scholarly journals Miro, a Rho GTPase genetically interacts with Alzheimer's disease-associated genes (Tau, Aβ42 and Appl) in Drosophila melanogaster

Biology Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. bio049569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Komal Panchal ◽  
Anand Krishna Tiwari

ABSTRACTMiro (mitochondrial Rho GTPases), a mitochondrial outer membrane protein, facilitates mitochondrial axonal transport along the microtubules to facilitate neuronal function. It plays an important role in regulating mitochondrial dynamics (fusion and fission) and cellular energy generation. Thus, Miro might be associated with the key pathologies of several neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) including Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present manuscript, we have demonstrated the possible genetic interaction between Miro and AD-related genes such as Tau, Aβ42 and Appl in Drosophila melanogaster. Ectopic expression of Tau, Aβ42 and Appl induced a rough eye phenotype, defects in phototaxis and climbing activity, and shortened lifespan in the flies. In our study, we have observed that overexpression of Miro improves the rough eye phenotype, behavioral activities (climbing and phototaxis) and ATP level in AD model flies. Further, the improvement examined in AD-related phenotypes was correlated with decreased oxidative stress, cell death and neurodegeneration in Miro overexpressing AD model flies. Thus, the obtained results suggested that Miro genetically interacts with AD-related genes in Drosophila and has the potential to be used as a therapeutic target for the design of therapeutic strategies for NDs.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Biology Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. bio055632

ABSTRACTFirst Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Komal Panchal is first author on ‘Miro, a Rho GTPase genetically interacts with Alzheimer's disease-associated genes (Tau, Aβ42 and Appl) in Drosophila melanogaster’, published in BiO. Komal is a PhD student in the lab of Dr Anand K. Tiwari at the Institute of Advanced Research (IAR), Koba Institutional Area, Gujarat, India, investigating the possible molecular basis of Alzheimer's disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Chinonye A Maduagwuna ◽  

Study background: Chronic neuroinflammation is a common emerging hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia among the elderly and is characterized by loss of memory and other cognitive functions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 1275-1282
Author(s):  
Gina M. Peloso ◽  
Alexa S. Beiser ◽  
Anita L. Destefano ◽  
Sudha Seshadri

2009 ◽  
Vol 109 ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinglong Wang ◽  
Bo Su ◽  
Ling Zheng ◽  
George Perry ◽  
Mark A. Smith ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenrui Huang ◽  
Anne Marie Bartosch ◽  
Harrison Xiao ◽  
Xena Flowers ◽  
Sandra Leskinen ◽  
...  

AbstractIn an effort to better characterize the transcriptomic changes that accompany early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology in living patients and correlate with contemporaneous cognitive data, we performed RNA-seq on 106 cortical biopsies that were taken during shunt placement for adult onset hydrocephalus with varying degrees of comorbid AD pathology. A restricted set of genes correlate with AD pathology in these biopsies, and co-expression network analysis demonstrates an evolution from microglial homeostasis to a disease-associated microglial phenotype in conjunction with increasing AD pathologic burden, along with a subset of additional astrocytic and neuronal genes that accompany these changes. Further analysis demonstrates that these correlations are driven by patients that report mild cognitive symptoms, despite similar levels of β-amyloid and tau pathology in comparison to patients who report no cognitive symptoms. Interestingly, downregulation of homeostatic genes and upregulation of disease-associated genes also correlate with microglial plaque invasion and an activated microglial morphology, and this change is not sensitive to cognitive status, suggesting that an initial microglial response to AD pathology is eventually maladaptive. Taken together, these findings highlight a restricted set of microglial and non-microglial genes and suggest that early AD pathology is largely characterized by a loss of homeostatic genes and an activated microglial phenotype that continues to evolve in conjunction with accumulating AD pathology in the setting of subjective cognitive decline.


2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (4) ◽  
pp. H475-H484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pallabi Sarkar ◽  
Ivan Zaja ◽  
Martin Bienengraeber ◽  
Kevin R. Rarick ◽  
Maia Terashvili ◽  
...  

Amyloid-β (Aβ) has long been implicated as a causative protein in Alzheimer's disease. Cellular Aβ accumulation is toxic and causes mitochondrial dysfunction, which precedes clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease pathology. In the present study, we explored the possible use of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), epoxide metabolites of arachidonic acid, as therapeutic target against Aβ-induced mitochondrial impairment using cultured neonatal hippocampal astrocytes. Inhibition of endogenous EET production by a selective epoxygenase inhibitor, MS-PPOH, caused a greater reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential in the presence of Aβ (1, 10 μM) exposure versus absence of Aβ. MS-PPOH preincubation also aggravated Aβ-induced mitochondrial fragmentation. Preincubation of the cells with either 14,15- or 11,12-EET prevented this mitochondrial depolarization and fragmentation. EET pretreatment also further improved the reduction observed in mitochondrial oxygen consumption in the presence of Aβ. Preincubation of the cells with EETs significantly improved cellular respiration under basal condition and in the presence of the protonophore, carbonyl cyanide 4-(trifluoromethoxy) phenylhydrazone (FCCP). The uncoupling of ATP synthase from the electron transfer chain that occurred in Aβ-treated cells was also prevented by preincubation with EETs. Lastly, cellular reactive oxygen species production, a hallmark of Aβ toxicity, also showed significant reduction in the presence of EETs. We have previously shown that Aβ reduces EET synthesis in rat brain homogenates and cultured hippocampal astrocytes and neurons (Sarkar P, Narayanan J, Harder DR. Differential effect of amyloid beta on the cytochrome P450 epoxygenase activity in rat brain. Neuroscience 194: 241–249, 2011). We conclude that reduction of endogenous EETs may be one of the mechanisms through which Aβ inflicts toxicity and thus supplementing the cells with exogenous EETs improves mitochondrial dynamics and prevents metabolic impairment.


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