Did a small thermosensitive intron contribute to the temperate adaptation of ?

was first used for research in the early 1900's by scientists located in the northeastern corridor of the United States, gaining prominence with the establishment of the famous "fly room" by Thomas Hunt Morgan at Columbia University circa1908. Several reasons for using in research are well known; easy and inexpensive to breed, short lifespan, amongst others. But why was this insect species flourishing in a temperate northeast region of the New World during the late 1800's when they originated in the tropical forests of sub-Saharan Africa millions of years ago? The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the experimental underpinnings for a temperature sensitive mechanism that likely contributed to the rather unique ability of to successfully colonize temperate regions on a global scale.

A Conserved Requirement for RME-8/DNAJC13 in Neuronal Autolysosome Reformation.

Autophagosomes fuse with lysosomes, forming autolysosomes that degrade engulfed cargo. To maintain lysosomal capacity, autolysosome reformation (ALR) must regenerate lysosomes from autolysosomes using a membrane tubule-based process. Maintaining lysosomal capacity is required to maintain proteostasis and cellular health, especially in neurons where lysosomal dysfunction has been repeatedly implicated in neurodegenerative disease.

Mutagenesis and structural modeling implicate RME-8 IWN domains as conformational control points.

After endocytosis, transmembrane cargo is differentially sorted into degradative or recycling pathways. This process is facilitated by recruitment into physically distinct degradative or recycling microdomains on the limiting membrane of individual endosomes. Endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) mark the degradative microdomain, while the recycling domain is marked by the retromer complex and associated proteins RME-8 and SNX-1.

Gluconeogenesis and PEPCK are critical components of healthy aging and dietary restriction life extension.

High glucose diets are unhealthy, although the mechanisms by which elevated glucose is harmful to whole animal physiology are not well understood. In Caenorhabditis elegans, high glucose shortens lifespan, while chemically inflicted glucose restriction promotes longevity. We investigated the impact of glucose metabolism on aging quality (maintained locomotory capacity and median lifespan) and found that, in addition to shortening lifespan, excess glucose negatively impacts locomotory healthspan.

Influenza virus NS1 protein interacts with the cellular 30 kDa subunit of CPSF and inhibits 3'end formation of cellular pre-mRNAs.

Inhibition of the nuclear export of poly(A)-containing mRNAs caused by the influenza A virus NS1 protein requires its effector domain. Here, we demonstrate that the NS1 effector domain functionally interacts with the cellular 30 kDa subunit of CPSF, an essential component of the 3' end processing machinery of cellular pre-mRNAs. In influenza virus-infected cells, the NS1 protein is physically associated with CPSF 30 kDa.