Article
Biology
Lei Guo, Xin-yu Fan, Xiaomu Qiao, Craig Montell, Jia Huang
Summary: The study revealed that amitraz activates octopamine receptors in Varroa mites, with bees being relatively insensitive to it. Bees resist amitraz through their insensitive receptors, which has implications for resistance management and the development of safer insecticides targeting pests while being less toxic to non-target pollinators.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stephen X. Zhang, Ethan H. Glantz, Lauren E. Miner, Dragana Rogulja, Michael A. Crickmore
Summary: Sexual transition in male Drosophila is controlled by hormonal changes, which inhibit the activity of courtship-motivating circuit elements rather than constructing new neural circuits. Hormonal changes gate the transition to sexuality by permitting activity in latent motivational circuit elements in otherwise asexual males, similar to mammalian adolescence.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sonali A. Deshpande, Ethan W. Rohrbach, James D. Asuncion, Jenna Harrigan, Aditya Eamani, Ellery H. Schlingmann, Daniel J. Suto, Pei-Tseng Lee, Felix E. Schweizer, Hugo J. Bellen, David E. Krantz
Summary: Octopamine plays an essential role in egg-laying in Drosophila melanogaster. This study identifies two octopamine receptors, Oct beta 2 and OAMB, that regulate oviduct contraction and relaxation, respectively. The interaction with glutamatergic pathways modifies the effects of octopamine, suggesting a possible mechanism for lateral oviduct contractions. The aminergic pathways in the oviposition circuit may be comparable to those that regulate visceral muscle contractility in mammals.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sherry J. Cheriyamkunnel, Saloni Rose, Pedro F. Jacob, Lauren A. Blackburn, Shaleen Glasgow, Jacob Moorse, Mike Winstanley, Patrick J. Moynihan, Scott Waddell, Carolina Rezaval
Summary: This study describes how fruit flies make decisions between feeding and courtship behaviors, with nutritional status playing a key role in prioritizing these actions. The tyramine signaling pathway is identified as essential for mediating this decision-making process, with tyramine levels modulating the activity of neurons controlling food-seeking and courtship behaviors.
Article
Neurosciences
Yi Zhang, Yihao Zhang, Cong Shen, Shun Hao, Wenlan Duan, Li Liu, Hongying Wei
Summary: This study investigates the effects of ionizing radiation on neurotransmitter-evoked responses in Drosophila larvae. It is found that ionizing radiation alters the responses to neurotransmitters, indicating that synapses are vulnerable targets of radiation. These findings provide new insights for preventive therapeutic interventions to reduce neurological deficits after radiation therapy.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ke-Huan K. Chow, Mark W. Budde, Alejandro A. Granados, Maria Cabrera, Shinae Yoon, Soomin Cho, Ting-Hao Huang, Noushin Koulena, Kirsten L. Frieda, Long Cai, Carlos Lois, Michael B. Elowitz
Summary: By utilizing the intMEMOIR system, researchers have developed a method to record cell lineage information that can be read out in situ. This system allows for lineage reconstruction in both mouse and fly cells, as well as simultaneous analysis of clonal history, spatial position, and gene expression. These results establish a foundation for microscopy-readable lineage recording and analysis in diverse systems.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Haiyang Dong, Bingbing Xu, Pengjuan Guo, Jian Zhang, Xi Yang, Lei Li, Ying Fu, Jilong Shi, Shixin Zhang, Yanda Zhu, Yang Shi, Fengyan Zhou, Lina Bian, Wendong You, Feng Shi, Xiaofeng Yang, Jianhua Huang, Haihuai He, Yongfeng Jin
Summary: Researchers have discovered a set of hidden RNA secondary structures that balance the stochastic choice of splice variants in fruit flies. These structures enhance the inclusion of certain exons by forming a stronger pre-mRNA structure, while simultaneously repressing the inclusion of other exons by antagonizing their docking site-selector pairings.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dick R. Naessel, Meet Zandawala
Summary: Plasticity in animal behaviour relies on neuromodulation in synaptic circuits of the brain, with neuropeptides playing a crucial role in modulating behaviour and associated physiology.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kenichi Ishii, Matteo Cortese, Xubo Leng, Maxim N. Shokhirev, Kenta Asahina
Summary: This study reveals the genetic and neuronal mechanisms by which the nervous system suppresses aggression in a social experience-dependent manner, highlighting the importance of this process for maintaining animal fitness.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jimmy C. Yang, Katie L. Bullinger, Adam S. Dickey, Ioannis Karakis, Abdulrahman Alwaki, Brian T. Cabaniss, Daniel Winkel, Andres Rodriguez-Ruiz, Jon T. Willie, Robert E. Gross
Summary: We compared the effects of THL-DBS and TL-RNS in patients with drug-resistant TLE and found that both methods have similar outcomes.
Article
Neurosciences
Tess B. Oram, Gwyneth M. Card
Summary: Recent studies in flies have revealed the neuronal mechanisms underlying flexible context-dependent behavioral responses to sensory events in conditions of predation threat, feeding regulation, and social interaction.
CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Liwei Zhang, Xuan Guo, Wei Zhang
Summary: This study reveals that sugar intake immediately suppresses the sexual drive of male Drosophila, a regulation that is mediated by insulin signaling and the action of P1 neurons. The same pathway is also utilized by anaphrodisiac pheromones to suppress sexual hyperactivity. Additionally, repellent pheromones induce the release of CCAP, which triggers insulin release and inhibits P1 neurons.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shai Israel, Eyal Rozenfeld, Denise Weber, Wolf Huetteroth, Moshe Parnas
Summary: This study reveals that olfactory stimulation can induce backward locomotion in fruit flies and identifies a novel set of neurons that drive backward locomotion, in addition to uncovering an important sensory input to MDNs and an MDN-independent pathway for backward locomotion.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aleksandr Zhuravlev, Polina N. Ivanova, Ksenia A. Makaveeva, Gennadii A. Zakharov, Ekaterina A. Nikitina, Elena Savvateeva-Popova
Summary: The kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism, involved in the development of Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's diseases, plays a significant role in neurodegeneration. This study focused on the mutant cardinal (cd(1)) gene in Drosophila, which leads to long-term memory impairments and dopaminergic neuron alterations. The findings suggest a strong link between the aberrant cd gene and cognitive dysfunction.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Margaret C. W. Ho, Masashi Tabuchi, Xiaojun Xie, Matthew P. Brown, Skylar Luu, Serena Wang, Alex L. Kolodkin, Sha Liu, Mark N. Wu
Summary: The mechanisms underlying the accumulation and release of sleep drive in homeostasis are not well understood. In this study using the fruit fly model, researchers identified R5 neurons as potential sleep drive neurons that promote sleep by signaling to EPG neurons. The connectivity between R5 and EPG neurons strengthens with increased sleep need and triggers sleep when a sufficient number of EPG neurons are activated.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicole Y. Leung, Dhananjay P. Thakur, Adishthi S. Gurav, Sang Hoon Kim, Antonella Di Pizio, Masha Y. Niv, Craig Montell
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qiaoran Li, Nicolas A. DeBeaubien, Takaaki Sokabe, Craig Montell
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jiaying Zhang, Junjie Luo, Jieyan Chen, Junbiao Dai, Craig Montell
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Zijing Chen, Craig Montell
Article
Neurosciences
Che-Hsiung Liu, Zijing Chen, Megan K. Oliva, Junjie Luo, Simon Collier, Craig Montell, Roger C. Hardie
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
X. -y. Ni, W. -j. Lu, X. Qiao, J. Huang
Summary: The study found that all four promoters could be used with variable efficiency to drive mutagenesis of the white gene in Drosophila suzukii. Among the four DsU6 promoters tested, DsU6-3 had the highest genome editing efficiency. In comparison, the DmU6:3 promoter showed lower efficiency. These findings expand the options for promoters to express gRNAs in D. suzukii, facilitating both basic and applied research on this important pest.
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Lei Guo, Xin-yu Fan, Xiaomu Qiao, Craig Montell, Jia Huang
Summary: The study revealed that amitraz activates octopamine receptors in Varroa mites, with bees being relatively insensitive to it. Bees resist amitraz through their insensitive receptors, which has implications for resistance management and the development of safer insecticides targeting pests while being less toxic to non-target pollinators.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Wanjun Lu, Zhihan Liu, Xinyu Fan, Xinzhong Zhang, Xiaomu Qiao, Jia Huang
Summary: This study systematically examined the susceptibility of fruit fly nAChR subunit mutants to eleven insecticides and found that different subtypes of nAChRs are responsible for the toxicity of different insecticides. Three subtypes were identified as the major molecular targets of neonicotinoids. Spinosyns were found to exclusively act on one specific subtype of nAChRs. The results further confirmed that neonicotinoids exert their insecticidal effects through receptor activation rather than inhibition. These findings have important implications for resistance management and the development of novel insecticides.
Article
Physiology
Guo Ding, Qionghua Gao, Jun Chen, Jie Zhao, Guojie Zhang, Weiwei Liu
Summary: This study validates reliable reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis in pharaoh ants and lays the foundation for future research.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Qiye Li, Mingyue Wang, Pei Zhang, Yang Liu, Qunfei Guo, Yuanzhen Zhu, Tinggang Wen, Xueqin Dai, Xiafang Zhang, Manuel Nagel, Bjarke Hamberg Dethlefsen, Nianxia Xie, Jie Zhao, Wei Jiang, Lei Han, Liang Wu, Wenjiang Zhong, Zhifeng Wang, Xiaoyu Wei, Wei Dai, Longqi Liu, Xun Xu, Haorong Lu, Huanming Yang, Jian Wang, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Chuanyu Liu, Guojie Zhang, Weiwei Liu
Summary: Using single-cell transcriptomics, this study characterized the brain cell repertoire of the pharaoh ant and identified changes in cell composition that underlie division of labour and reproductive specialization. The study found that male and worker ant brains have opposite trends in cell composition, while the composition of gyne and queen brains remained generalized. Role differentiation from virgin gynes to inseminated queens induced abundance changes in roughly 35% of cell types.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Takaaki Sokabe, Youngseok Lee, Jia Huang
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Bitao Qiu, Xueqin Dai, Panyi Li, Rasmus Stenbak Larsen, Ruyan Li, Alivia Lee Price, Guo Ding, Michael James Texada, Xiafang Zhang, Dashuang Zuo, Qionghua Gao, Wei Jiang, Tinggang Wen, Luigi Pontieri, Chunxue Guo, Kim Rewitz, Qiye Li, Weiwei Liu, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Guojie Zhang
Summary: Using individual transcriptomes of two ant species, the authors show that caste differentiation is canalized from early development and identify key regulatory genes for the development of ant caste phenotypes.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaomu Qiao, Xiaoyu Zhang, Zhendong Zhou, Lei Guo, Weiping Wu, Suhan Ma, Xinzhong Zhang, Craig Montell, Jia Huang
Summary: This study identified nicotinamidase (Naam) as a previously unknown molecular target for the insecticide flonicamid. Inhibition of Naam by a metabolite of flonicamid led to defects in gravity sensing in flies. The resistance of bees to flonicamid was due to a gene duplication.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiangqu Liu, Weiwei Liu, Dhananjay Thakur, John Mack, Aidin Spina, Craig Montell
Summary: Animals need to detect dangerous temperatures to avoid injury. This study discovered a new mechanism in fruit flies where a single neuron in the brain can suppress thermal nociception by releasing a neuropeptide. This neuron can also sense high temperatures and use a TRP channel to release the neuropeptide for suppression.
Article
Ecology
Lei Guo, Xiaomu Qiao, Diler Haji, Tianhao Zhou, Zhihan Liu, Noah K. Whiteman, Jia Huang
Summary: This study reveals the convergent evolution of a gene encoding the GABA receptor in herbivorous insects and their predators. It also suggests that the evolution of resistant GABA receptors is linked to the diversification of insects. The molecular mechanisms of coevolution between plants and insects remain elusive.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
