Hedgehog Signaling Modulates Glial Proteostasis and Lifespan.

The conserved Hedgehog signaling pathway has well-established roles in development. However, its function during adulthood remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated whether the Hedgehog signaling pathway is active during adult life in Drosophila melanogaster, and we uncovered a protective function for Hedgehog signaling in coordinating correct proteostasis in glial cells.

Molecular chaperones protect against JNK- and Nmnat-regulated axon degeneration in Drosophila.

Axon degeneration is observed at the early stages of many neurodegenerative conditions and this often leads to subsequent neuronal loss. We previously showed that inactivating the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway leads to axon degeneration in Drosophila mushroom body (MB) neurons. To understand this process, we screened candidate suppressor genes and found that the Wallerian degeneration slow (Wld(S)) protein blocked JNK axonal degeneration.

Signal strength and signal duration define two distinct aspects of JNK-regulated axon stability.

Signaling proteins often control multiple aspects of cell morphogenesis. Yet the mechanisms that govern their pleiotropic behavior are often unclear. Here we show activity levels and timing mechanisms determine distinct aspects of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway dependent axonal morphogenesis in Drosophila mushroom body (MB) neurons.