Purdy AE. Fly Models of Vibrio cholerae Infection and Colonization. Methods Mol Biol. 2018;1839:77-96. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8685-9_8. PubMed PMID: 30047056.
From the abstract: "Studies of Vibrio cholerae pathogenesis in the context of novel eukaryotic model systems have expanded our understanding of genes that underlie V. cholerae interactions with humans, as well as host organisms in the environment. ... The Drosophila model for V. cholerae infection is a powerful tool for discovering new genetic pathways that govern bacterial physiology and colonization in the arthropod gastrointestinal tract. Assays to measure both virulence and colonization have been established and are easily adopted in labs unfamiliar with Drosophila work. Experiments to compare survival of flies colonized with different bacterial mutants are simple to perform and can be completed in less than a week, allowing colonization to be quantified and localized easily. The availability of molecular and genetic tools for the fly enables further exploration of host factors that restrict V. cholerae colonization and invasive infection. Based on the Drosophila system, a house fly (Musca domestica) model of V. cholerae colonization has also been developed. The new house fly model may prove a useful tool for examining V. cholerae infection dynamics in the context of a host carrying a complex microbial community, with a fundamentally different ecology that may increase its chances of acting as a vector for cholera disease."
Friday, July 27, 2018
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Neurons vs. Glia: "Paradigm shift" in understanding a disease mechanism suggested by results of fly research
Hope KA, LeDoux MS, Reiter LT. Glial overexpression of Dube3a causes seizures and synaptic impairments in Drosophila concomitant with down regulation of the Na(+)/K(+) pump ATPα. Neurobiol Dis. 2017 Dec;108:238-248. PMID: 28888970; PMCID: PMC5675773.
Abstract: "Duplication 15q syndrome (Dup15q) is an autism-associated disorder co-incident with high rates of pediatric epilepsy. Additional copies of the E3 ubiquitin ligase UBE3A are thought to cause Dup15q phenotypes, yet models overexpressing UBE3A in neurons have not recapitulated the epilepsy phenotype. We show that Drosophila endogenously expresses Dube3a (fly UBE3A homolog) in glial cells and neurons, prompting an investigation into the consequences of glial Dube3a overexpression. Here we expand on previous work showing that the Na+/K+ pump ATPα is a direct ubiquitin ligase substrate of Dube3a. A robust seizure-like phenotype was observed in flies overexpressing Dube3a in glial cells, but not neurons. Glial-specific knockdown of ATPα also produced seizure-like behavior, and this phenotype was rescued by simultaneously overexpressing ATPα and Dube3a in glia. Our data provides the basis of a paradigm shift in Dup15q research given that clinical phenotypes have long been assumed to be due to neuronal UBE3A overexpression."
Abstract: "Duplication 15q syndrome (Dup15q) is an autism-associated disorder co-incident with high rates of pediatric epilepsy. Additional copies of the E3 ubiquitin ligase UBE3A are thought to cause Dup15q phenotypes, yet models overexpressing UBE3A in neurons have not recapitulated the epilepsy phenotype. We show that Drosophila endogenously expresses Dube3a (fly UBE3A homolog) in glial cells and neurons, prompting an investigation into the consequences of glial Dube3a overexpression. Here we expand on previous work showing that the Na+/K+ pump ATPα is a direct ubiquitin ligase substrate of Dube3a. A robust seizure-like phenotype was observed in flies overexpressing Dube3a in glial cells, but not neurons. Glial-specific knockdown of ATPα also produced seizure-like behavior, and this phenotype was rescued by simultaneously overexpressing ATPα and Dube3a in glia. Our data provides the basis of a paradigm shift in Dup15q research given that clinical phenotypes have long been assumed to be due to neuronal UBE3A overexpression."
Monday, July 23, 2018
Review: Drosophila as a model for study of Ras-related biology and disease
Goyal Y, Schüpbach T, Shvartsman SY. A quantitative model of developmental RTK signaling. Dev Biol. 2018 Jul 17. pii: S0012-1606(18)30357-9. PMID: 30026122.
From the abstract: "Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) control a wide range of developmental processes, from the first stages of embryogenesis to postnatal growth and neurocognitive development in the adult. A significant share of our knowledge about RTKs comes from genetic screens in model organisms ... Aberrant activation of such pathways has also been recognized in many forms of cancer. More recently, studies of human developmental syndromes established that excessive activation of RTKs and their downstream signaling effectors, most notably the Ras signaling pathway, can also lead to structural and functional defects. ... This mini review summarizes current state of knowledge about Torso-dependent Ras activation and discusses its potential to serve as a quantitative model for studying the general principles of Ras signaling in development and disease."
What are the RASopathies? Answers at RASopathiesNET.
From the abstract: "Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) control a wide range of developmental processes, from the first stages of embryogenesis to postnatal growth and neurocognitive development in the adult. A significant share of our knowledge about RTKs comes from genetic screens in model organisms ... Aberrant activation of such pathways has also been recognized in many forms of cancer. More recently, studies of human developmental syndromes established that excessive activation of RTKs and their downstream signaling effectors, most notably the Ras signaling pathway, can also lead to structural and functional defects. ... This mini review summarizes current state of knowledge about Torso-dependent Ras activation and discusses its potential to serve as a quantitative model for studying the general principles of Ras signaling in development and disease."
What are the RASopathies? Answers at RASopathiesNET.
Two reviews discuss Notch signaling research and related human diseases
Salazar JL, Yamamoto S. Integration of Drosophila and Human Genetics to Understand Notch Signaling Related Diseases. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2018;1066:141-185. PMID: 30030826.
Abstract: "Notch signaling research dates back to more than one hundred years, beginning with the identification of the Notch mutant in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Since then, research on Notch and related genes in flies has laid the foundation of what we now know as the Notch signaling pathway. In the 1990s, basic biological and biochemical studies of Notch signaling components in mammalian systems, as well as identification of rare mutations in Notch signaling pathway genes in human patients with rare Mendelian diseases or cancer, increased the significance of this pathway in human biology and medicine. In the 21st century, Drosophila and other genetic model organisms continue to play a leading role in understanding basic Notch biology. Furthermore, these model organisms can be used in a translational manner to study underlying mechanisms of Notch-related human diseases and to investigate the function of novel disease associated genes and variants. In this chapter, we first briefly review the major contributions of Drosophila to Notch signaling research, discussing the similarities and differences between the fly and human pathways. Next, we introduce several biological contexts in Drosophila in which Notch signaling has been extensively characterized. Finally, we discuss a number of genetic diseases caused by mutations in genes in the Notch signaling pathway in humans and we expand on how Drosophila can be used to study rare genetic variants associated with these and novel disorders. By combining modern genomics and state-of-the art technologies, Drosophila research is continuing to reveal exciting biology that sheds light onto mechanisms of disease."
Alfred V, Vaccari T. Mechanisms of Non-canonical Signaling in Health and Disease: Diversity to Take Therapy up a Notch? Adv Exp Med Biol. 2018;1066:187-204. PMID: 30030827.
Abstract: "Non-canonical Notch signaling encompasses a wide range of cellular processes, diverging considerably from the established paradigm. It can dispense of ligand, proteolytic or nuclear activity. Non-canonical Notch signaling events have been studied mostly in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the organism in which Notch was identified first and a powerful model for understanding signaling outcomes. However, non-canonical events are ill-defined and their involvement in human physiology is not clear, hampering our understanding of diseases arising from Notch signaling alterations. At a time in which therapies based on specific targeting of Notch signaling are still an unfulfilled promise, detailed understanding of non-canonical Notch events might be key to devising more specific and less toxic pharmacologic options. Based on the blueprint of non-canonical signaling in Drosophila, here, we review and rationalize current evidence about non-canonical Notch signaling. Our effort might inform Notch biologists developing new research avenues and clinicians seeking future treatment of Notch-dependent diseases."
Abstract: "Notch signaling research dates back to more than one hundred years, beginning with the identification of the Notch mutant in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Since then, research on Notch and related genes in flies has laid the foundation of what we now know as the Notch signaling pathway. In the 1990s, basic biological and biochemical studies of Notch signaling components in mammalian systems, as well as identification of rare mutations in Notch signaling pathway genes in human patients with rare Mendelian diseases or cancer, increased the significance of this pathway in human biology and medicine. In the 21st century, Drosophila and other genetic model organisms continue to play a leading role in understanding basic Notch biology. Furthermore, these model organisms can be used in a translational manner to study underlying mechanisms of Notch-related human diseases and to investigate the function of novel disease associated genes and variants. In this chapter, we first briefly review the major contributions of Drosophila to Notch signaling research, discussing the similarities and differences between the fly and human pathways. Next, we introduce several biological contexts in Drosophila in which Notch signaling has been extensively characterized. Finally, we discuss a number of genetic diseases caused by mutations in genes in the Notch signaling pathway in humans and we expand on how Drosophila can be used to study rare genetic variants associated with these and novel disorders. By combining modern genomics and state-of-the art technologies, Drosophila research is continuing to reveal exciting biology that sheds light onto mechanisms of disease."
Alfred V, Vaccari T. Mechanisms of Non-canonical Signaling in Health and Disease: Diversity to Take Therapy up a Notch? Adv Exp Med Biol. 2018;1066:187-204. PMID: 30030827.
Abstract: "Non-canonical Notch signaling encompasses a wide range of cellular processes, diverging considerably from the established paradigm. It can dispense of ligand, proteolytic or nuclear activity. Non-canonical Notch signaling events have been studied mostly in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the organism in which Notch was identified first and a powerful model for understanding signaling outcomes. However, non-canonical events are ill-defined and their involvement in human physiology is not clear, hampering our understanding of diseases arising from Notch signaling alterations. At a time in which therapies based on specific targeting of Notch signaling are still an unfulfilled promise, detailed understanding of non-canonical Notch events might be key to devising more specific and less toxic pharmacologic options. Based on the blueprint of non-canonical signaling in Drosophila, here, we review and rationalize current evidence about non-canonical Notch signaling. Our effort might inform Notch biologists developing new research avenues and clinicians seeking future treatment of Notch-dependent diseases."
Thursday, July 19, 2018
New fly model of FUS toxicity
Bogaert E, Boeynaems S, Kato M, Guo L, Caulfield TR, Steyaert J, Scheveneels W, Wilmans N, Haeck W, Hersmus N, Schymkowitz J, Rousseau F, Shorter J, Callaerts P, Robberecht W, Van Damme P, Van Den Bosch L. Molecular Dissection of FUS Points at Synergistic Effect of Low-Complexity Domains in Toxicity. Cell Rep. 2018 Jul 17;24(3):529-537.e4. PMID: 30021151.
From the abstract: "RNA-binding protein aggregation is a pathological hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). To gain better insight into the molecular interactions underlying this process, we investigated FUS, which is mutated and aggregated in both ALS and FTLD. We generated a Drosophila model of FUS toxicity ..."
From the abstract: "RNA-binding protein aggregation is a pathological hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). To gain better insight into the molecular interactions underlying this process, we investigated FUS, which is mutated and aggregated in both ALS and FTLD. We generated a Drosophila model of FUS toxicity ..."
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Review -- Fruit Flies in the study of Human Genetic Disease
Oriel C, Lasko P. Recent Developments in Using Drosophila as a Model for Human Genetic Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Jul 13;19(7). pii: E2041. PMID: 30011838.
Abstract: "Many insights into human disease have been built on experimental results in Drosophila, and research in fruit flies is often justified on the basis of its predictive value for questions related to human health. Additionally, there is now a growing recognition of the value of Drosophila for the study of rare human genetic diseases, either as a means of validating the causative nature of a candidate genetic variant found in patients, or as a means of obtaining functional information about a novel disease-linked gene when there is little known about it. For these reasons, funders in the US, Europe, and Canada have launched targeted programs to link human geneticists working on discovering new rare disease loci with researchers who work on the counterpart genes in Drosophila and other model organisms. Several of these initiatives are described here, as are a number of output publications that validate this new approach."
Abstract: "Many insights into human disease have been built on experimental results in Drosophila, and research in fruit flies is often justified on the basis of its predictive value for questions related to human health. Additionally, there is now a growing recognition of the value of Drosophila for the study of rare human genetic diseases, either as a means of validating the causative nature of a candidate genetic variant found in patients, or as a means of obtaining functional information about a novel disease-linked gene when there is little known about it. For these reasons, funders in the US, Europe, and Canada have launched targeted programs to link human geneticists working on discovering new rare disease loci with researchers who work on the counterpart genes in Drosophila and other model organisms. Several of these initiatives are described here, as are a number of output publications that validate this new approach."
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Drosophila research a highlight in a review article about obesity-related research
Mirth CK, Piper MD. Matching complex dietary landscapes with the signalling pathways that regulate life history traits. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2017 Dec;47:9-16. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2017.08.001. PMID: 28822885.
From the abstract: "The rise in obesity in human populations has reinvigorated research focused on how nutrition impacts life history traits, including body size, lifespan, reproductive success, stress resistance and propensity for disease. ... Here, we offer our perspective on how to integrate insights from the cellular to the whole organism to understand the regulation of life history traits."
From the abstract: "The rise in obesity in human populations has reinvigorated research focused on how nutrition impacts life history traits, including body size, lifespan, reproductive success, stress resistance and propensity for disease. ... Here, we offer our perspective on how to integrate insights from the cellular to the whole organism to understand the regulation of life history traits."
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