Understanding PARK15 (Fbxo7). Parkinson's-related study includes assays in flies.

Burchell VS, Nelson DE, Sanchez-Martinez A, Delgado-Camprubi M, Ivatt RM, Pogson JH, Randle SJ, Wray S, Lewis PA, Houlden H, Abramov AY, Hardy J, Wood NW, Whitworth AJ, Laman H, Plun-Favreau H. The Parkinson's disease-linked proteins Fbxo7 and Parkin interact to mediate mitophagy. Nat Neurosci. 2013 Aug 11. PMID: 23933751.

Fly model of Gaucher disease. Human protein expressed in fly eye.

Suzuki T, Shimoda M, Ito K, Hanai S, Aizawa H, Kato T, Kawasaki K, Yamaguchi T, Ryoo HD, Goto-Inoue N, Setou M, Tsuji S, Ishida N. Expression of Human Gaucher Disease Gene GBA Generates Neurodevelopmental Defects and ER Stress in Drosophila Eye. PLoS One. 2013 Aug 2;8(8):e69147. PMID: 23936319.

Pre-clinical drug trial for disease with currently "no disease-modifying treatments" includes Drosophila studies

This study focuses on Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), which the authors indicate is also known as Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD).

Yi J, Zhang L, Tang B, Han W, Zhou Y, Chen Z, Jia D, Jiang H. Sodium valproate alleviates neurodegeneration in SCA3/MJD via suppressing apoptosis and rescuing the hypoacetylation levels of histone H3 and H4. PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e54792. PMID: 23382971; PMCID: PMC3557284.

Using the fly to follow up on GWAS. Heart rate study.

den Hoed et al. Identification of heart rate-associated loci and their effects on cardiac conduction and rhythm disorders. Nat Genet. 2013 Jun;45(6):621-31. PMID: 23583979; PMCID: PMC3696959.

From the abstract: "Experimental downregulation of gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster and Danio rerio identified 20 genes at 11 loci that are relevant for heart rate regulation and highlight a role for genes involved in signal transmission, embryonic cardiac development and the pathophysiology of dilated cardiomyopathy, congenital heart failure and/or sudden cardiac death. ... Our findings provide fresh insights into the mechanisms regulating heart rate and identify new therapeutic targets."

New fly model: Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia

Moore DJ, Onoufriadis A, Shoemark A, Simpson MA, Zur Lage PI, de Castro SC, Bartoloni L, Gallone G, Petridi S, Woollard WJ, Antony D, Schmidts M, Didonna T, Makrythanasis P, Bevillard J, Mongan NP, Djakow J, Pals G, Lucas JS, Marthin JK, Nielsen KG, Santoni F, Guipponi M, Hogg C, Antonarakis SE, Emes RD, Chung EM, Greene ND, Blouin JL, Jarman AP, Mitchison HM. Mutations in ZMYND10, a Gene Essential for Proper Axonemal Assembly of Inner and Outer Dynein Arms in Humans and Flies, Cause Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia. Am J Hum Genet. 2013 Jul 24. PMID: 23891471.

From the abstract: "Using a fly model of PCD [primary ciliary dyskinesia], we conclude that ZMYND10 is a cytoplasmic protein required for IDA [inner dynein arm] and ODA [outer dynein arm] assembly and that its variants cause ciliary dysmotility and PCD with laterality defects."

DIOPT-DIST online software tool updated

The DRSC recently updated the back-end database supporting our ortholog-human gene-human disease search tool, for example to add new GWAS data sets. If it's been a while since you checked a favorite fly gene or genes at DIOPT-DIST, might be time to check again.

Flies & cancer research. Recent review.

Tipping M, Perrimon N. Drosophila as a model for context-dependent tumorigenesis. J Cell Physiol. 2013 Jul 9. PMID: 23836429.

From the abstract: "We review the organs and tissues that have been used to model tumor formation, and propose new strategies to maximize the potential of Drosophila in cancer research."