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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Rôle du transporteur d'acides aminés Minidiscs dans le fonctionnement du système nerveux chez Drosophila melanogaster

subject

description

Amino acids have many functions in the body in addition to their role as basic constituents of proteins. They can for example serve as a neurotransmitter or signal for the activation of intracellular pathways. Carriers of the SLC protein family facilitate their path through the plasma membrane. The heterodimeric amino acid transporters HAT belong to SLC proteins. HAT are composed of a light chain SLC7 ensuring the specificity of transport and a heavy chain SLC3 involved in the addressing of the protein complex to the plasma membrane. My thesis focused on studying the role of a SLC7 homologue in drosophila, Minidiscs (Mnd), in the functioning of the nervous system. Mnd might belong to system L carriers, mainly known for their role in cell proliferation. My thesis work led to highlight the location of Mnd in the drosophila brain in some neurons (mushroom bodies, dopaminergic neurons) and some glial cells (cortical glia). The presence of Mnd in the brain seems to be involved in the modulation of some behaviors such as negative geotaxis reflex. This work also showed that, as for mammal HAT, Mnd is associated covalently to a protein partner. Transport experiments seem also to confirm the belonging of Mnd to the system L. These results suggest that Mnd is probably involved in the regulation of neuronal activity and thus in the functioning of the nervous system, which had never been described for a system L carrier.