Male manipulation impinges on social-dependent tumor suppression in Drosophila melanogaster females.

Physiological status can influence social behavior, which in turn can affect physiology and health. Previously, we reported that tumor growth in Drosophila virgin females depends on the social context, but did not investigate the underlying physiological mechanisms. Here, we sought to characterize the signal perceived between tumorous flies, ultimately discovering that the tumor suppressive effect varies depending on reproductive status.

A fatty acid anabolic pathway in specialized-cells sustains a remote signal that controls egg activation in Drosophila.

Egg activation, representing the critical oocyte-to-embryo transition, provokes meiosis completion, modification of the vitelline membrane to prevent polyspermy, and translation of maternally provided mRNAs. This transition is triggered by a calcium signal induced by spermatozoon fertilization in most animal species, but not in insects. In Drosophila melanogaster, mature oocytes remain arrested at metaphase-I of meiosis and the calcium-dependent activation occurs while the oocyte moves through the genital tract.

E-cadherin acts as a positive regulator of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway during oogenesis.

The JAK-STAT pathway is evolutionary conserved. The simplicity of this signaling in , due to the limited redundancy between pathway components, makes it an ideal model for investigation. In the follicular epithelium, highly stereotyped functions of JAK-STAT signaling have been well characterized, but how signaling activity is regulated precisely to allow the different outcomes is not well understood.

Analysis of HubP-dependent cell pole protein targeting in Vibrio cholerae uncovers novel motility regulators.

In rod-shaped bacteria, the emergence and maintenance of long-axis cell polarity is involved in key cellular processes such as cell cycle, division, environmental sensing and flagellar motility among others. Many bacteria achieve cell pole differentiation through the use of polar landmark proteins acting as scaffolds for the recruitment of functional macromolecular assemblies. In Vibrio cholerae a large membrane-tethered protein, HubP, specifically interacts with proteins involved in chromosome segregation, chemotaxis and flagellar biosynthesis.

A secreted factor NimrodB4 promotes the elimination of apoptotic corpses by phagocytes in Drosophila.

Programmed cell death plays a fundamental role in development and tissue homeostasis. Professional and non-professional phagocytes achieve the proper recognition, uptake, and degradation of apoptotic cells, a process called efferocytosis. Failure in efferocytosis leads to autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.

Differential metabolic sensitivity of insulin-like-response- and TORC1-dependent overgrowth in Drosophila fat cells.

Glycolysis and fatty acid (FA) synthesis directs the production of energy-carrying molecules and building blocks necessary to support cell growth, although the absolute requirement of these metabolic pathways must be deeply investigated. Here, we used Drosophila genetics and focus on the TOR (Target of Rapamycin) signaling network that controls cell growth and homeostasis. In mammals, mTOR (mechanistic-TOR) is present in two distinct complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2; the former directly responds to amino acids and energy levels, whereas the latter sustains insulin-like-peptide (Ilp) response.

Hemocyte-targeted gene expression in the female malaria mosquito using the hemolectin promoter from Drosophila.

Hemocytes, the immune cells in mosquitoes, participate in immune defenses against pathogens including malaria parasites. Mosquito hemocytes can also be infected by arthropod-borne viruses but the pro- or anti-viral nature of this interaction is unknown. Although there has been progress on hemocyte characterization during pathogen infection in mosquitoes, the specific contribution of hemocytes to immune responses and the hemocyte-specific functions of immune genes and pathways remain unresolved due to the lack of genetic tools to manipulate gene expression in these cells specifically.

The adipokine NimrodB5 regulates peripheral hematopoiesis in Drosophila.

In animals, growth is regulated by the complex interplay between paracrine and endocrine signals. When food is scarce, tissues compete for nutrients, leading to critical resource allocation and prioritization. Little is known about how the immune system maturation is coordinated with the growth of other tissues.

Synergy and remarkable specificity of antimicrobial peptides in vivo using a systematic knockout approach.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are host-encoded antibiotics that combat invading microorganisms. These short, cationic peptides have been implicated in many biological processes, primarily involving innate immunity. In vitro studies have shown AMPs kill bacteria and fungi at physiological concentrations, but little validation has been done in vivo.

A Drosophila genetic screen for suppressors of S6kinase-dependent growth identifies the F-box subunit Archipelago/FBXW7.

This study was designed to identify novel negative regulators of the Drosophila S6kinase (dS6K). S6K is a downstream effector of the growth-regulatory complex mTORC1 (mechanistic-Target-of-Rapamycin complex 1). Nutrients activate mTORC1, which in turn induces the phosphorylation of S6K to promote cell growth, whereas fasting represses mTORC1 activity.

Active N-Methyladenine Demethylation by DMAD Regulates Gene Expression by Coordinating with Polycomb Protein in Neurons.

A ten-eleven translocation (TET) ortholog exists as a DNA N-methyladenine (6mA) demethylase (DMAD) in Drosophila. However, the molecular roles of 6mA and DMAD remain unexplored. Through genome-wide 6mA and transcriptome profiling in Drosophila brains and neuronal cells, we found that 6mA may epigenetically regulate a group of genes involved in neurodevelopment and neuronal functions.

Mutation in ESBL Plasmid from O104:H4 Leads Autoagglutination and Enhanced Plasmid Dissemination.

Conjugative plasmids are one of the main driving force of wide-spreading of multidrug resistance (MDR) bacteria. They are self-transmittable via conjugation as carrying the required set of genes and -acting DNA locus for direct cell-to-cell transfer. IncI incompatibility plasmids are nowadays often associated with extended-spectrum beta-lactamases producing Enterobacteria in clinic and environment.

Hippo, TGF-β, and Src-MAPK pathways regulate transcription of the upd3 cytokine in Drosophila enterocytes upon bacterial infection.

Cytokine signaling is responsible for coordinating conserved epithelial regeneration and immune responses in the digestive tract. In the Drosophila midgut, Upd3 is a major cytokine, which is induced in enterocytes (EC) and enteroblasts (EB) upon oral infection, and initiates intestinal stem cell (ISC) dependent tissue repair. To date, the genetic network directing upd3 transcription remains largely uncharacterized.

Thioester-containing proteins regulate the Toll pathway and play a role in Drosophila defence against microbial pathogens and parasitoid wasps.

Background: Members of the thioester-containing protein (TEP) family contribute to host defence in both insects and mammals. However, their role in the immune response of Drosophila is elusive. In this study, we address the role of TEPs in Drosophila immunity by generating a mutant fly line, referred to as TEPq , lacking the four immune-inducible TEPs, TEP1, 2, 3 and 4.

WGADseq: Whole Genome Affinity Determination of Protein-DNA Binding Sites.

We present a method through which one may monitor the relative binding affinity of a given protein to DNA motifs on the scale of a whole genome. Briefly, the protein of interest is incubated with fragmented genomic DNA and then affixed to a column. Washes with buffers containing low salt concentrations will remove nonbound DNA fragments, while stepwise washes with increasing salt concentrations will elute more specifically bound fragments.

Cell division licensing in the multi-chromosomal Vibrio cholerae bacterium.

Cell division must be coordinated with chromosome replication and segregation to ensure the faithful transmission of genetic information during proliferation. In most bacteria, assembly of the division apparatus, the divisome, starts with the polymerization of a tubulin homologue, FtsZ, into a ring-like structure at mid-cell, the Z-ring(1). It typically occurs at half of the cell cycle when most of the replication and segregation cycle of the unique chromosome they generally harbour is achieved(2).

Fatty acid synthase cooperates with glyoxalase 1 to protect against sugar toxicity.

Fatty acid (FA) metabolism is deregulated in several human diseases including metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cancers. Therefore, FA-metabolic enzymes are potential targets for drug therapy, although the consequence of these treatments must be precisely evaluated at the organismal and cellular levels. In healthy organism, synthesis of triacylglycerols (TAGs)-composed of three FA units esterified to a glycerol backbone-is increased in response to dietary sugar.

Small-molecule screening using Drosophila models of human neurological disorders.

Within the last decade, Drosophila has emerged as a premiere model system for the study of human neurodegenerative diseases, due to the realization that flies and humans share many structurally and functionally related gene families. Development of such disease models in the fly allows genetic approaches to be applied to address specific hypotheses concerning disease progression and to test candidate modifier genes. More recently these fly models have also been used for drug discovery.

Independent role for presynaptic FMRP revealed by an FMR1 missense mutation associated with intellectual disability and seizures.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) results in intellectual disability (ID) most often caused by silencing of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene. The resulting absence of fragile X mental retardation protein 1 (FMRP) leads to both pre- and postsynaptic defects, yet whether the pre- and postsynaptic functions of FMRP are independent and have distinct roles in FXS neuropathology remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate an independent presynaptic function for FMRP through the study of an ID patient with an FMR1 missense mutation.

The Drosophila MAPK p38c regulates oxidative stress and lipid homeostasis in the intestine.

The p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling cassette has been implicated in stress and immunity in evolutionarily diverse species. In response to a wide variety of physical, chemical and biological stresses p38 kinases phosphorylate various substrates, transcription factors of the ATF family and other protein kinases, regulating cellular adaptation to stress. The Drosophila genome encodes three p38 kinases named p38a, p38b and p38c.

Forward and feedback regulation of cyclic steroid production in Drosophila melanogaster.

In most animals, steroid hormones are crucial regulators of physiology and developmental life transitions. Steroid synthesis depends on extrinsic parameters and autoregulatory processes to fine-tune the dynamics of hormone production. In Drosophila, transient increases of the steroid prohormone ecdysone, produced at each larval stage, are necessary to trigger moulting and metamorphosis.

CGG repeats in RNA modulate expression of TDP-43 in mouse and fly models of fragile X tremor ataxia syndrome.

Determining the molecular mechanism(s) leading to Purkinje neuron loss in the neurodegenerative disorder fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is limited by the complex morphology of this cell type. Purkinje neurons are notoriously difficult to isolate and maintain in culture presenting considerable difficultly to identify molecular changes in response to expanded CGG repeat (rCGG)-containing mRNA that induces neurotoxicity in FXTAS. Several studies have uncovered a number of RNA-binding proteins involved in translation that aberrantly interact with the CGG-containing RNA; however, whether these interactions alter the translational profile of cells has not been investigated.

Prophenoloxidase activation is required for survival to microbial infections in Drosophila.

The melanization reaction is a major immune response in Arthropods and involves the rapid synthesis of melanin at the site of infection and injury. A key enzyme in the melanization process is phenoloxidase (PO), which catalyzes the oxidation of phenols to quinones, which subsequently polymerize into melanin. The Drosophila genome encodes three POs, which are primarily produced as zymogens or prophenoloxidases (PPO).