The neuromodulatory function of dopamine (DA) is an inherent feature nervous systems all animals. To learn more about the neural DA in Drosophila, we generated mutant flies that lack tyrosine hydroxylase, and thus biosynthesis, selectively system. We found absent or below detection limits adult brain these flies. Despite this, they have a lifespan similar to WT These mutants show reduced activity, extended sleep time, locomotor deficits increase with age, are hypophagic. Whereas odor...

Starvation, which is common in the wild, appears to initiate a genetic program that allows fruitflies remain awake without sleepiness and cognitive impairments typically follow sleep deprivation.

The sleep-wake cycle stands as an integrative process essential for sustaining optimal brain function and, either directly or indirectly, overall body health, encompassing metabolic and cardiovascular well-being. Given the heightened activity of brain, there exists a considerable demand nutrients in comparison to other organs. Among these, branched-chain amino acids, comprising leucine, isoleucine, valine, display distinctive significance, from their contribution protein structure...

Abstract We constructed an enhancer‐trap element, P{GAL80}, that encodes the yeast GAL80 repressor to refine expression of transgenes driven by binary GAL4/UAS system. blocks GAL4 activity binding its transcriptional activation domain. screened enhancer‐traps for repression GAL4‐induced green fluorescent protein (GFP) in intact larval nervous selected one line repressed GFP a large set cholinergic neurons. This was used from over 200 neurons subset 20 preselected line. Expression tetanus...

Although it is widely accepted that sleep must serve an essential biological function, little known about molecules underlie regulation. Given insomnia a common disorder disrupts the ability to initiate and maintain restorative sleep, better understanding of its molecular underpinning may provide crucial insights into regulatory processes. Thus, we created line flies using laboratory selection share traits with human insomnia. After 60 generations, insomnia-like ( ins-l ) min day, exhibit...

Multiple lines of evidence indicate that sleep is important for the developing brain, although little known about which cellular and molecular pathways are affected. Thus, aim this study was to determine whether early adult life Drosophila, associated with high amounts critical periods brain plasticity, could be used as a model identify developmental processes require sleep.Wild type Canton-S Drosophila melanogaster. DESIGN;Flies were deprived on their first full day allowed recover...

Circadian clocks control many self-sustained rhythms in physiology and behavior with approximately 24-hour periodicity. In organisms, oxidative stress aging negatively impact the circadian system sleep. Conversely, loss of clock decreases resistance to stress, may reduce lifespan speed up brain neurodegeneration. Here we examined effects disruptions on locomotor longevity Drosophila. We found that was similarly reduced three arrhythmic mutants (ClkAR, cyc0 tim0) wild-type flies under...

It is a common experience to sacrifice sleep meet the demands of our 24-h society. Current estimates reveal that as society, we on average 2 h less than did 40 years ago. This level restriction results in negative health outcomes and sufficient produce cognitive deficits reduced attention associated with increased risk for traffic occupational accidents. Unfortunately, there no simple quantifiable marker can detect an individual who excessively sleepy before adverse become evident. To...

Drosophila melanogaster is increasingly being used to model human conditions that are associated with cognitive deficits including fragile-X syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's sleep loss, etc. With few exceptions, abilities known be modified in these humans have not been evaluated fly models. One reason the absence of a simple, inexpensive and reliable behavioral assay can by laboratories expert learning memory. Aversive phototaxic suppression (APS) simple which flies learn avoid...

Amyloid precursor protein (App) plays a crucial role in Alzheimer's disease via the production and deposition of toxic β-amyloid peptides. App is heavily expressed neurons, focus vast majority studies investigating its function. Meanwhile, almost nothing known about App's function glia, where it also expressed, can potentially participate regulation neuronal physiology. In this report, we investigated whether Appl , Drosophila homolog could influence sleep–wake when manipulated glial cells....

Parkinson disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in United States. It associated with motor deficits, sleep disturbances, and cognitive impairment. The pathology PD effects of deprivation impinge, part, upon molecular pathways suggesting that loss may be particularly deleterious to degenerating brain. Thus we investigated long-term consequences on shortterm memory using a Drosophila model disease. Transgenic strains melanogaster. Using GAL4-UAS system, human...

Flies mutant for the canonical clock protein cycle (cyc(01)) exhibit a sleep rebound that is ∼10 times larger than wild-type flies and die after only 10 h of deprivation. Surprisingly, when starved, cyc(01) mutants can remain awake 28 without demonstrating negative outcomes. Thus, we hypothesized identifying transcripts are differentially regulated between waking induced by deprivation starvation would identify genes underlie deleterious effects and/or protect from consequences waking.We...

ABSTRACT Segregation of a single neural precursor from each proneural cluster in Drosophila relies on Notch-mediated lateral signalling. Studies concerning the spacing precursors for microchaetes peripheral nervous system suggested existence regulatory loop between Notch and its ligand Delta within cell that is under transcriptional control. Activation leads to repression achaete-scute genes which themselves regulate transcription Delta, perhaps directly. Here we have tested requirement...

Beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN) is a rare neurological disease characterized by severe cognitive and motor impairments. BPAN caused de novo pathogenic variants in the WDR45 gene on X chromosome. encodes protein WDR45/WIPI4, known regulator of autophagy. A defective autophagy has been observed cellular models associated with dysfunctions knockout (KO) mice. However, it remains unclear whether autophagic defect directly contributes to all loss-induced phenotypes or...

ABSTRACT The Notch pathway plays a crucial and universal role in the assignation of cell fates during development. In Drosophila, is transmembrane protein that acts as receptor two ligands Serrate Delta. current model signal transduction proposes activated upon binding its this leads to cleavage release intracellular domain (also called Nintra). Nintra translocates nucleus where it forms dimeric transcription activator with Su(H) protein. contrast activation model, experiments vertebrate...

Several lines of evidence indicate that sleep plays a critical role in learning and memory. The aim this study was to evaluate anesthesia resistant memory following deprivation Drosophila.Four 16 h after aversive olfactory training, flies were deprived for 4 h. Memory assessed 24 training. Training, deprivation, tests performed at different times during the day importance time formation. circadian rhythms further evaluated using clock mutants.Memory disrupted when exposed consolidation...

Much of our understanding synaptogenesis comes from studies that deal with the development neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Although well studied, it is not clear how far NMJ represents an adequate model for formation synapses within CNS. Here we investigate role Fasciclin II (Fas II) in between identified motor neurons and cholinergic interneurons CNS <i>Drosophila</i>. Fas a neural cell adhesion molecule homolog involved both target selection synaptic plasticity at In this study, show levels...

Abstract Glial cells are early sensors of neuronal injury and can store lipids in lipid droplets under oxidative stress conditions. Here, we investigated the functions RNA-binding protein, SPEN/SHARP, context Parkinson’s disease (PD). Using a data-mining approach, found that SPEN/SHARP is one many astrocyte-expressed genes significantly differentially expressed substantia nigra PD patients compared with control subjects. Interestingly, enriched metabolism-associated genes. In Drosophila...