are caused by “dying back” axonal degeneration of the longest peripheral sensory and motor neurons. Surprisingly, loss of aminoacylation activity is not a prerequisite for CMT to occur, suggesting a gain-of-function disease mechanism. Here, we present the Drosophila melanogaster disease models that have been developed to understand the molecular pathway(s) underlying GARS1- and YARS1-associated CMT etiology. Expression of dominant CMT mutations in these aaRSs induced comparable neurodegenerative phenotypes, both in larvae and adult animals. Interestingly, recent data suggests that shared molecular pathways, such as dysregulation of global protein synthesis, might play a role in disease pathology. In addition, it has been demonstrated that the important function of nuclear YARS1 in transcriptional regulation and the binding properties of mutant GARS1 are also conserved and can be studied in D. melanogaster in the context of CMT. Taken together, the fly has emerged as a faithful companion model for cellular and molecular studies of aaRS-CMT that also enables in vivo investigation of candidate CMT drugs.
Collapse
|
31
|
Liguori F, Amadio S, Volonté C. Fly for ALS: Drosophila modeling on the route to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis modifiers. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:6143-6160. [PMID: 34322715 PMCID: PMC11072332 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03905-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare, devastating disease, causing movement impairment, respiratory failure and ultimate death. A plethora of genetic, cellular and molecular mechanisms are involved in ALS signature, although the initiating causes and progressive pathological events are far from being understood. Drosophila research has produced seminal discoveries for more than a century and has been successfully used in the past 25 years to untangle the process of ALS pathogenesis, and recognize potential markers and novel strategies for therapeutic solutions. This review will provide an updated view of several ALS modifiers validated in C9ORF72, SOD1, FUS, TDP-43 and Ataxin-2 Drosophila models. We will discuss basic and preclinical findings, illustrating recent developments and novel breakthroughs, also depicting unsettled challenges and limitations in the Drosophila-ALS field. We intend to stimulate a renewed debate on Drosophila as a screening route to identify more successful disease modifiers and neuroprotective agents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Liguori
- Preclinical Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 65, 00143, Rome, Italy
| | - Susanna Amadio
- Preclinical Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 65, 00143, Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Volonté
- Preclinical Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 65, 00143, Rome, Italy.
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "A. Ruberti", National Research Council (IASI-CNR), Via dei Taurini 19, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Smylla TK, Wagner K, Huber A. Application of Fluorescent Proteins for Functional Dissection of the Drosophila Visual System. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:8930. [PMID: 34445636 PMCID: PMC8396179 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Drosophila eye has been used extensively to study numerous aspects of biological systems, for example, spatio-temporal regulation of differentiation, visual signal transduction, protein trafficking and neurodegeneration. Right from the advent of fluorescent proteins (FPs) near the end of the millennium, heterologously expressed fusion proteins comprising FPs have been applied in Drosophila vision research not only for subcellular localization of proteins but also for genetic screens and analysis of photoreceptor function. Here, we summarize applications for FPs used in the Drosophila eye as part of genetic screens, to study rhodopsin expression patterns, subcellular protein localization, membrane protein transport or as genetically encoded biosensors for Ca2+ and phospholipids in vivo. We also discuss recently developed FPs that are suitable for super-resolution or correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) approaches. Illustrating the possibilities provided by using FPs in Drosophila photoreceptors may aid research in other sensory or neuronal systems that have not yet been studied as well as the Drosophila eye.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas K. Smylla
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany; (K.W.); (A.H.)
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Sakamoto M, Sasaki K, Sugie A, Nitta Y, Kimura T, Gürsoy S, Cinleti T, Iai M, Sengoku T, Ogata K, Suzuki A, Okamoto N, Iwama K, Tsuchida N, Uchiyama Y, Koshimizu E, Fujita A, Hamanaka K, Miyatake S, Mizuguchi T, Taguri M, Ito S, Takahashi H, Miyake N, Matsumoto N. De novo ARF3 variants cause neurodevelopmental disorder with brain abnormality. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 31:69-81. [PMID: 34346499 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
An optimal Golgi transport system is important for mammalian cells. The adenosine diphosphate (ADP) ribosylation factors (ARF) are key proteins for regulating cargo sorting at the Golgi network. In this family, ARF3 mainly works at the trans-Golgi network (TGN), and no ARF3-related phenotypes have yet been described in humans. We here report the clinical and genetic evaluations of two unrelated children with de novo pathogenic variants in the ARF3 gene: c.200A > T (p.Asp67Val) and c.296G > T (p.Arg99Leu). Although the affected individuals presented commonly with developmental delay, epilepsy, and brain abnormalities, there were differences in severity, clinical course, and brain lesions. In vitro subcellular localization assays revealed that the p.Arg99Leu mutant localized to Golgi apparatus, similar to the wild-type, whereas the p.Asp67Val mutant tended to show a disperse cytosolic pattern together with abnormally dispersed Golgi localization, similar to that observed in a known dominant negative variant (p.Thr31Asn). Pull-down assays revealed that the p.Asp67Val had a loss-of-function effect and the p.Arg99Leu variant had increased binding of the adaptor protein, Golgi-localized, γ-adaptin ear-containing, ARF-binding protein 1 (GGA1), supporting the gain of function. Furthermore, in vivo studies revealed that p.Asp67Val transfection led to lethality in flies. In contrast, flies expressing p.Arg99Leu had abnormal rough eye, as observed in the gain-of-function variant p.Gln71Leu. These data indicate that two ARF3 variants, the possibly loss-of-function p.Asp67Val and the gain-of-function p.Arg99Leu, both impair the Golgi transport system. Therefore, it may not be unreasonable that they showed different clinical features like diffuse brain atrophy (p.Asp67Val) and cerebellar hypoplasia (p.Arg99Leu).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masamune Sakamoto
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Kazunori Sasaki
- Department of Molecular Biology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sugie
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, 951-8585, Japan
| | - Yohei Nitta
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, 951-8585, Japan
| | - Tetsuaki Kimura
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Integrated Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, 411-8540, Japan
| | - Semra Gürsoy
- Department of Pediatric Genetics, S.B.Ü. Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Education and Research Hospital, Izmir, 35210, Turkey
| | - Tayfun Cinleti
- Department of Pediatric Genetics, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izumir, 35340, Turkey
| | - Mizue Iai
- Department of Neurology, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, Yokohama, 232-8555, Japan
| | - Toru Sengoku
- Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Ogata
- Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Atsushi Suzuki
- Molecular Cellular Biology Laboratory, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Nobuhiko Okamoto
- Department of Medical Genetics, Osaka Women's and Children's Hospital, Osaka, 594-1101, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Iwama
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Naomi Tsuchida
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.,Department of Rare Disease Genomics, Yokohama City University Hospital, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Yuri Uchiyama
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.,Department of Rare Disease Genomics, Yokohama City University Hospital, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Eriko Koshimizu
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Atsushi Fujita
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Kohei Hamanaka
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Satoko Miyatake
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.,Clinical Genetics Department, Yokohama City University Hospital, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Takeshi Mizuguchi
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Masataka Taguri
- Department of Data Science, Yokohama City University School of Data Science, Yokohama, 236-0027, Japan
| | - Shuuichi Ito
- Department of Pediatrics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Hidehisa Takahashi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Noriko Miyake
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.,Department of Human Genetics, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan
| | - Naomichi Matsumoto
- Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Identification of cis-acting determinants mediating the unconventional secretion of tau. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12946. [PMID: 34155306 PMCID: PMC8217235 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92433-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The deposition of tau aggregates throughout the brain is a pathological characteristic within a group of neurodegenerative diseases collectively termed tauopathies, which includes Alzheimer’s disease. While recent findings suggest the involvement of unconventional secretory pathways driving tau into the extracellular space and mediating the propagation of the disease-associated pathology, many of the mechanistic details governing this process remain elusive. In the current study, we provide an in-depth characterization of the unconventional secretory pathway of tau and identify novel molecular determinants that are required for this process. Here, using Drosophila models of tauopathy, we correlate the hyperphosphorylation and aggregation state of tau with the disease-related neurotoxicity. These newly established systems recapitulate all the previously identified hallmarks of tau secretion, including the contribution of tau hyperphosphorylation as well as the requirement for PI(4,5)P2 triggering the direct translocation of tau. Using a series of cellular assays, we demonstrate that both the sulfated proteoglycans on the cell surface and the correct orientation of the protein at the inner plasma membrane leaflet are critical determinants of this process. Finally, we identify two cysteine residues within the microtubule binding repeat domain as novel cis-elements that are important for both unconventional secretion and trans-cellular propagation of tau.
Collapse
|
35
|
Sarkar S. Shaggy functions downstream of dMyc and their concurrent downregulation confers additive rescue against tau toxicity in Drosophila. Biofactors 2021; 47:461-477. [PMID: 33651466 DOI: 10.1002/biof.1721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative tauopathies such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases are characterized by hyperphosphorylation of tau protein and their subsequent aggregation in the forms of paired helical filaments and/or neurofibrillary tangles in specific areas of the brain. Despite several attempts, it remains a challenge to develop reliable biomarkers or effective drugs against tauopathies. It is increasingly evident now that due to the involvement of multiple cellular cascades affected by the pathogenic tau molecules, a single genetic modifier or a molecule is unlikely to be efficient enough to provide an inclusive rescue. Hence, multitargets based combinatorial approach(s) have been suggested to provide an efficient rescue against tauopathies. We have reported earlier that targeted downregulation of dmyc (a Drosophila homolog of human cmyc proto-oncogene) restricts tau etiology by limiting tau hyperphosphorylation and heterochromatin loss. Although, dmyc generates a significant rescue; however, it is not proficient enough to provide a complete alleviation against tauopathies. Here, we report that tissue-specific concurrent downregulation of dmyc and gsk3β conveys a near-complete rescue against tau toxicity in Drosophila. We noted that combinatorial downregulation of dmyc and gsk3β reduces tau hyperphosphorylation, restricts the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, and restores heterochromatin loss to the physiological level. Our subsequent investigations revealed that dmyc regulates gsk3β via protein phosphatase 2A (dPP2A) in a dose-dependent manner to regulate tau pathogenesis. We propose that dmyc and gsk3β candidates can be utilized in a synergistic manner for the development of an efficient combinatorial therapeutic approach against the devastating human tauopathies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Surajit Sarkar
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Nisha, Sarkar S. Downregulation of glob1 suppresses pathogenesis of human neuronal tauopathies in Drosophila by regulating tau phosphorylation and ROS generation. Neurochem Int 2021; 146:105040. [PMID: 33865914 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2021.105040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Human tauopathies represent a group of neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by abnormal hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of tau protein, which ultimately cause neurodegeneration. The aberrant tau hyperphosphorylation is mostly attributed to the kinases/phosphatases imbalance, which is majorly contributed by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Globin(s) represent a well-conserved group of proteins which are involved in O2 management, regulation of cellular ROS in different cell types. Similarly, Drosophila globin1 (a homologue of human globin) with its known roles in oxygen management and development of nervous system exhibits striking similarities with the mammalian neuroglobin. Several recent evidences support the hypothesis that neuroglobins are associated with Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. We herein noted that targeted expression of human-tau induces the cellular level of Glob1 protein in Drosophila tauopathy models. Subsequently, RNAi mediated restored level of Glob1 restricts the pathogenic effect of human-tau by minimizing its hyperphosphorylation via GSK-3β/p-Akt and p-JNK pathways. In addition, it also activates the Nrf2-keap1-ARE cascade to stabilize the tau-mediated increased level of ROS. These two parallel cellular events provide a significant rescue against human tau-mediated neurotoxicity in the fly models. For the first time we report a direct involvement of an oxygen sensing globin gene in tau etiology. In view of the fact that human genome encodes for the multiple Globin proteins including a nervous system specific neuroglobin; and therefore, our findings may pave the way to investigate if the conserved oxygen sensing globin gene(s) can be exploited in devising novel therapeutic strategies against tauopathies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nisha
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi, 110021, India
| | - Surajit Sarkar
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi, 110021, India.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Pizzo L, Lasser M, Yusuff T, Jensen M, Ingraham P, Huber E, Singh MD, Monahan C, Iyer J, Desai I, Karthikeyan S, Gould DJ, Yennawar S, Weiner AT, Pounraja VK, Krishnan A, Rolls MM, Lowery LA, Girirajan S. Functional assessment of the "two-hit" model for neurodevelopmental defects in Drosophila and X. laevis. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009112. [PMID: 33819264 PMCID: PMC8049494 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously identified a deletion on chromosome 16p12.1 that is mostly inherited and associated with multiple neurodevelopmental outcomes, where severely affected probands carried an excess of rare pathogenic variants compared to mildly affected carrier parents. We hypothesized that the 16p12.1 deletion sensitizes the genome for disease, while "second-hits" in the genetic background modulate the phenotypic trajectory. To test this model, we examined how neurodevelopmental defects conferred by knockdown of individual 16p12.1 homologs are modulated by simultaneous knockdown of homologs of "second-hit" genes in Drosophila melanogaster and Xenopus laevis. We observed that knockdown of 16p12.1 homologs affect multiple phenotypic domains, leading to delayed developmental timing, seizure susceptibility, brain alterations, abnormal dendrite and axonal morphology, and cellular proliferation defects. Compared to genes within the 16p11.2 deletion, which has higher de novo occurrence, 16p12.1 homologs were less likely to interact with each other in Drosophila models or a human brain-specific interaction network, suggesting that interactions with "second-hit" genes may confer higher impact towards neurodevelopmental phenotypes. Assessment of 212 pairwise interactions in Drosophila between 16p12.1 homologs and 76 homologs of patient-specific "second-hit" genes (such as ARID1B and CACNA1A), genes within neurodevelopmental pathways (such as PTEN and UBE3A), and transcriptomic targets (such as DSCAM and TRRAP) identified genetic interactions in 63% of the tested pairs. In 11 out of 15 families, patient-specific "second-hits" enhanced or suppressed the phenotypic effects of one or many 16p12.1 homologs in 32/96 pairwise combinations tested. In fact, homologs of SETD5 synergistically interacted with homologs of MOSMO in both Drosophila and X. laevis, leading to modified cellular and brain phenotypes, as well as axon outgrowth defects that were not observed with knockdown of either individual homolog. Our results suggest that several 16p12.1 genes sensitize the genome towards neurodevelopmental defects, and complex interactions with "second-hit" genes determine the ultimate phenotypic manifestation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucilla Pizzo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Micaela Lasser
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Tanzeen Yusuff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Matthew Jensen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Phoebe Ingraham
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Emily Huber
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Mayanglambam Dhruba Singh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Connor Monahan
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Janani Iyer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Inshya Desai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Siddharth Karthikeyan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Dagny J. Gould
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Sneha Yennawar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Alexis T. Weiner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Vijay Kumar Pounraja
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Arjun Krishnan
- Department of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - Melissa M. Rolls
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Laura Anne Lowery
- Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Santhosh Girirajan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Baek M, Choe YJ, Bannwarth S, Kim J, Maitra S, Dorn GW, Taylor JP, Paquis-Flucklinger V, Kim NC. TDP-43 and PINK1 mediate CHCHD10 S59L mutation-induced defects in Drosophila and in vitro. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1924. [PMID: 33772006 PMCID: PMC7997989 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22145-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix domain containing 10 (CHCHD10) can cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD). However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we generate CHCH10S59L-mutant Drosophila melanogaster and HeLa cell lines to model CHCHD10-associated ALS-FTD. The CHCHD10S59L mutation results in cell toxicity in several tissues and mitochondrial defects. CHCHD10S59L independently affects the TDP-43 and PINK1 pathways. CHCHD10S59L expression increases TDP-43 insolubility and mitochondrial translocation. Blocking TDP-43 mitochondrial translocation with a peptide inhibitor reduced CHCHD10S59L-mediated toxicity. While genetic and pharmacological modulation of PINK1 expression and activity of its substrates rescues and mitigates the CHCHD10S59L-induced phenotypes and mitochondrial defects, respectively, in both Drosophila and HeLa cells. Our findings suggest that CHCHD10S59L-induced TDP-43 mitochondrial translocation and chronic activation of PINK1-mediated pathways result in dominant toxicity, providing a mechanistic insight into the CHCHD10 mutations associated with ALS-FTD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Minwoo Baek
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN USA
| | - Yun-Jeong Choe
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN USA
| | - Sylvie Bannwarth
- grid.410528.a0000 0001 2322 4179Inserm U1081, CNRS UMR7284, IRCAN, Université Côte d’Azur, CHU de Nice, Nice, France
| | - JiHye Kim
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN USA
| | - Swati Maitra
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN USA
| | - Gerald W. Dorn
- grid.4367.60000 0001 2355 7002Center for Pharmacogenomics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO USA
| | - J. Paul Taylor
- grid.240871.80000 0001 0224 711XHoward Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN USA
| | - Veronique Paquis-Flucklinger
- grid.410528.a0000 0001 2322 4179Inserm U1081, CNRS UMR7284, IRCAN, Université Côte d’Azur, CHU de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Nam Chul Kim
- grid.17635.360000000419368657Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Rescue Memory Defects in Drosophila-Expressing Alzheimer's Disease-Related Transgenes Independently of the Canonical Renin Angiotensin System. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0235-20.2020. [PMID: 33060184 PMCID: PMC7768280 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0235-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a degenerative disorder that causes progressive memory and cognitive decline. Recently, studies have reported that inhibitors of the mammalian renin angiotensin system (RAS) result in a significant reduction in the incidence and progression of AD by unknown mechanisms. Here, we used a genetic and pharmacological approach to evaluate the beneficial effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in Drosophila expressing AD-related transgenes. Importantly, while ACE orthologs have been identified in Drosophila, other RAS components are not conserved. We show that captopril, an ACE-I, and losartan, an ARB, can suppress a rough eye phenotype and brain cell death in flies expressing a mutant human C99 transgene. Captopril also significantly rescues memory defects in these flies. Similarly, both drugs reduce cell death in Drosophila expressing human Aβ42 and losartan significantly rescues memory deficits. However, neither drug affects production, accumulation or clearance of Aβ42 Importantly, neither drug rescued brain cell death in Drosophila expressing human Tau, suggesting that RAS inhibitors specifically target the amyloid pathway. Of note, we also observed reduced cell death and a complete rescue of memory deficits when we crossed a null mutation in Drosophila Acer into each transgenic line demonstrating that the target of captopril in Drosophila is Acer. Together, these studies demonstrate that captopril and losartan are able to modulate AD related phenotypes in the absence of the canonical RAS pathway and suggest that both drugs have additional targets that can be identified in Drosophila.
Collapse
|
40
|
De Mena L, Smith MA, Martin J, Dunton KL, Ceballos-Diaz C, Jansen-West KR, Cruz PE, Dillon KD, Rincon-Limas DE, Golde TE, Moore BD, Levites Y. Aß40 displays amyloidogenic properties in the non-transgenic mouse brain but does not exacerbate Aß42 toxicity in Drosophila. Alzheimers Res Ther 2020; 12:132. [PMID: 33069251 PMCID: PMC7568834 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-020-00698-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Self-assembly of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide into aggregates, from small oligomers to amyloid fibrils, is fundamentally linked with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is clear that not all forms of Aβ are equally harmful and that linking a specific aggregate to toxicity also depends on the assays and model systems used (Haass et al., J Biol. Chem 269:17741-17748, 1994; Borchelt et al., Neuron 17:1005-1013, 1996). Though a central postulate of the amyloid cascade hypothesis, there remain many gaps in our understanding regarding the links between Aβ deposition and neurodegeneration. METHODS In this study, we examined familial mutations of Aβ that increase aggregation and oligomerization, E22G and ΔE22, and induce cerebral amyloid angiopathy, E22Q and D23N. We also investigated synthetic mutations that stabilize dimerization, S26C, and a phospho-mimetic, S8E, and non-phospho-mimetic, S8A. To that end, we utilized BRI2-Aβ fusion technology and rAAV2/1-based somatic brain transgenesis in mice to selectively express individual mutant Aβ species in vivo. In parallel, we generated PhiC31-based transgenic Drosophila melanogaster expressing wild-type (WT) and Aβ40 and Aβ42 mutants, fused to the Argos signal peptide to assess the extent of Aβ42-induced toxicity as well as to interrogate the combined effect of different Aβ40 and Aβ42 species. RESULTS When expressed in the mouse brain for 6 months, Aβ42 E22G, Aβ42 E22Q/D23N, and Aβ42WT formed amyloid aggregates consisting of some diffuse material as well as cored plaques, whereas other mutants formed predominantly diffuse amyloid deposits. Moreover, while Aβ40WT showed no distinctive phenotype, Aβ40 E22G and E22Q/D23N formed unique aggregates that accumulated in mouse brains. This is the first evidence that mutant Aβ40 overexpression leads to deposition under certain conditions. Interestingly, we found that mutant Aβ42 E22G, E22Q, and S26C, but not Aβ40, were toxic to the eye of Drosophila. In contrast, flies expressing a copy of Aβ40 (WT or mutants), in addition to Aβ42WT, showed improved phenotypes, suggesting possible protective qualities for Aβ40. CONCLUSIONS These studies suggest that while some Aβ40 mutants form unique amyloid aggregates in mouse brains, they do not exacerbate Aβ42 toxicity in Drosophila, which highlights the significance of using different systems for a better understanding of AD pathogenicity and more accurate screening for new potential therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorena De Mena
- Department of Neurology, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida and Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Michael A Smith
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jason Martin
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Katie L Dunton
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Carolina Ceballos-Diaz
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | - Pedro E Cruz
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kristy D Dillon
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Diego E Rincon-Limas
- Department of Neurology, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida and Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Todd E Golde
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Brenda D Moore
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Yona Levites
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neuroscience, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- McKnight Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Panchal K, Tiwari AK. Miro, a Rho GTPase genetically interacts with Alzheimer's disease-associated genes ( Tau, Aβ42 and Appl) in Drosophila melanogaster. Biol Open 2020; 9:bio049569. [PMID: 32747449 PMCID: PMC7489762 DOI: 10.1242/bio.049569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Miro (mitochondrial Rho GTPases), a mitochondrial outer membrane protein, facilitates mitochondrial axonal transport along the microtubules to facilitate neuronal function. It plays an important role in regulating mitochondrial dynamics (fusion and fission) and cellular energy generation. Thus, Miro might be associated with the key pathologies of several neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) including Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present manuscript, we have demonstrated the possible genetic interaction between Miro and AD-related genes such as Tau, Aβ42 and Appl in Drosophila melanogaster Ectopic expression of Tau, Aβ42 and Appl induced a rough eye phenotype, defects in phototaxis and climbing activity, and shortened lifespan in the flies. In our study, we have observed that overexpression of Miro improves the rough eye phenotype, behavioral activities (climbing and phototaxis) and ATP level in AD model flies. Further, the improvement examined in AD-related phenotypes was correlated with decreased oxidative stress, cell death and neurodegeneration in Miro overexpressing AD model flies. Thus, the obtained results suggested that Miro genetically interacts with AD-related genes in Drosophila and has the potential to be used as a therapeutic target for the design of therapeutic strategies for NDs.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Komal Panchal
- Genetics and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Institute of Advanced Research (IAR), Koba, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382426, India
| | - Anand Krishna Tiwari
- Genetics and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Institute of Advanced Research (IAR), Koba, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382426, India
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Diez-Hermano S, Ganfornina MD, Vegas-Lozano E, Sanchez D. Machine Learning Representation of Loss of Eye Regularity in a Drosophila Neurodegenerative Model. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:516. [PMID: 32581679 PMCID: PMC7287026 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The fruit fly compound eye is a premier experimental system for modeling human neurodegenerative diseases. The disruption of the retinal geometry has been historically assessed using time-consuming and poorly reliable techniques such as histology or pseudopupil manual counting. Recent semiautomated quantification approaches rely either on manual region-of-interest delimitation or engineered features to estimate the extent of degeneration. This work presents a fully automated classification pipeline of bright-field images based on orientated gradient descriptors and machine learning techniques. An initial region-of-interest extraction is performed, applying morphological kernels and Euclidean distance-to-centroid thresholding. Image classification algorithms are trained on these regions (support vector machine, decision trees, random forest, and convolutional neural network), and their performance is evaluated on independent, unseen datasets. The combinations of oriented gradient + gaussian kernel Support Vector Machine [0.97 accuracy and 0.98 area under the curve (AUC)] and fine-tuned pre-trained convolutional neural network (0.98 accuracy and 0.99 AUC) yielded the best results overall. The proposed method provides a robust quantification framework that can be generalized to address the loss of regularity in biological patterns similar to the Drosophila eye surface and speeds up the processing of large sample batches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Diez-Hermano
- Instituto de Biologia y Genetica Molecular-Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular y Fisiologia, Universidad de Valladolid-CSIC, Valladolid, Spain.,Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecologia y Evolucion, Unidad de Biomatematicas, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria D Ganfornina
- Instituto de Biologia y Genetica Molecular-Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular y Fisiologia, Universidad de Valladolid-CSIC, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Esteban Vegas-Lozano
- Departamento de Genetica, Microbiologia y Estadistica, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Diego Sanchez
- Instituto de Biologia y Genetica Molecular-Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular y Fisiologia, Universidad de Valladolid-CSIC, Valladolid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Yusuff T, Jensen M, Yennawar S, Pizzo L, Karthikeyan S, Gould DJ, Sarker A, Gedvilaite E, Matsui Y, Iyer J, Lai ZC, Girirajan S. Drosophila models of pathogenic copy-number variant genes show global and non-neuronal defects during development. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008792. [PMID: 32579612 PMCID: PMC7313740 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
While rare pathogenic copy-number variants (CNVs) are associated with both neuronal and non-neuronal phenotypes, functional studies evaluating these regions have focused on the molecular basis of neuronal defects. We report a systematic functional analysis of non-neuronal defects for homologs of 59 genes within ten pathogenic CNVs and 20 neurodevelopmental genes in Drosophila melanogaster. Using wing-specific knockdown of 136 RNA interference lines, we identified qualitative and quantitative phenotypes in 72/79 homologs, including 21 lines with severe wing defects and six lines with lethality. In fact, we found that 10/31 homologs of CNV genes also showed complete or partial lethality at larval or pupal stages with ubiquitous knockdown. Comparisons between eye and wing-specific knockdown of 37/45 homologs showed both neuronal and non-neuronal defects, but with no correlation in the severity of defects. We further observed disruptions in cell proliferation and apoptosis in larval wing discs for 23/27 homologs, and altered Wnt, Hedgehog and Notch signaling for 9/14 homologs, including AATF/Aatf, PPP4C/Pp4-19C, and KIF11/Klp61F. These findings were further supported by tissue-specific differences in expression patterns of human CNV genes, as well as connectivity of CNV genes to signaling pathway genes in brain, heart and kidney-specific networks. Our findings suggest that multiple genes within each CNV differentially affect both global and tissue-specific developmental processes within conserved pathways, and that their roles are not restricted to neuronal functions. Rare copy-number variants (CNVs), or large deletions and duplications in the genome, are associated with both neuronal and non-neuronal clinical features. Previous functional studies for these disorders have primarily focused on understanding the cellular mechanisms for neurological and behavioral phenotypes. To understand how genes within these CNVs contribute to developmental defects in non-neuronal tissues, we assessed 79 homologs of CNV and known neurodevelopmental genes in Drosophila models. We found that most homologs showed developmental defects when knocked down in the adult fly wing, ranging from mild size changes to severe wrinkled wings or lethality. Although a majority of tested homologs showed defects when knocked down specifically in wings or eyes, we found no correlation in the severity of the observed defects in these two tissues. A subset of the homologs showed disruptions in cellular processes in the developing fly wing, including alterations in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cellular signaling pathways. Furthermore, human CNV genes also showed differences in gene expression patterns and interactions with signaling pathway genes across multiple human tissues. Our findings suggest that genes within CNV disorders affect global developmental processes in both neuronal and non-neuronal tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tanzeen Yusuff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Matthew Jensen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Sneha Yennawar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Lucilla Pizzo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Siddharth Karthikeyan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Dagny J. Gould
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Avik Sarker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Erika Gedvilaite
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Yurika Matsui
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Janani Iyer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Zhi-Chun Lai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Santhosh Girirajan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Bravo González‐Blas C, Quan X, Duran‐Romaña R, Taskiran II, Koldere D, Davie K, Christiaens V, Makhzami S, Hulselmans G, de Waegeneer M, Mauduit D, Poovathingal S, Aibar S, Aerts S. Identification of genomic enhancers through spatial integration of single-cell transcriptomics and epigenomics. Mol Syst Biol 2020; 16:e9438. [PMID: 32431014 PMCID: PMC7237818 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20209438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-cell technologies allow measuring chromatin accessibility and gene expression in each cell, but jointly utilizing both layers to map bona fide gene regulatory networks and enhancers remains challenging. Here, we generate independent single-cell RNA-seq and single-cell ATAC-seq atlases of the Drosophila eye-antennal disc and spatially integrate the data into a virtual latent space that mimics the organization of the 2D tissue using ScoMAP (Single-Cell Omics Mapping into spatial Axes using Pseudotime ordering). To validate spatially predicted enhancers, we use a large collection of enhancer-reporter lines and identify ~ 85% of enhancers in which chromatin accessibility and enhancer activity are coupled. Next, we infer enhancer-to-gene relationships in the virtual space, finding that genes are mostly regulated by multiple, often redundant, enhancers. Exploiting cell type-specific enhancers, we deconvolute cell type-specific effects of bulk-derived chromatin accessibility QTLs. Finally, we discover that Prospero drives neuronal differentiation through the binding of a GGG motif. In summary, we provide a comprehensive spatial characterization of gene regulation in a 2D tissue.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Xiao‐Jiang Quan
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Human GeneticsKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | | | - Ibrahim Ihsan Taskiran
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Human GeneticsKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Duygu Koldere
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Human GeneticsKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | | | - Valerie Christiaens
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Human GeneticsKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Samira Makhzami
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Human GeneticsKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Gert Hulselmans
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Human GeneticsKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Maxime de Waegeneer
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Human GeneticsKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - David Mauduit
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Human GeneticsKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | | | - Sara Aibar
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Human GeneticsKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Stein Aerts
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Human GeneticsKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Singh MD, Jensen M, Lasser M, Huber E, Yusuff T, Pizzo L, Lifschutz B, Desai I, Kubina A, Yennawar S, Kim S, Iyer J, Rincon-Limas DE, Lowery LA, Girirajan S. NCBP2 modulates neurodevelopmental defects of the 3q29 deletion in Drosophila and Xenopus laevis models. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008590. [PMID: 32053595 PMCID: PMC7043793 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The 1.6 Mbp deletion on chromosome 3q29 is associated with a range of neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia, autism, microcephaly, and intellectual disability. Despite its importance towards neurodevelopment, the role of individual genes, genetic interactions, and disrupted biological mechanisms underlying the deletion have not been thoroughly characterized. Here, we used quantitative methods to assay Drosophila melanogaster and Xenopus laevis models with tissue-specific individual and pairwise knockdown of 14 homologs of genes within the 3q29 region. We identified developmental, cellular, and neuronal phenotypes for multiple homologs of 3q29 genes, potentially due to altered apoptosis and cell cycle mechanisms during development. Using the fly eye, we screened for 314 pairwise knockdowns of homologs of 3q29 genes and identified 44 interactions between pairs of homologs and 34 interactions with other neurodevelopmental genes. Interestingly, NCBP2 homologs in Drosophila (Cbp20) and X. laevis (ncbp2) enhanced the phenotypes of homologs of the other 3q29 genes, leading to significant increases in apoptosis that disrupted cellular organization and brain morphology. These cellular and neuronal defects were rescued with overexpression of the apoptosis inhibitors Diap1 and xiap in both models, suggesting that apoptosis is one of several potential biological mechanisms disrupted by the deletion. NCBP2 was also highly connected to other 3q29 genes in a human brain-specific interaction network, providing support for the relevance of our results towards the human deletion. Overall, our study suggests that NCBP2-mediated genetic interactions within the 3q29 region disrupt apoptosis and cell cycle mechanisms during development. Rare copy-number variants, or large deletions and duplications in the genome, are associated with a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders. The 3q29 deletion confers an increased risk for schizophrenia and autism. To understand the conserved biological mechanisms that are disrupted by this deletion, we systematically tested 14 individual homologs and 314 pairwise interactions of 3q29 genes for neuronal, cellular, and developmental phenotypes in Drosophila melanogaster and Xenopus laevis models. We found that multiple homologs of genes within the deletion region contribute towards developmental defects, such as larval lethality and disrupted cellular organization. Interestingly, we found that NCBP2 acts as a key modifier gene within the region, enhancing the developmental phenotypes of each of the homologs for other 3q29 genes and leading to disruptions in apoptosis and cell cycle pathways. Our results suggest that multiple genes within the 3q29 region interact with each other through shared mechanisms and jointly contribute to neurodevelopmental defects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mayanglambam Dhruba Singh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Matthew Jensen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Micaela Lasser
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Emily Huber
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Tanzeen Yusuff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Lucilla Pizzo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Brian Lifschutz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Inshya Desai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Alexis Kubina
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Sneha Yennawar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Sydney Kim
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Janani Iyer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Diego E Rincon-Limas
- Department of Neurology, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Laura Anne Lowery
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Santhosh Girirajan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Heparan Sulfate Structure Affects Autophagy, Lifespan, Responses to Oxidative Stress, and Cell Degeneration in Drosophila parkin Mutants. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2020; 10:129-141. [PMID: 31672849 PMCID: PMC6945019 DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.400730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Autophagy is a catabolic process that provides cells with energy and molecular building blocks during nutritional stress. Autophagy also removes misfolded proteins and damaged organelles, a critical mechanism for cellular repair. Earlier work demonstrated that heparan sulfate proteoglycans, an abundant class of carbohydrate-modified proteins found on cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrix, suppress basal levels of autophagy in several cell types during development in Drosophila melanogaster. In studies reported here, we examined the capacity of heparan sulfate synthesis to influence events affected by autophagy, including lifespan, resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress, and accumulation of ubiquitin-modified proteins in the brain. Compromising heparan sulfate synthesis increased autophagy-dependent processes, evident by extended lifespan, increased resistance to ROS, and reduced accumulation of ubiquitin-modified proteins in the brains of ROS exposed adults. The capacity of altering heparan sulfate biosynthesis to protect cells from injury was also evaluated in two different models of neurodegeneration, overexpression of Presenilin and parkin mutants. Presenilin overexpression in the retina produces cell loss, and compromising heparan sulfate biosynthesis rescued retinal patterning and size abnormalities in these animals. parkin is the fly homolog of human PARK2, one of the genes responsible for juvenile onset Parkinson’s Disease. Parkin is involved in mitochondrial surveillance and compromising parkin function results in degeneration of both flight muscle and dopaminergic neurons in Drosophila. Altering heparan sulfate biosynthesis suppressed flight muscle degeneration and mitochondrial dysmorphology, indicating that activation of autophagy-mediated removal of mitochondria (mitophagy) is potentiated in these animals. These findings provide in vivo evidence that altering the levels of heparan sulfate synthesis activates autophagy and can provide protection from a variety of cellular stressors.
Collapse
|
47
|
Liao SE, Kandasamy SK, Zhu L, Fukunaga R. DEAD-box RNA helicase Belle posttranscriptionally promotes gene expression in an ATPase activity-dependent manner. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2019; 25:825-839. [PMID: 30979781 PMCID: PMC6573787 DOI: 10.1261/rna.070268.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Drosophila Belle (human ortholog DDX3) is a conserved DEAD-box RNA helicase implicated in regulating gene expression. However, the molecular mechanisms by which Belle/DDX3 regulates gene expression are poorly understood. Here we performed systematic mutational analysis to determine the contributions of conserved motifs within Belle to its in vivo function. We found that Belle RNA-binding and RNA-unwinding activities and intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are required for Belle in vivo function. Expression of Belle ATPase mutants that cannot bind, hydrolyze, or release ATP resulted in dominant toxic phenotypes. Mechanistically, we discovered that Belle up-regulates reporter protein level when tethered to reporter mRNA, without corresponding changes at the mRNA level, indicating that Belle promotes translation of mRNA that it binds. Belle ATPase activity and amino-terminal IDR were required for this translational promotion activity. We also found that ectopic ovary expression of dominant Belle ATPase mutants decreases levels of cyclin proteins, including Cyclin B, without corresponding changes in their mRNA levels. Finally, we found that Belle binds endogenous cyclin B mRNA. We propose that Belle promotes translation of specific target mRNAs, including cyclin B mRNA, in an ATPase activity-dependent manner.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susan E Liao
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
| | - Suresh K Kandasamy
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
| | - Li Zhu
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
| | - Ryuya Fukunaga
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Zhong Y, Shobo A, Hancock MA, Multhaup G. Label-free distribution of anti-amyloid D-AIP in Drosophila melanogaster: prevention of Aβ42-induced toxicity without side effects in transgenic flies. J Neurochem 2019; 150:74-87. [PMID: 31077378 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14720] [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: 02/24/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Soluble oligomers of the 42-amino acid amyloid beta (Aβ42) peptide are highly toxic and suspected as the causative agent of synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previously, we have shown that a small, D-amino acid Aβ42-oligomer interacting peptide (D-AIP) can neutralize human Aβ42-mediated toxicity using in vitro and cell-based assays. In the present longitudinal study using a transgenic Drosophila melanogaster model, advanced live confocal imaging and mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) showed that the eight amino acid D-AIP can attenuate Aβ42-induced toxicity in vivo. By separating male and female flies into distinct groups, the resultant distribution of ingested D-AIP was different between the sexes. The Aβ42-induced 'rough eye' phenotype could be rescued in the female transgenics, likely because of the co-localization of D-AIP with human Aβ42 in the female fly heads. Interestingly, the phenotype could not be rescued in the male transgenics, likely because of the co-localization of D-AIP with a confounding male-specific sex peptide (Acp70A candidate in MSI spectra) in the gut of the male flies. As a novel, more cost-effective strategy to prevent toxic amyloid formation during the early stages of AD (i.e. neutralization of toxic low-order Aβ42 oligomers without creating larger aggregates in the process), our longitudinal study establishes that D-AIP is a stable and highly effective neutralizer of toxic Aβ42 peptides in vivo. Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14512.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Zhong
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Life Sciences Complex, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Adeola Shobo
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Life Sciences Complex, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Mark A Hancock
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Life Sciences Complex, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gerhard Multhaup
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Life Sciences Complex, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Garcia-Arraez MG, Masson F, Escobar JCP, Lemaitre B. Functional analysis of RIP toxins from the Drosophila endosymbiont Spiroplasma poulsonii. BMC Microbiol 2019; 19:46. [PMID: 30786854 PMCID: PMC6383259 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-019-1410-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Insects frequently live in close relationship with symbiotic bacteria that carry out beneficial functions for their host, like protection against parasites and viruses. However, in some cases, the mutualistic nature of such associations is put into question because of detrimental phenotypes caused by the symbiont. One example is the association between the vertically transmitted facultative endosymbiont Spiroplasma poulsonii and its natural host Drosophila melanogaster. Whereas S. poulsonii protects its host against parasitoid wasps and nematodes by the action of toxins from the family of Ribosome Inactivating Proteins (RIPs), the presence of S. poulsonii has been reported to reduce host’s life span and to kill male embryos by a toxin called Spaid. In this work, we investigate the harmful effects of Spiroplasma RIPs on Drosophila in the absence of parasite infection. Results We show that only two Spiroplasma RIPs (SpRIP1 and SpRIP2) among the five RIP genes encoded in the S. poulsonii genome are significantly expressed during the whole Drosophila life cycle. Heterologous expression of SpRIP1 and 2 in uninfected flies confirms their toxicity, as indicated by a reduction of Drosophila lifespan and hemocyte number. We also show that RIPs can cause the death of some embryos, including females. Conclusion Our results indicate that RIPs released by S. poulsonii contribute to the reduction of host lifespan and embryo mortality. This suggests that SpRIPs may impact the insect-symbiont homeostasis beyond their protective function against parasites. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12866-019-1410-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mario Gonzalo Garcia-Arraez
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Science, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Florent Masson
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Science, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Bruno Lemaitre
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Science, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Papanikolopoulou K, Mudher A, Skoulakis E. An assessment of the translational relevance of Drosophila in drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2019; 14:303-313. [PMID: 30664368 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2019.1569624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Drosophila melanogaster offers a powerful expedient and economical system with facile genetics. Because of the high sequence and functional conservation with human disease-associated genes, it has been cardinal in deciphering disease mechanisms at the genetic and molecular level. Drosophila are amenable to and respond well to pharmaceutical treatment which coupled to their genetic tractability has led to discovery, repositioning, and validation of a number of compounds. Areas covered: This review summarizes the generation of fly models of human diseases, their advantages and use in elucidation of human disease mechanisms. Representative studies provide examples of the utility of this system in modeling diseases and the discovery, repositioning and testing on pharmaceuticals to ameliorate them. Expert opinion: Drosophila offers a facile and economical whole animal system with many homologous organs to humans, high functional conservation and established methods of generating and validating human disease models. Nevertheless, it remains relatively underused as a drug discovery tool probably because its relevance to mammalian systems remains under question. However, recent exciting success stories using Drosophila disease models for drug screening, repositioning and validation strongly suggest that fly models should figure prominently in the drug discovery pipeline from bench to bedside.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Papanikolopoulou
- a Division of Neuroscience , Biomedical Sciences Research Centre "Alexander Fleming" , Vari , Greece
| | - Amrit Mudher
- b Centre for Biological Sciences , University of Southampton , Southampton , UK
| | - Efthimios Skoulakis
- a Division of Neuroscience , Biomedical Sciences Research Centre "Alexander Fleming" , Vari , Greece
| |
Collapse
|