Loss of spastic paraplegia gene atlastin induces age-dependent death of dopaminergic neurons in Drosophila.

Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are human genetic disorders causing increased stiffness and overactive muscle reflexes in the lower extremities. atlastin (atl) is one of the major genes in which mutations result in HSP. We generated a Drosophila model of HSP that has a null mutation in atl.

Histamine and its receptors modulate temperature-preference behaviors in Drosophila.

Temperature profoundly influences various life phenomena, and most animals have developed mechanisms to respond properly to environmental temperature fluctuations. To identify genes involved in sensing ambient temperature and in responding to its change, >27,000 independent P-element insertion mutants of Drosophila were screened. As a result, we found that defects in the genes encoding for proteins involved in histamine signaling [histidine decarboxylase (hdc), histamine-gated chloride channel subunit 1 (hisCl1), ora transientless (ort)] cause abnormal temperature preferences.