Search results for "drosophila"
showing 10 items of 782 documents
Disarrangement of Endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria communication impairs Ca2+ homeostasis in FRDA
2020
AbstractFriedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by neuromuscular and neurological manifestations. It is caused by mutations in gene FXN, which results in loss of the mitochondrial protein frataxin. Endoplasmic Reticulum-mitochondria associated membranes (MAMs) are inter-organelle structures involved in the regulation of essential cellular processes, including lipid metabolism and calcium signaling. In the present study, we have analyzed in both, unicellular and multicellular models of FRDA, an analysis of calcium management and of integrity of MAMs. We observed that function of MAMs is compromised in our cellular model of FRDA, which was improved upon treatmen…
Interactions between the sexual identity of the nervous system and the social environment mediate lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster
2018
Sex differences in lifespan are ubiquitous, but the underlying causal factors remain poorly understood. Inter- and intrasexual social interactions are well known to influence lifespan in many taxa, but it has proved challenging to separate the role of sex-specific behaviours from wider physiological differences between the sexes. To address this problem, we genetically manipulated the sexual identity of the nervous system—and hence sexual behaviour—in Drosophila melanogaster, and measured lifespan under varying social conditions. Consistent with previous studies, masculinization of the nervous system in females induced male-specific courtship behaviour and aggression, while nervous system f…
An improvement of ComiR algorithm for microRNA target prediction by exploiting coding region sequences of mRNAs
2020
AbstractMicroRNA are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate the expression levels of messenger RNAs. MicroRNA regulation activity depends on the recognition of binding sites located on mRNA molecules. ComiR is a web tool realized to predict the targets of a set of microRNAs, starting from their expression profile. ComiR was trained with the information regarding binding sites in the 3’utr region, by using a reliable dataset containing the targets of endogenously expressed microRNA in D. melanogaster S2 cells. This dataset was obtained by comparing the results from two different experimental approaches, i.e., inhibition, and immunoprecipitation of the AGO1 protein--a comp…
Augļu mušas Drosophila melanogaster tēviņu agresīvās uzvedības saistība ar rauga daudzumu barībā
2022
Agresija ir svarīgs evolūcijas virzītājspēks. Dzīvnieki, kuri būs spējīgāki uzvarēt konfliktus varēs ar lielāku varbūtību nodot savus gēnus nākošajām paaudzēm. Tomēr kādi faktori ietekmē dzīvnieka varbūtību uzvarēt nav līdz galam noskaidrots. Teorētiskie modeļi un esošie pētījumi sniedz tikai virspusēju skatījumu. Dzīvnieki savas dzīves laikā būs pakļauti dažādiem vides faktoriem ar variējošu pakāpi, tomēr, ne visi būs vienlīdz nozīmīgi agresīvas uzvedības mainībā. Uzturs dzīvniekiem mainās dzīves laikā un attīstības sākumā optimālā barības vielu attiecība būs svarīga indivīda nākotnes izdzīvošanā un ģenētiskajā fitnesā, jo fiziskais fenotips visam mūžam veidojas tieši individuālās attīstīb…
Genome-wide characterization of chromatin binding and nucleosome spacing activity of the nucleosome remodelling ATPase ISWI.
2010
The evolutionarily conserved ATP-dependent nucleosome remodelling factor ISWI can space nucleosomes affecting a variety of nuclear processes. In Drosophila, loss of ISWI leads to global transcriptional defects and to dramatic alterations in higher-order chromatin structure, especially on the male X chromosome. In order to understand if chromatin condensation and gene expression defects, observed in ISWI mutants, are directly correlated with ISWI nucleosome spacing activity, we conducted a genome-wide survey of ISWI binding and nucleosome positioning in wild-type and ISWI mutant chromatin. Our analysis revealed that ISWI binds both genic and intergenic regions. Remarkably, we found that ISWI…
The 18S ribosomal RNA m 6 A methyltransferase Mettl5 is required for normal walking behavior in Drosophila
2020
RNA modifications have recently emerged as an important layer of gene regulation. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prominent modification on eukaryotic messenger RNA and has also been found on noncoding RNA, including ribosomal and small nuclear RNA. Recently, several m6A methyltransferases were identified, uncovering the specificity of m6A deposition by structurally distinct enzymes. In order to discover additional m6A enzymes, we performed an RNAi screen to deplete annotated orthologs of human methyltransferase-like proteins (METTLs) in Drosophila cells and identified CG9666, the ortholog of human METTL5. We show that CG9666 is required for specific deposition of m6A on 18S ribosomal …
NOseq: amplicon sequencing evaluation method for RNA m6A sites after chemical deamination
2020
Abstract Methods for the detection of m6A by RNA-Seq technologies are increasingly sought after. We here present NOseq, a method to detect m6A residues in defined amplicons by virtue of their resistance to chemical deamination, effected by nitrous acid. Partial deamination in NOseq affects all exocyclic amino groups present in nucleobases and thus also changes sequence information. The method uses a mapping algorithm specifically adapted to the sequence degeneration caused by deamination events. Thus, m6A sites with partial modification levels of ∼50% were detected in defined amplicons, and this threshold can be lowered to ∼10% by combination with m6A immunoprecipitation. NOseq faithfully d…
NDST1 missense mutations in autosomal recessive intellectual disability.
2014
NDST1 was recently proposed as a candidate gene for autosomal recessive intellectual disability in two families. It encodes a bifunctional GlcNAc N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase with important functions in heparan sulfate biosynthesis. In mice, Ndst1 is crucial for embryonic development and homozygous null mutations are perinatally lethal. We now report on two additional unrelated families with homozygous missense NDST1 mutations. All mutations described to date predict the substitution of conserved amino acids in the sulfotransferase domain, and mutation modeling predicts drastic alterations in the local protein conformation. Comparing the four families, we noticed significant overlap in …
Drosophila as a model of wound healing and tissue regeneration in vertebrates.
2011
Understanding the molecular basis of wound healing and regeneration in vertebrates is one of the main challenges in biology and medicine. This understanding will lead to medical advances allowing accelerated tissue repair after wounding, rebuilding new tissues/organs and restoring homeostasis. Drosophila has emerged as a valuable model for studying these processes because the genetic networks and cytoskeletal machinery involved in epithelial movements occurring during embryonic dorsal closure, larval imaginal disc fusion/regeneration, and epithelial repair are similar to those acting during wound healing and regeneration in vertebrates. Recent studies have also focused on the use of Drosoph…
Calorie Restriction in Mammals and Simple Model Organisms
2014
Calorie restriction (CR), which usually refers to a 20–40% reduction in calorie intake, can effectively prolong lifespan preventing most age-associated diseases in several species. However, recent data from both human and nonhumans point to the ratio of macronutrients rather than the caloric intake as a major regulator of both lifespan and health-span. In addition, specific components of the diet have recently been identified as regulators of some age-associated intracellular signaling pathways in simple model systems. The comprehension of the mechanisms underpinning these findings is crucial since it may increase the beneficial effects of calorie restriction making it accessible to a broad…