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Ouyang X, Matt A, Wang F, Gracheva E, Migunova E, Rajamani S, Dubrovsky EB, Zhou C. Attention LSTM U-Net model for Drosophila melanogaster heart tube segmentation in optical coherence microscopy images. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2024; 15:3639-3653. [PMID: 38867790 PMCID: PMC11166423 DOI: 10.1364/boe.523364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) imaging of the Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) heart tube has enabled the non-invasive characterization of fly heart physiology in vivo. OCM generates large volumes of data, making it necessary to automate image analysis. Deep-learning-based neural network models have been developed to improve the efficiency of fly heart image segmentation. However, image artifacts caused by sample motion or reflections reduce the accuracy of the analysis. To improve the precision and efficiency of image data analysis, we developed an Attention LSTM U-Net model (FlyNet3.0), which incorporates an attention learning mechanism to track the beating fly heart in OCM images. The new model has improved the intersection over union (IOU) compared to FlyNet2.0 + with reflection artifacts from 86% to 89% and with movement from 81% to 89%. We also extended the capabilities of OCM analysis through the introduction of an automated, in vivo heart wall thickness measurement method, which has been validated on a Drosophila model of cardiac hypertrophy. This work will enable the comprehensive, non-invasive characterization of fly heart physiology in a high-throughput manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangping Ouyang
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Abigail Matt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Elena Gracheva
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Ekaterina Migunova
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Bronx, NY 10458, USA
| | - Saathvika Rajamani
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Bronx, NY 10458, USA
| | | | - Chao Zhou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
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Sakizli U, Takano T, Yoo SK. GALDAR: A genetically encoded galactose sensor for visualizing sugar metabolism in vivo. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002549. [PMID: 38502638 PMCID: PMC10950222 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002549] [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: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Sugar metabolism plays a pivotal role in sustaining life. Its dynamics within organisms is less understood compared to its intracellular metabolism. Galactose, a hexose stereoisomer of glucose, is a monosaccharide transported via the same transporters with glucose. Galactose feeds into glycolysis and regulates protein glycosylation. Defects in galactose metabolism are lethal for animals. Here, by transgenically implementing the yeast galactose sensing system into Drosophila, we developed a genetically encoded sensor, GALDAR, which detects galactose in vivo. Using this heterologous system, we revealed dynamics of galactose metabolism in various tissues. Notably, we discovered that intestinal stem cells do not uptake detectable levels of galactose or glucose. GALDAR elucidates the role for galactokinase in metabolism of galactose and a transition of galactose metabolism during the larval period. This work provides a new system that enables analyses of in vivo sugar metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uğurcan Sakizli
- Laboratory for Homeodynamics, RIKEN BDR, Kobe, Japan
- Division of Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Tomomi Takano
- Laboratory for Homeodynamics, RIKEN BDR, Kobe, Japan
- Physiological Genetics Laboratory, RIKEN CPR, Kobe, Japan
| | - Sa Kan Yoo
- Laboratory for Homeodynamics, RIKEN BDR, Kobe, Japan
- Division of Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
- Physiological Genetics Laboratory, RIKEN CPR, Kobe, Japan
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3
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Dondi C, Vogler G, Gupta A, Walls SM, Kervadec A, Romero MR, Diop SB, Goode J, Thomas JB, Colas AR, Bodmer R, Montminy M, Ocorr K. The nutrient sensor CRTC & Sarcalumenin / Thinman represent a new pathway in cardiac hypertrophy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.02.560407. [PMID: 37873259 PMCID: PMC10592890 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.02.560407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are at epidemic levels and a significant proportion of these patients are diagnosed with left ventricular hypertrophy. CREB R egulated T ranscription C o-activator ( CRTC ) is a key regulator of metabolism in mammalian hepatocytes, where it is activated by calcineurin (CaN) to increase expression of gluconeogenic genes. CaN is known its role in pathological cardiac hypertrophy, however, a role for CRTC in the heart has not been identified. In Drosophila , CRTC null mutants have little body fat and exhibit severe cardiac restriction, myofibrillar disorganization, cardiac fibrosis and tachycardia, all hallmarks of heart disease. Cardiac-specific knockdown of CRTC , or its coactivator CREBb , mimicked the reduced body fat and heart defects of CRTC null mutants. Comparative gene expression in CRTC loss- or gain-of-function fly hearts revealed contra-regulation of genes involved in glucose, fatty acid, and amino acid metabolism, suggesting that CRTC also acts as a metabolic switch in the heart. Among the contra-regulated genes with conserved CREB binding sites, we identified the fly ortholog of Sarcalumenin, which is a Ca 2+ -binding protein in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Cardiac knockdown recapitulated the loss of CRTC cardiac restriction and fibrotic phenotypes, suggesting it is a downstream effector of CRTC we named thinman ( tmn ). Importantly, cardiac overexpression of either CaN or CRTC in flies caused hypertrophy that was reversed in a CRTC mutant background, suggesting CRTC mediates hypertrophy downstream of CaN, perhaps as an alternative to NFAT. CRTC novel role in the heart is likely conserved in vertebrates as knockdown in zebrafish also caused cardiac restriction, as in fl ies. These data suggest that CRTC is involved in myocardial cell maintenance and that CaN-CRTC- Sarcalumenin/ tmn signaling represents a novel and conserved pathway underlying cardiac hypertrophy.
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Petersen CE, Tripoli BA, Schoborg TA, Smyth JT. Analysis of Drosophila cardiac hypertrophy by microcomputerized tomography for genetic dissection of heart growth mechanisms. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2022; 322:H296-H309. [PMID: 34951542 PMCID: PMC8782661 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00387.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Heart failure is often preceded by pathological cardiac hypertrophy, a thickening of the heart musculature driven by complex gene regulatory and signaling processes. The Drosophila heart has great potential as a genetic model for deciphering the underlying mechanisms of cardiac hypertrophy. However, current methods for evaluating hypertrophy of the Drosophila heart are laborious and difficult to carry out reproducibly. Here, we demonstrate that microcomputerized tomography (microCT) is an accessible, highly reproducible method for nondestructive, quantitative analysis of Drosophila heart morphology and size. To validate our microCT approach for analyzing Drosophila cardiac hypertrophy, we show that expression of constitutively active Ras (Ras85DV12), previously shown to cause hypertrophy of the fly heart, results in significant thickening of both adult and larval heart walls when measured from microCT images. We then show using microCT analysis that genetic upregulation of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) driven by expression of constitutively active Stim (StimCA) or Orai (OraiCA) proteins also results in significant hypertrophy of the Drosophila heart, through a process that specifically depends on Orai Ca2+ influx channels. Intravital imaging of heart contractility revealed significantly reduced end-diastolic and end-systolic dimensions in StimCA- and OraiCA-expressing hearts, consistent with the hypertrophic phenotype. These results demonstrate that increased SOCE activity is an important driver of hypertrophic cardiomyocyte growth, and demonstrate how microCT analysis combined with tractable genetic tools in Drosophila can be used to delineate molecular signaling processes that underlie cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Genetic analysis of Drosophila cardiac hypertrophy holds immense potential for the discovery of new therapeutic targets to prevent and treat heart failure. This potential has been hindered by a lack of rapid and effective methods for analyzing heart size in flies. Here, we demonstrate that analysis of the Drosophila heart with microcomputerized tomography yields accurate and highly reproducible heart size measurements that can be used to analyze heart growth and cardiac hypertrophy in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney E. Petersen
- 1Graduate Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Benjamin A. Tripoli
- 1Graduate Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Todd A. Schoborg
- 2Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Jeremy T. Smyth
- 3Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
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Abstract
Heart failure places an enormous burden on health and economic systems worldwide. It is a complex disease that is profoundly influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Neither the molecular mechanisms underlying heart failure nor effective prevention strategies are fully understood. Fortunately, relevant aspects of human heart failure can be experimentally studied in tractable model animals, including the fruit fly, Drosophila, allowing the in vivo application of powerful and sophisticated molecular genetic and physiological approaches. Heart failure in Drosophila, as in humans, can be classified into dilated cardiomyopathies and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. Critically, many genes and cellular pathways directing heart development and function are evolutionarily conserved from Drosophila to humans. Studies of molecular mechanisms linking aging with heart failure have revealed that genes involved in aging-associated energy homeostasis and oxidative stress resistance influence cardiac dysfunction through perturbation of IGF and TOR pathways. Importantly, ion channel proteins, cytoskeletal proteins, and integrins implicated in aging of the mammalian heart have been shown to play significant roles in heart failure. A number of genes previously described having roles in development of the Drosophila heart, such as genes involved in Wnt signaling pathways, have recently been shown to play important roles in the adult fly heart. Moreover, the fly model presents opportunities for innovative studies that cannot currently be pursued in the mammalian heart because of technical limitations. In this review, we discuss progress in our understanding of genes, proteins, and molecular mechanisms that affect the Drosophila adult heart and heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shasha Zhu
- The Center for Heart Development, Key Lab of MOE for Development Biology and Protein Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, 410081, China
| | - Zhe Han
- Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20010, USA
| | - Yan Luo
- The Center for Heart Development, Key Lab of MOE for Development Biology and Protein Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, 410081, China
| | - Yulin Chen
- The Center for Heart Development, Key Lab of MOE for Development Biology and Protein Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, 410081, China
| | - Qun Zeng
- The Center for Heart Development, Key Lab of MOE for Development Biology and Protein Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, 410081, China
| | - Xiushan Wu
- The Center for Heart Development, Key Lab of MOE for Development Biology and Protein Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, 410081, China.
| | - Wuzhou Yuan
- The Center for Heart Development, Key Lab of MOE for Development Biology and Protein Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, 410081, China.
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Lovato TL, Cripps RM. High Heart: A Role for Calcineurin Signaling in Hypoxia-Influenced Cardiac Growth. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 10:CIRCGENETICS.117.001919. [PMID: 28986459 DOI: 10.1161/circgenetics.117.001919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- TyAnna L Lovato
- From the Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
| | - Richard M Cripps
- From the Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
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Zarndt R, Walls SM, Ocorr K, Bodmer R. Reduced Cardiac Calcineurin Expression Mimics Long-Term Hypoxia-Induced Heart Defects in Drosophila. CIRCULATION. CARDIOVASCULAR GENETICS 2017; 10:e001706. [PMID: 28986453 PMCID: PMC5669044 DOI: 10.1161/circgenetics.117.001706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypoxia is often associated with cardiopulmonary diseases, which represent some of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Long-term hypoxia exposures, whether from disease or environmental condition, can cause cardiomyopathy and lead to heart failure. Indeed, hypoxia-induced heart failure is a hallmark feature of chronic mountain sickness in maladapted populations living at high altitude. In a previously established Drosophila heart model for long-term hypoxia exposure, we found that hypoxia caused heart dysfunction. Calcineurin is known to be critical in cardiac hypertrophy under normoxia, but its role in the heart under hypoxia is poorly understood. METHODS AND RESULTS In the present study, we explore the function of calcineurin, a gene candidate we found downregulated in the Drosophila heart after lifetime and multigenerational hypoxia exposure. We examined the roles of 2 homologs of Calcineurin A, CanA14F, and Pp2B in the Drosophila cardiac response to long-term hypoxia. We found that knockdown of these calcineurin catalytic subunits caused cardiac restriction under normoxia that are further aggravated under hypoxia. Conversely, cardiac overexpression of Pp2B under hypoxia was lethal, suggesting that a hypertrophic signal in the presence of insufficient oxygen supply is deleterious. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest a key role for calcineurin in cardiac remodeling during long-term hypoxia with implications for diseases of chronic hypoxia, and it likely contributes to mechanisms underlying these disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Zarndt
- From the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (R.Z., S.M.W., K.O., R.B.) and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego (R.Z.), La Jolla, CA
| | - Stanley M Walls
- From the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (R.Z., S.M.W., K.O., R.B.) and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego (R.Z.), La Jolla, CA
| | - Karen Ocorr
- From the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (R.Z., S.M.W., K.O., R.B.) and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego (R.Z.), La Jolla, CA.
| | - Rolf Bodmer
- From the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (R.Z., S.M.W., K.O., R.B.) and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego (R.Z.), La Jolla, CA.
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8
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Abstract
The galactosemias are a family of autosomal recessive genetic disorders resulting from impaired function of the Leloir pathway of galactose metabolism. Type I, or classic galactosemia, results from profound deficiency of galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase, the second enzyme in the Leloir pathway. Type II galactosemia results from profound deficiency of galactokinase, the first enzyme in the Leloir pathway. Type III galactosemia results from partial deficiency of UDP galactose 4'-epimerase, the third enzyme in the Leloir pathway. Although at least classic galactosemia has been recognized clinically for more than 100 years, and detectable by newborn screening for more than 50 years, all three galactosemias remain poorly understood. Early detection and dietary restriction of galactose prevent neonatal lethality, but many affected infants grow to experience a broad range of developmental and other disabilities. To date, there is no intervention known that prevents or reverses these long-term complications. Drosophila melanogaster provides a genetically and biochemically facile model for these conditions, enabling studies that address mechanism and open the door for novel approaches to intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M I Daenzer
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Taghli-Lamallem O, Plantié E, Jagla K. Drosophila in the Heart of Understanding Cardiac Diseases: Modeling Channelopathies and Cardiomyopathies in the Fruitfly. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2016; 3:jcdd3010007. [PMID: 29367558 PMCID: PMC5715700 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd3010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Revised: 01/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases and, among them, channelopathies and cardiomyopathies are a major cause of death worldwide. The molecular and genetic defects underlying these cardiac disorders are complex, leading to a large range of structural and functional heart phenotypes. Identification of molecular and functional mechanisms disrupted by mutations causing channelopathies and cardiomyopathies is essential to understanding the link between an altered gene and clinical phenotype. The development of animal models has been proven to be efficient for functional studies in channelopathies and cardiomyopathies. In particular, the Drosophila model has been largely applied for deciphering the molecular and cellular pathways affected in these inherited cardiac disorders and for identifying their genetic modifiers. Here we review the utility and the main contributions of the fruitfly models for the better understanding of channelopathies and cardiomyopathies. We also discuss the investigated pathological mechanisms and the discoveries of evolutionarily conserved pathways which reinforce the value of Drosophila in modeling human cardiac diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ouarda Taghli-Lamallem
- GReD (Genetics, Reproduction and Development laboratory), INSERM U1103, CNRS UMR6293, University of Clermont-Ferrand, 28 place Henri-Dunant, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - Emilie Plantié
- GReD (Genetics, Reproduction and Development laboratory), INSERM U1103, CNRS UMR6293, University of Clermont-Ferrand, 28 place Henri-Dunant, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - Krzysztof Jagla
- GReD (Genetics, Reproduction and Development laboratory), INSERM U1103, CNRS UMR6293, University of Clermont-Ferrand, 28 place Henri-Dunant, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
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