Article
Environmental Sciences
Karolina-Theresa Sirocko, Hanna Angstmann, Stephanie Papenmeier, Christina Wagner, Michael Spohn, Daniela Indenbirken, Birte Ehrhardt, Draginja Kovacevic, Barbara Hammer, Cecilie Svanes, Klaus F. Rabe, Thomas Roeder, Karin Uliczka, Susanne Krauss-Etschmann
Summary: This study demonstrates that early life exposure to cigarette smoke can affect airway development pathways and epithelial stress responses, leading to an increased risk for chronic respiratory diseases, especially in male Drosophila larvae.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Joanne Toh, Ling Ling Chua, Patrick Ho, Edwin Sandanaraj, Carol Tang, Hongyan Wang, Eng King Tan
Summary: This study demonstrates the neuroprotective effects of LRRK2 protective variants in a Parkinson's disease fruit fly model. RNA sequencing revealed upregulation of specific gene pathways in flies carrying the pathogenic variant, which was restored in rescue phenotypes. Using protective gene variants may offer potential new therapeutic targets for aging and neurodegeneration in PD.
Article
Biology
Kevin P. Kelly, Mroj Alassaf, Camille E. Sullivan, Ava E. Brent, Zachary H. Goldberg, Michelle E. Poling, Julien Dubrulle, Akhila Rajan
Summary: Diet-induced obesity leads to dysfunctional feeding behavior, and the molecular mechanisms underlying this dysregulation are poorly understood. Using Drosophila as a model organism, this study investigates the role of adipocyte lipid composition in regulating feeding behavior. The researchers identify Pect as a critical regulator of hunger-driven feeding, and show that disrupting Pect activity leads to insulin resistance, dysregulated lipoprotein delivery to the brain, and a loss of hunger-driven feeding. These findings provide causative evidence for the role of adipocyte Pect in metabolic homeostasis.
Article
Biology
Tomas Andreani, Clark Rosensweig, Shiju Sisobhan, Emmanuel Ogunlana, William Kath, Ravi Allada
Summary: This study reveals the circuit and molecular mechanisms by which discrete circadian clock neurons program a homeostatic sleep center in fruit flies. The effects of sleep deprivation depend on morning and evening clock neurons, independent of their roles in circadian locomotor activity. Higher morning rebound and elevated gene and protein expression levels as well as calcium levels in sleep homeostat neurons suggest regulation by clock circuits.
Article
Fisheries
Sylvain Milla, Alain Pasquet, Leila El Mohajer, Pascal Fontaine
Summary: Domestication has significant effects on the phenotypes of teleosts, inducing complex biological changes. However, these changes vary greatly among species and physiological functions. Despite the lack of comprehensive understanding, gathering and clarifying information can help predict the effects of domestication better.
REVIEWS IN AQUACULTURE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhi Chen, Fen Wang, Di Wen, Ren Mu
Summary: This study investigates the gastrointestinal toxicity of Bisphenol A (BPA) in the fruit fly model organism Drosophila melanogaster. The results show that BPA exposure causes morphological changes in the midgut of the fruit flies, as well as a decrease in survival rates and climbing ability. BPA also induces oxidative stress in the midgut, leading to cell death and gut barrier dysfunction. Additionally, BPA-induced oxidative injury stimulates the proliferation of intestinal stem cells and tissue regeneration. The activation of the Jun N-terminal kinase signal pathway is required for BPA-induced cell death and tissue regeneration in the midgut.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Eliana Jardim Fernandes, Elize Aparecida Santos Musachio, Luana Barreto Meichtry, Dieniffer Espinosa Janner, Franciele Romero Machado Balok, Magna Sotelo Barrientos, Nathalie Savedra Gomes, Ketnne Hanna Poleto Pinto, Mustafa Munir Mustafa Dahleh, Andrieli Rodrigues, Sandra Elisa Haas, Silvana Peterini Boeira, Marina Prigol, Gustavo Petri Guerra
Summary: We investigated the potential toxic effects of chronic exposure to free curcumin and curcumin-loaded nanocapsules in Drosophila melanogaster, demonstrating the safe applications of nanoencapsulated curcumin.
FOOD AND CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jeanne-Marie E. McPherson, Lucy C. Grossmann, Harmony R. Salzler, Robin L. Armstrong, Esther Kwon, A. Gregory Matera, Daniel J. McKay, Robert J. Duronio
Summary: The chromatin of animal cells contains two types of histones: canonical histones that are expressed during S phase of the cell cycle to package the newly replicated genome, and variant histones with specialized functions that are expressed throughout the cell cycle and in non-proliferating cells. Determining whether and how canonical and variant histones cooperate to regulate genome function is integral to understanding how chromatin-based processes affect normal and pathological development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana Filosevic Vujnovic, Marko Rubinic, Ivona Starcevic, Rozi Andretic Waldowski
Summary: Reactive Oxidative Species (ROS) have both positive and negative effects on brain functioning, participating in cellular signaling and neuronal plasticity. In this study using Drosophila melanogaster, the influence of ROS on behavioral phenotypes induced by volatilized cocaine (vCOC) was investigated. Sensitivity and locomotor sensitization (LS) were found to depend on glutathione antioxidant defense, with minor roles played by catalase activity and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation. The results suggest a coordinate contribution of dopamine and H2O2 in LS development.
Review
Cell Biology
Anjeli Mase, Jordan Augsburger, Katja Bruckner
Summary: Research shows that macrophages in fruit flies play key roles in development, organogenesis, regeneration, and homeostasis, with significant diversity in their functions. Their functional diversity is influenced by anatomical locations and systemic conditions.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Elisabetta Catalani, Simona Del Quondam, Kashi Brunetti, Agnese Cherubini, Silvia Bongiorni, Anna Rita Taddei, Silvia Zecchini, Matteo Giovarelli, Clara De Palma, Cristiana Perrotta, Emilio Clementi, Giorgio Prantera, Davide Cervia
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of plumbagin on retina homeostasis in a hyperglycemic fruit fly model. The results showed that plumbagin improved visual performance, repaired damaged eye structures, and reduced neuronal impairment and eye damage induced by high glucose through various mechanisms, such as Nrf2 signaling activation and inhibition of mitochondrial-endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response pathways.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Yuling Dong, Zhongfeng Ding, Linxia Song, Desheng Zhang, Changjian Xie, Shujing Zhang, Ling Feng, Hongliang Liu, Qiuxiang Pang
Summary: This study investigated the effects of sodium benzoate on the growth and development of Drosophila melanogaster larvae and the changes in commensal microbial composition. The results showed that sodium benzoate significantly retarded larval development, shortened lifespan, and altered the commensal microbial community.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Max Lundberg, Alexander Mackintosh, Anna Petri, Staffan Bensch
Summary: The authors used a combination of long reads, linked reads, and optical mapping to characterize three chromosomal regions in the willow warbler that are associated with migration differences and environmental gradients. They found inversions in each of the regions and similar divergence times between inverted and non-inverted haplotypes across the regions. The improved genomes allowed them to identify candidate genes for migration and adaptations to environmental gradients.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Beatriz Acuna Hidalgo, Luis M. Silva, Mathias Franz, Roland R. Regoes, Sophie A. O. Armitage
Summary: The relationship between virulence and pathogen clearance in the context of bacterial infections in Drosophila melanogaster is explored. The study demonstrates that variation in infection outcomes is determined by differences in bacterial infection intensity and parasite pathogenicity, while pathogen clearance is influenced by early-phase exploitation. The application of the virulence decomposition framework provides valuable insights into host-pathogen interactions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wen Kin Lim, Prameet Kaur, Huanyan Huang, Richard Shim Jo, Anupriya Ramamoorthy, Li Fang Ng, Jahnavi Suresh, Fahrisa Islam Maisha, Ajay S. Mathuru, Nicholas S. Tolwinski
Summary: Aging organisms experience a decrease in stem cells, leading to impaired tissue repair and the development of cellular and neurodegenerative diseases. Optogenetics, a technique using photosensitive molecules and genetic engineering, provides a precise way to study homeostasis and degeneration mechanisms.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
