Article
Neurosciences
Jesus Fernandez-Abascal, Christina K. Johnson, Bianca Graziano, Lei Wang, Nicole Encalada, Laura Bianchi
Summary: The chloride channel CLH-1 in glia of C. elegans nose touch receptors is essential for touch responses and regulation of excitability. CLH-1 mediates Cl flux for glial GABA inhibition of ASH sensory neuron function and regulation of cyclic AMP levels in ASH neurons. Thus, CLH-1 is a novel regulator of touch sensitivity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alan J. Emanuel, Brendan P. Lehnert, Stefano Panzeri, Christopher D. Harvey, David D. Ginty
Summary: Research shows that signals from physiologically distinct mechanoreceptor subtypes are extensively integrated and transformed within the subcortical somatosensory system to generate cortical representations of touch.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jie Yu, Xuan Guo, Shen Zheng, Wei Zhang
Summary: The physical property of food is important for evaluating its palatability. Fruit flies are most attracted to chewy food and have a preference for harder food. Mechanosensory neurons on the fly proboscis are activated during active probing on food and promote ingestion by activating sweet-sensing neurons. The neural mechanisms underlying active touch and texture preference in flies are still poorly understood.
Article
Neurosciences
Kazuaki Ikeda, Masaki Kataoka, Nobuaki K. Tanaka
Summary: Recent studies have revealed the significant role of ephaptic transmission, which does not depend on synapses, in neural information relay and processing. Experiments on female fruit flies show that ephaptic transmission can reach the depth of the brain and mediate light-induced firing rate increases in olfactory sensory neurons.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Tonghui Su, Yi Lu, Chaoying Fu, Yang Geng, Yelin Chen
Summary: This study demonstrates that the loss of GluN2A in adult mouse brains can elicit strong antidepressant-like responses without causing psychomimetic effects similar to Ketamine. The antidepressant effects of Ketamine and MK-801 are mainly mediated by the suppression of GluN2A rather than GluN2B.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Tonghui Su, Yi Lu, Chaoying Fu, Yang Geng, Yelin Chen
Summary: The study found that the loss of GluN2A in adult mice elicits antidepressant-like responses without causing psychomimetic effects similar to ketamine. The antidepressant effects of ketamine and MK-801 are mediated by the suppression of GluN2A, not GluN2B. Additionally, these drugs increase the excitability of hippocampal neurons through GluN2A.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Judit R. Pungor, V. Angelique Allen, Jeremea O. Songco-Casey, Cristopher M. Niell
Summary: In this study, researchers used two-photon calcium imaging to examine how the octopus visual system processes visual information. They found localized receptive fields for light and dark stimuli in the optic lobe, demonstrating similarities with other species' visual system organization. The study also revealed transformations in visual representation and unique spatial processing mechanisms for form processing specific to underwater visual scenes. Overall, this study provides insight into the neural processing and functional organization of the octopus visual system and lays the groundwork for future research in cephalopod visual processing.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Misaki Niu, Atsushi Kasai, Masato Tanuma, Kaoru Seiriki, Hisato Igarashi, Takahiro Kuwaki, Kazuki Nagayasu, Keita Miyaji, Hiroki Ueno, Wataru Tanabe, Kei Seo, Rei Yokoyama, Jin Ohkubo, Yukio Ago, Misuzu Hayashida, Ken-Ichi Inoue, Masahiko Takada, Shun Yamaguchi, Takanobu Nakazawa, Shuji Kaneko, Hiroyuki Okuno, Akihiro Yamanaka, Hitoshi Hashimoto
Summary: This study reveals the crucial role of the claustrum in the regulation of stress-induced anxiety-related behaviors. Claustrum activation serves as a reliable marker of acute stress exposure, and its neuronal ensemble activation elicits anxiety-related behaviors while silencing attenuates such behaviors. The claustrum receives strong input from the basolateral amygdala, and selective optogenetic stimulation of the claustrum temporarily induces anxiety-related behaviors. Silencing of the claustrum ensemble increases resistance to chronic stress. The bidirectional control of stress-induced emotional responses by the claustrum suggests its potential as a target for prevention and treatment of stress-related disorders.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Takashi Koyama, Selim Terhzaz, Muhammad T. Naseem, Stanislav Nagy, Kim Rewitz, Julian A. T. Dow, Shireen A. Davies, Kenneth Halberg
Summary: Neurosecretory cells in Drosophila release Capa hormones in response to nutrient levels, activating the Capa receptor in peripheral tissues to regulate energy homeostasis. Disruption of Capa/CapaR signaling leads to intestinal hypomotility and impaired nutrient absorption, depleting internal nutrient stores. Additionally, Capa/CapaR inhibits the release of a hormone that mobilizes energy from adipose tissue to prevent harmful hyperglycemia.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yvette E. Fisher, Michael Marquis, Isabel D'Alessandro, Rachel Wilson
Summary: In neural networks, there is a tradeoff between sensitivity and stability. Dopamine neurons in the fruit fly's head direction network are specifically active when the fly turns to change its head direction, and their activity scales with rotational speed. Pairing dopamine release with a visual cue strengthens the cue's influence on head direction cells, while inhibiting these neurons decreases the influence of the cue. This mechanism allows for accelerated learning when rich head direction information is available, while protecting stored information at other times.
Article
Cell Biology
Lingzhan Shao, Yan Zhang, Yuping Hao, Yong Ping
Summary: Evidence suggests that impaired synaptic and firing homeostasis is a driving force in the progression of early Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, a Drosophila model was used to examine synaptic and sleep homeostasis. Overexpressing human amyloid precursor protein (APP), which is known to cause familial early-onset AD, resulted in synaptic hyperexcitability. Analysis of RNA-seq data revealed exaggerated expression of Ca2+-related signaling genes in APP mutants. Further investigation showed that increased CaN activity triggers the activation of Itpr (IP3R) through NFAT. Notably, APP overexpression caused defects in synaptic downscaling and sleep deprivation-induced sleep rebound, both of which were restored by inhibiting IP3R.
Article
Cell Biology
Riko Ishimoto, Yota Tsuzuki, Tomoki Matsumura, Seiichiro Kurashige, Kouki Enokitani, Koki Narimatsu, Mitsunori Higa, Nozomi Sugimoto, Kazumasa Yoshida, Masatoshi Fujita
Summary: The study reveals that the accumulation of ssDNA and DDR proteins is induced by site-specific replication fork barriers on the human chromosome. SLX4-XPF acts as an upstream factor for the accumulation of DDR proteins, leading to the recruitment of ATR and FANCD2. Lac! binding in S phase results in underreplication and abnormal mitotic segregation of the lac) arrays. The SLX4-ATR axis represses anaphase abnormality induced by Lac! binding.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Christiaan P. J. de Kock, Jean Pie, Anton W. Pieneman, Rebecca A. Mease, Arco Bast, Jason M. Guest, Marcel Oberlaender, Huibert D. Mansvelder, Bert Sakmann
Summary: The study observed significant differences in spike responses across layers and cell types in the cortex of untrained rats. An increase in high-frequency burst spiking specifically in L5tts cells upon whisker touch allows for accurate encoding and decoding of exploratory whisker touch.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Antao Chang, Liang Liu, Justin M. Ashby, Dan Wu, Yanan Chen, Stacey S. O'Neill, Shan Huang, Juan Wang, Guanwen Wang, Dongmei Cheng, Xiaoming Tan, W. Jeffrey Petty, Boris C. Pasche, Rong Xiang, Wei Zhang, Peiqing Sun
Summary: This study uncovers a critical role for KMT2C in DNA damage response, and identifies high-frequency KMT2C/D mutations as biomarkers for response to PARP inhibitors in cancer.
Article
Cell Biology
Gwendolyn English, Newsha Ghasemi Nejad, Marcel Sommerfelt, Mehmet Fatih Yanik, Wolfger Von der Behrens
Summary: By recording neural activity in the somatosensory pathway of mice, researchers have found that specific cortical circuits encode Bayesian surprise. The surprise sensitivity is not evident in the somatosensory thalamus, but rather in the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices. These results provide a precise spatiotemporal neural representation of Bayesian surprise and suggest its importance in cortical processing.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luis Hernandez-Nunez, Alicia Chen, Gonzalo Budelli, Matthew E. Berck, Vincent Richter, Anna Rist, Andreas S. Thum, Albert Cardona, Mason Klein, Paul Garrity, Aravinthan D. T. Samuel
Summary: This study reveals the interaction between warming cells and cooling cells in larval Drosophila, which is crucial for maintaining thermal homeostasis. The integration of warming and cooling pathways through ionotropic receptors allows for the flexible regulation of body temperature set point. The cross-inhibition computation between warming and cooling cells orchestrates homeostatic thermoregulation in larvae.
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicole Pogodalla, Holger Kranenburg, Simone Rey, Silke Rodrigues, Albert Cardona, Christian Klambt
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Keita Endo, Hokto Kazama
Summary: This article discusses recent advances in understanding the population odor responses in the rodent piri-form cortex and the Drosophila mushroom body, and highlights emerging principles regarding the organization, mechanism, stereotypy, and experience-dependence of central odor representations.
CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher L. Barnes, Daniel Bonnery, Albert Cardona
Summary: The pattern of synaptic connections among neurons is crucial for circuit structure and synaptic strength can be approximated by synaptic counts.
Article
Biology
Xiyang Sun, Yingtao Liu, Chang Liu, Koichi Mayumi, Kohzo Ito, Akinao Nose, Hiroshi Kohsaka
Summary: This study proposes a neurochemical model based on physical measurements to study locomotion in soft-bodied animals and soft robot engineering. The study characterizes the kinematics and biomechanical properties of Drosophila larvae and develops a mathematical model that accurately reproduces experimental observations.
Article
Neurosciences
Carlo N. G. Giachello, Iain Hunter, Tom Pettini, Bramwell Coulson, Athene Knufer, Sebastian Cachero, Michael Winding, Aref Arzan Zarin, Hiroshi Kohsaka, Yuen Ngan Fan, Akinao Nose, Matthias Landgraf, Richard A. Baines
Summary: The Drosophila connectome project aims to map the synaptic connectivity of the fly neural networks in order to better understand their development and function. Although impressive progress has been made in reconstructing specific synapses using electron microscopy data, the data are still underutilized. This study combines patch-clamp recordings with optogenetic stimulation to test the proposed synaptic connectivity in fruit fly larvae and highlights the need for functional validation and appropriate genetic tools in connectome projects.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Noah Dillon, Ben Cocanougher, Chhavi Sood, Xin Yuan, Andrea B. Kohn, Leonid L. Moroz, Sarah E. Siegrist, Marta Zlatic, Chris Q. Doe
Summary: This study used scRNA-seq methodology to discover multiple progenitor subtypes in Drosophila larval CNS and identified candidate markers and temporal transcription factors. The study also revealed the role of the insulin signaling pathway in exiting quiescence of neuroblasts.
NEURAL DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Marc Corrales, Benjamin T. Cocanougher, Andrea B. Kohn, Jason D. Wittenbach, Xi S. Long, Andrew Lemire, Albert Cardona, Robert H. Singer, Leonid L. Moroz, Marta Zlatic
Summary: This study used single cell RNAseq to generate a comprehensive gene expression atlas of the Drosophila larval central nervous system. Different cell clusters were identified based on gene expression patterns, and differentially expressed genes in each cluster and at different developmental stages were identified. The atlas provides valuable insights into neural development and function regulation.
NEURAL DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Correction
Developmental Biology
Marc Corrales, Benjamin T. Cocanougher, Andrea B. Kohn, Jason D. Wittenbach, Xi S. Long, Andrew Lemire, Albert Cardona, Robert H. Singer, Leonid L. Moroz, Marta Zlatic
NEURAL DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Kazushi Fukumasu, Akinao Nose, Hiroshi Kohsaka
Summary: This study proposes a new method to decompose calcium imaging data of the neuropil into populations of bouton-like synaptic structures. By applying this method, researchers successfully extracted individual structures of neuropil and analyzed the network structure. The results demonstrate the importance of this method in understanding neural processing.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Makenzie Beaman, Kimberley Fisher, Marie McDonald, Queenie K. G. Tan, David Jackson, Benjamin T. Cocanougher, Andrew P. Landstrom, Charlotte A. Hobbs, Michael Cotten, Jennifer L. Cohen
Summary: Rapid genome sequencing is crucial for providing targeted care to critically ill infants. A pilot study involving eight neonates showed a diagnostic rate of 37.5% using rapid whole genome sequencing alone, and 50% for the cohort overall. The diagnoses led to changes in management and identification of affected relatives. Challenges with sample collection were also discussed. The study also established a research protocol pipeline for cases where a diagnosis was not reached by rapid genome sequencing or other clinical testing. The benefits, limitations, challenges, and potential for incorporating rapid whole genome sequencing into routine clinical evaluation in the neonatal period were described.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sima Khazaei, Carol C. L. Chen, Augusto Faria Andrade, Nisha Kabir, Pariya Azarafshar, Shahir M. Morcos, Josiane Alves Franca, Mariana Lopes, Peder J. Lund, Geoffroy Danieau, Samantha Worme, Lata Adnani, Nadine Nzirorera, Xiao Chen, Gayathri Yogarajah, Caterina Russo, Michele Zeinieh, Cassandra J. Wong, Laura Bryant, Steven Hebert, Bethany Tong, Tianna S. Sihota, Damien Faury, Evan Puligandla, Wajih Jawhar, Veronica Sandy, Mitra Cowan, Emily M. Nakada, Loydie A. Jerome-Majewska, Benjamin Ellezam, Carolina Cavalieri Gomes, Jonas Denecke, Davor Lessel, Marie T. McDonald, Carolyn E. Pizoli, Kathryn Taylor, Benjamin T. Cocanougher, Elizabeth J. Bhoj, Anne-Claude Gingras, Benjamin A. Garcia, Chao Lu, Eric I. Campos, Claudia L. Kleinman, Livia Garzia, Nada Jabado
Summary: Germline histone H3.3 amino acid substitutions, including H3.3G34R/V, cause severe neurodevelopmental syndromes. In this study, knock-in mice with H3.3G34R/V/W mutations were generated to investigate their impact on brain development. The H3.3G34R mutation led to progressive microcephaly, neurodegeneration, and abnormal accumulation of disease-associated microglia, along with neuronal depletion.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiyang Sun, Akinao Nose, Hiroshi Kohsaka
Summary: In this study, a vacuum-actuated soft robot mimicking the crawling behavior of Drosophila larvae was developed. The soft robot successfully replicated the peristaltic locomotion and confirmed two previously observed phenomena: 1. The backward crawling speed is slower than the forward crawling speed. 2. Prolonging the segmental contraction duration or intersegmental phase delay slows down the peristaltic crawling. Therefore, soft robots can be used to investigate the kinetics of crawling behavior in soft-bodied animals.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Aya Kato-Namba, Toshiaki Iida, Kazumi Ohta, Masahiro Suzuki, Kazuma Saito, Kohei Takeuchi, Maki Sakamoto, Hokto Kazama, Takao Nakagawa
Summary: Mosquitoes carry lethal pathogens and cause deaths from mosquito-borne diseases every year, making it crucial to control mosquitoes to protect human lives worldwide. Insecticides are highly effective but have harmful effects on biodiversity and some mosquitoes have developed resistance. This study found that solutions with low surface tension, specifically surfactant solutions, can alter mosquito behavior and potentially be used as an alternative to conventional insecticides.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Ayaka Kato, Kazumi Ohta, Kazuo Okanoya, Hokto Kazama
Summary: DANs not only play a role in assessing sensory values in associative contexts but also update odor values in a nonassociative manner. Research has found that DANs constantly update odor values by inducing plasticity, which in turn affects the steering behavior of fruit flies.