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O'Farrell F, Aleyakpo B, Mustafa R, Jiang X, Pinto RC, Elliott P, Tzoulaki I, Dehghan A, Loh SHY, Barclay JW, Martins LM, Pazoki R. Evidence for involvement of the alcohol consumption WDPCP gene in lipid metabolism, and liver cirrhosis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20616. [PMID: 37996473 PMCID: PMC10667215 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47371-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological pathways between alcohol consumption and alcohol liver disease (ALD) are not fully understood. We selected genes with known effect on (1) alcohol consumption, (2) liver function, and (3) gene expression. Expression of the orthologs of these genes in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster was suppressed using mutations and/or RNA interference (RNAi). In humans, association analysis, pathway analysis, and Mendelian randomization analysis were performed to identify metabolic changes due to alcohol consumption. In C. elegans, we found a reduction in locomotion rate after exposure to ethanol for RNAi knockdown of ACTR1B and MAPT. In Drosophila, we observed (1) a change in sedative effect of ethanol for RNAi knockdown of WDPCP, TENM2, GPN1, ARPC1B, and SCN8A, (2) a reduction in ethanol consumption for RNAi knockdown of TENM2, (3) a reduction in triradylglycerols (TAG) levels for RNAi knockdown of WDPCP, TENM2, and GPN1. In human, we observed (1) a link between alcohol consumption and several metabolites including TAG, (2) an enrichment of the candidate (alcohol-associated) metabolites within the linoleic acid (LNA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) metabolism pathways, (3) a causal link between gene expression of WDPCP to liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis. Our results imply that WDPCP might be involved in ALD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix O'Farrell
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University, London, UB8 3PH, UK
| | | | - Rima Mustafa
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, St Mary's Campus, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Xiyun Jiang
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University, London, UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Rui Climaco Pinto
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, St Mary's Campus, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, St Mary's Campus, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Paul Elliott
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, St Mary's Campus, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, St Mary's Campus, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, W12 0NN, UK
- National Institute for Health Research, Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
- Health Data Research UK at Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Ioanna Tzoulaki
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, St Mary's Campus, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
- Centre for Systems Biology, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Abbas Dehghan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, St Mary's Campus, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, St Mary's Campus, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Samantha H Y Loh
- MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge, Gleeson Building, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Jeff W Barclay
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Signalling, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK
| | - L Miguel Martins
- MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge, Gleeson Building, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Raha Pazoki
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University, London, UB8 3PH, UK.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, St Mary's Campus, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK.
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University, London, UB8 3PH, UK.
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2
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Xu D, Vincent A, González-Gutiérrez A, Aleyakpo B, Anoar S, Giblin A, Atilano ML, Adams M, Shen D, Thoeng A, Tsintzas E, Maeland M, Isaacs AM, Sierralta J, Niccoli T. A monocarboxylate transporter rescues frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease models. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010893. [PMID: 37733679 PMCID: PMC10513295 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Brains are highly metabolically active organs, consuming 20% of a person's energy at resting state. A decline in glucose metabolism is a common feature across a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Another common feature is the progressive accumulation of insoluble protein deposits, it's unclear if the two are linked. Glucose metabolism in the brain is highly coupled between neurons and glia, with glucose taken up by glia and metabolised to lactate, which is then shuttled via transporters to neurons, where it is converted back to pyruvate and fed into the TCA cycle for ATP production. Monocarboxylates are also involved in signalling, and play broad ranging roles in brain homeostasis and metabolic reprogramming. However, the role of monocarboxylates in dementia has not been tested. Here, we find that increasing pyruvate import in Drosophila neurons by over-expression of the transporter bumpel, leads to a rescue of lifespan and behavioural phenotypes in fly models of both frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The rescue is linked to a clearance of late stage autolysosomes, leading to degradation of toxic peptides associated with disease. We propose upregulation of pyruvate import into neurons as potentially a broad-scope therapeutic approach to increase neuronal autophagy, which could be beneficial for multiple dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongwei Xu
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alec Vincent
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrés González-Gutiérrez
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Benjamin Aleyakpo
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sharifah Anoar
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ashling Giblin
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Cruciform Building, London, United Kingdom
| | - Magda L. Atilano
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Cruciform Building, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mirjam Adams
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dunxin Shen
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Annora Thoeng
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elli Tsintzas
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marie Maeland
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian M. Isaacs
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Cruciform Building, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jimena Sierralta
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Teresa Niccoli
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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3
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Bolukbasi E, Woodling NS, Ivanov DK, Adcott J, Foley A, Rajasingam A, Gittings LM, Aleyakpo B, Niccoli T, Thornton JM, Partridge L. Cell type-specific modulation of healthspan by Forkhead family transcription factors in the nervous system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2011491118. [PMID: 33593901 PMCID: PMC7923679 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011491118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Reduced activity of insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) increases healthy lifespan among diverse animal species. Downstream of IIS, multiple evolutionarily conserved transcription factors (TFs) are required; however, distinct TFs are likely responsible for these effects in different tissues. Here we have asked which TFs can extend healthy lifespan within distinct cell types of the adult nervous system in Drosophila Starting from published single-cell transcriptomic data, we report that forkhead (FKH) is endogenously expressed in neurons, whereas forkhead-box-O (FOXO) is expressed in glial cells. Accordingly, we find that neuronal FKH and glial FOXO exert independent prolongevity effects. We have further explored the role of neuronal FKH in a model of Alzheimer's disease-associated neuronal dysfunction, where we find that increased neuronal FKH preserves behavioral function and reduces ubiquitinated protein aggregation. Finally, using transcriptomic profiling, we identify Atg17, a member of the Atg1 autophagy initiation family, as one FKH-dependent target whose neuronal overexpression is sufficient to extend healthy lifespan. Taken together, our results underscore the importance of cell type-specific mapping of TF activity to preserve healthy function with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekin Bolukbasi
- Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Nathaniel S Woodling
- Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Dobril K Ivanov
- European Bioinformatics Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Cambridge CB10 1SD, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer Adcott
- Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Foley
- Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Arjunan Rajasingam
- Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Lauren M Gittings
- Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin Aleyakpo
- Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Teresa Niccoli
- Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Janet M Thornton
- European Bioinformatics Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Cambridge CB10 1SD, United Kingdom
| | - Linda Partridge
- Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom;
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Biological Mechanisms of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany
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Niccoli T, Kerr F, Snoeren I, Fabian D, Aleyakpo B, Ivanov D, Sofola-Adesakin O, Cryar A, Adcott J, Thornton J, Partridge L. Activating transcription factor 4-dependent lactate dehydrogenase activation as a protective response to amyloid beta toxicity. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab053. [PMID: 33977265 PMCID: PMC8093921 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of amyloid beta peptides is thought to initiate the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. However, the precise mechanisms mediating their neurotoxicity are unclear. Our microarray analyses show that, in Drosophila models of amyloid beta 42 toxicity, genes involved in the unfolded protein response and metabolic processes are upregulated in brain. Comparison with the brain transcriptome of early-stage Alzheimer's patients revealed a common transcriptional signature, but with generally opposing directions of gene expression changes between flies and humans. Among these differentially regulated genes, lactate dehydrogenase (Ldh) was up-regulated by the greatest degree in amyloid beta 42 flies and the human orthologues (LDHA and LDHB) were down-regulated in patients. Functional analyses revealed that either over-expression or inhibition of Ldh by RNA interference (RNAi) slightly exacerbated climbing defects in both healthy and amyloid beta 42-induced Drosophila. This suggests that metabolic responses to lactate dehydrogenase must be finely-tuned, and that its observed upregulation following amyloid beta 42 production could potentially represent a compensatory protection to maintain pathway homeostasis in this model, with further manipulation leading to detrimental effects. The increased Ldh expression in amyloid beta 42 flies was regulated partially by unfolded protein response signalling, as ATF4 RNAi diminished the transcriptional response and enhanced amyloid beta 42-induced climbing phenotypes. Further functional studies are required to determine whether Ldh upregulation provides compensatory neuroprotection against amyloid beta 42-induced loss of activating transcription factor 4 activity and endoplasmatic reticulum stress. Our study thus reveals dysregulation of lactate dehydrogenase signalling in Drosophila models and patients with Alzheimer's disease, which may lead to a detrimental loss of metabolic homeostasis. Importantly, we observed that down-regulation of ATF4-dependent endoplasmic reticulum-stress signalling in this context appears to prevent Ldh compensation and to exacerbate amyloid beta 42-dependent neuronal toxicity. Our findings, therefore, suggest caution in the use of therapeutic strategies focussed on down-regulation of this pathway for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, since its natural response to the toxic peptide may induce beneficial neuroprotective effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Niccoli
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Correspondence may also be addressed to: Teresa Niccoli E-mail:
| | - Fiona Kerr
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Health & Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh EH11 4BN, UK
- Correspondence may also be addressed to: Fiona Kerr Department of Life Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, Sighthill Campus Edinburgh EH11 4BN, UK E-mail:
| | - Inge Snoeren
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Daniel Fabian
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Benjamin Aleyakpo
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Dobril Ivanov
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI), Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Oyinkan Sofola-Adesakin
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Adam Cryar
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jennifer Adcott
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Janet Thornton
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Linda Partridge
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Correspondence to: Linda Partridge Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK E-mail:
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Yu Y, Niccoli T, Ren Z, Woodling NS, Aleyakpo B, Szabadkai G, Partridge L. PICALM rescues glutamatergic neurotransmission, behavioural function and survival in a Drosophila model of Aβ42 toxicity. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 29:2420-2434. [PMID: 32592479 PMCID: PMC7424762 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease. Genome-wide association studies have linked PICALM to AD risk. PICALM has been implicated in Aβ42 production and turnover, but whether it plays a direct role in modulating Aβ42 toxicity remains unclear. We found that increased expression of the Drosophila PICALM orthologue lap could rescue Aβ42 toxicity in an adult-onset model of AD, without affecting Aβ42 level. Imbalances in the glutamatergic system, leading to excessive, toxic stimulation, have been associated with AD. We found that Aβ42 caused the accumulation of presynaptic vesicular glutamate transporter (VGlut) and increased spontaneous glutamate release. Increased lap expression reversed these phenotypes back to control levels, suggesting that lap may modulate glutamatergic transmission. We also found that lap modulated the localization of amphiphysin (Amph), the homologue of another AD risk factor BIN1, and that Amph itself modulated postsynaptic glutamate receptor (GluRII) localization. We propose a model where PICALM modulates glutamatergic transmission, together with BIN1, to ameliorate synaptic dysfunction and disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Yu
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Teresa Niccoli
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ziyu Ren
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Consortium for Mitochondrial Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Nathaniel S Woodling
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Benjamin Aleyakpo
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Gyorgy Szabadkai
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Consortium for Mitochondrial Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua 35131, Italy
| | - Linda Partridge
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne 50931, Germany
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Woodling NS, Aleyakpo B, Dyson MC, Minkley LJ, Rajasingam A, Dobson AJ, Leung KHC, Pomposova S, Fuentealba M, Alic N, Partridge L. The neuronal receptor tyrosine kinase Alk is a target for longevity. Aging Cell 2020; 19:e13137. [PMID: 32291952 PMCID: PMC7253064 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibition of signalling through several receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), including the insulin-like growth factor receptor and its orthologues, extends healthy lifespan in organisms from diverse evolutionary taxa. This raises the possibility that other RTKs, including those already well studied for their roles in cancer and developmental biology, could be promising targets for extending healthy lifespan. Here, we focus on anaplastic lymphoma kinase (Alk), an RTK with established roles in nervous system development and in multiple cancers, but whose effects on aging remain unclear. We find that several means of reducing Alk signalling, including mutation of its ligand jelly belly (jeb), RNAi knock-down of Alk, or expression of dominant-negative Alk in adult neurons, can extend healthy lifespan in female, but not male, Drosophila. Moreover, reduced Alk signalling preserves neuromuscular function with age, promotes resistance to starvation and xenobiotic stress, and improves night sleep consolidation. We find further that inhibition of Alk signalling in adult neurons modulates the expression of several insulin-like peptides, providing a potential mechanistic link between neuronal Alk signalling and organism-wide insulin-like signalling. Finally, we show that TAE-684, a small molecule inhibitor of Alk, can extend healthy lifespan in Drosophila, suggesting that the repurposing of Alk inhibitors may be a promising direction for strategies to promote healthy aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel S. Woodling
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
| | - Benjamin Aleyakpo
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
| | - Miranda Claire Dyson
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
| | - Lucy J. Minkley
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
| | - Arjunan Rajasingam
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
| | - Adam J. Dobson
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
| | - Kristie H. C. Leung
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
| | - Simona Pomposova
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
| | - Matías Fuentealba
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
| | - Nazif Alic
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
| | - Linda Partridge
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment Institute of Healthy Ageing University College London London UK
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing Cologne Germany
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7
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Aleyakpo B, Umukoro O, Kavlie R, Ranson DC, Thompsett A, Corcoran O, Casalotti SO. G-protein αq gene expression plays a role in alcohol tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster. Brain Neurosci Adv 2020; 3:2398212819883081. [PMID: 32166184 PMCID: PMC7058197 DOI: 10.1177/2398212819883081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Ethanol is a psychoactive substance causing both short- and long-term behavioural changes in humans and animal models. We have used the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the effect of ethanol exposure on the expression of the Gαq protein subunit. Repetitive exposure to ethanol causes a reduction in sensitivity (tolerance) to ethanol, which we have measured as the time for 50% of a set of flies to become sedated after exposure to ethanol (ST50). We demonstrate that the same treatment that induces an increase in ST50 over consecutive days (tolerance) also causes a decrease in Gαq protein subunit expression at both the messenger RNA and protein level. To identify whether there may be a causal relationship between these two outcomes, we have developed strains of flies in which Gαq messenger RNA expression is suppressed in a time- and tissue-specific manner. In these flies, the sensitivity to ethanol and the development of tolerance are altered. This work further supports the value of Drosophila as a model to dissect the molecular mechanisms of the behavioural response to alcohol and identifies G proteins as potentially important regulatory targets for alcohol use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Aleyakpo
- Medicines Research Group, School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, University of East London, London, UK
| | - Oghenetega Umukoro
- Medicines Research Group, School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, University of East London, London, UK
| | - Ryan Kavlie
- UCL Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel C Ranson
- Medicines Research Group, School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, University of East London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Thompsett
- Medicines Research Group, School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, University of East London, London, UK.,Medical School, The University of Buckingham, Buckingham, UK
| | - Olivia Corcoran
- Medicines Research Group, School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, University of East London, London, UK
| | - Stefano O Casalotti
- Medicines Research Group, School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, University of East London, London, UK
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