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Park JS, Sung MJ, Na HJ. Drosophila model systems reveal intestinal stem cells as key players in aging. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2025; 1547:88-99. [PMID: 40276941 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2025]
Abstract
The intestines play important roles in responding immediately and dynamically to food intake, environmental stress, and metabolic dysfunction, and they are involved in various human diseases and aging. A key part of their function is governed by intestinal stem cells (ISCs); therefore, understanding ISCs is vital. Dysregulation of ISC activity, which is influenced by various cell signaling pathways and environmental signals, can lead to inflammatory responses, tissue damage, and increased cancer susceptibility. Aging exacerbates these dynamics and affects ISC function and tissue elasticity. Additionally, proliferation and differentiation profoundly affect ISC behavior and gut health, highlighting the complex interplay between environmental factors and gut homeostasis. Drosophila models help us understand the complex regulatory networks in the gut, providing valuable insights into disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies targeting human intestinal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joung-Sun Park
- Institute of Nanobio Convergence, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Molecular Biology, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi Jeong Sung
- Aging Research Group, Division of Food Functionality Research, Korea Food Research Institute, Wanju, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Jin Na
- Aging Research Group, Division of Food Functionality Research, Korea Food Research Institute, Wanju, Republic of Korea
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Makdissi S, Loudhaief R, George S, Weller T, Salim M, Malick A, Mu Y, Parsons BD, Di Cara F. Alterations in ether phospholipids metabolism activate the conserved UPR-Xbp1- PDIA3/ERp60 signaling to maintain intestinal homeostasis. iScience 2025; 28:111946. [PMID: 40034858 PMCID: PMC11872617 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.111946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2024] [Revised: 12/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2025] [Indexed: 03/05/2025] Open
Abstract
Intestinal epithelium regeneration and homeostasis must be tightly regulated. Alteration of epithelial homeostasis is a major contributing factor to diseases such as colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases. Many pathways involved in epithelial regeneration have been identified, but more regulators remain undiscovered. Metabolism has emerged as an overlooked regulator of intestinal epithelium homeostasis. Using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, we found that ether lipids metabolism is required to maintain intestinal epithelial homeostasis. Its dysregulation in intestinal progenitors causes the activation of the unfolded protein response of the endoplasmic reticulum (UPR) that triggers Xbp1 and upregulates the conserved disulfide isomerase PDIA3/ERp60. Activation of the Xbp1-ERp60 signaling causes Jak/Stat-mediated increase in progenitor cells, compromising epithelial barrier function and survival in males but not females. This study identified ether lipids-PDIA3/ERp60 as a key regulator of intestinal progenitor homeostasis in health that, if altered, causes pathological conditions in the intestinal epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Makdissi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Rihab Loudhaief
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Smitha George
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Tabatha Weller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Minna Salim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Ahsan Malick
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Yizhu Mu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Brendon D. Parsons
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry -University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Francesca Di Cara
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
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Cicconardi F, Morris BJ, Martelossi J, Ray DA, Montgomery SH. Novel Sex-Specific Genes and Diverse Interspecific Expression in the Antennal Transcriptomes of Ithomiine Butterflies. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae218. [PMID: 39373182 PMCID: PMC11500719 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2024] [Revised: 09/23/2024] [Accepted: 09/24/2024] [Indexed: 10/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The olfactory sense is crucial for organisms, facilitating environmental recognition and interindividual communication. Ithomiini butterflies exemplify this importance not only because they rely strongly on olfactory cues for both inter- and intra-sexual behaviors, but also because they show convergent evolution of specialized structures within the antennal lobe, called macroglomerular complexes (MGCs). These structures, widely absent in butterflies, are present in moths where they enable heightened sensitivity to, and integration of, information from various types of pheromones. In this study, we investigate chemosensory evolution across six Ithomiini species and identify possible links between expression profiles and neuroanatomical. To enable this, we sequenced four new high-quality genome assemblies and six sex-specific antennal transcriptomes for three of these species with different MGC morphologies. With extensive genomic analyses, we found that the expression of antennal transcriptomes across species exhibit profound divergence, and identified highly expressed ORs, which we hypothesize may be associated to MGCs, as highly expressed ORs are absent in Methona, an Ithomiini lineage which also lacks MGCs. More broadly, we show how antennal sexual dimorphism is prevalent in both chemosensory genes and non-chemosensory genes, with possible relevance for behavior. As an example, we show how lipid-related genes exhibit consistent sexual dimorphism, potentially linked to lipid transport or host selection. In this study, we investigate the antennal chemosensory adaptations, suggesting a link between genetic diversity, ecological specialization, and sensory perception with the convergent evolution of MCGs. Insights into chemosensory gene evolution, expression patterns, and potential functional implications enhance our knowledge of sensory adaptations and sexual dimorphisms in butterflies, laying the foundation for future investigations into the genetic drivers of insect behavior, adaptation, and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Cicconardi
- School of Biological Sciences, Bristol University, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Billy J Morris
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Jacopo Martelossi
- Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Science, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - David A Ray
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Stephen H Montgomery
- School of Biological Sciences, Bristol University, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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Fluorescent silica nanoparticles as an internal marker in fruit flies and their effects on survivorship and fertility. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19745. [PMID: 36396856 PMCID: PMC9671903 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24301-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tracking and differentiating small insects at the individual levels requires appropriate marking materials because of their small size. This study proposes and investigates the use of fluorescent silica nanoparticles (FSNPs) as an internal marker owing to their good optical properties and biocompatibility. FSNPs were prepared using the water-in-oil reverse microemulsion technique with Rubpy dye as a fluorophore. The obtained particles were spherical, monodispersed in nanosize and exhibited bright orange luminescence under ultraviolet (UV) light. Internal marking was accomplished in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) through feeding. The result shows that the fruit flies exhibit bright luminescence in their abdomen when exposed to UV light. The marking persistence duration of FSNPs in the fruit fly bodies is longer than those of other fluorescent dyes. Fruit flies fed with FSNPs have a longer lifespan than those fed with Rubpy dye. There was no difference in fertility and negative geotaxis response among the treatment and control groups. These findings demonstrate that FSNPs can be used as an internal marker in fruit flies, and are possibly applied with other small insects with a translucent abdomen.
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Kumar K, Mhetre A, Ratnaparkhi GS, Kamat SS. A Superfamily-wide Activity Atlas of Serine Hydrolases in Drosophila melanogaster. Biochemistry 2021; 60:1312-1324. [PMID: 33827210 PMCID: PMC7610703 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The serine hydrolase (SH) superfamily is, perhaps, one of the largest functional enzyme classes in all forms of life and consists of proteases, peptidases, lipases, and carboxylesterases as representative members. Consistent with the name of this superfamily, all members, without any exception to date, use a nucleophilic serine residue in the enzyme active site to perform hydrolytic-type reactions via a two-step ping-pong mechanism involving a covalent enzyme intermediate. Given the highly conserved catalytic mechanism, this superfamily has served as a classical prototype in the development of several platforms of chemical proteomics techniques, activity-based protein profiling (ABPP), to globally interrogate the functions of its different members in various native, yet complex, biological settings. While ABPP-based proteome-wide activity atlases for SH activities are available in numerous organisms, including humans, to the best of our knowledge, such an analysis for this superfamily is lacking in any insect model. To address this, we initially report a bioinformatics analysis toward the identification and categorization of nonredundant SHs in Drosophila melanogaster. Following up on this in silico analysis, leveraging discovery chemoproteomics, we identify and globally map the full complement of SH activities during various developmental stages and in different adult tissues of Drosophila. Finally, as a proof of concept of the utility of this activity atlas, we highlight sexual dimorphism in SH activities across different tissues in adult D. melanogaster, and we propose new research directions, resources, and tools that this study can provide to the fly community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kundan Kumar
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411008
| | - Amol Mhetre
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411008
| | - Girish S. Ratnaparkhi
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411008
| | - Siddhesh S. Kamat
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411008
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