scholarly journals Assessing the Age-Specific Phagocytic Ability of Adult Drosophila melanogaster Hemocytes using an In Vivo Phagocytosis Assay

10.3791/60983 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shonda M. Campbell ◽  
Michelle Starz-Gaiano ◽  
Jeff Leips
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Phagocytosis Assay ◽  
Phagocytic Ability

Insights into amyloid disease from fly models

2014 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 69-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ko-Fan Chen ◽  
Damian C. Crowther
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorders ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Amyloid Β Peptide ◽  
Disease Pathogenesis ◽  
Amyloid Aggregates ◽  
Aβ Amyloid ◽  
Polypeptide Chains ◽  
Amyloid Diseases

The formation of amyloid aggregates is a feature of most, if not all, polypeptide chains. In vivo modelling of this process has been undertaken in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster with remarkable success. Models of both neurological and systemic amyloid diseases have been generated and have informed our understanding of disease pathogenesis in two main ways. First, the toxic amyloid species have been at least partially characterized, for example in the case of the Aβ (amyloid β-peptide) associated with Alzheimer's disease. Secondly, the genetic underpinning of model disease-linked phenotypes has been characterized for a number of neurodegenerative disorders. The current challenge is to integrate our understanding of disease-linked processes in the fly with our growing knowledge of human disease, for the benefit of patients.

scholarly journals Synthesis, Quantification, and Characterization of Fatty Acid Amides from In Vitro and In Vivo Sources

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2543
Author(s):  
Ruidong Ni ◽  
Suzeeta Bhandari ◽  
Perry R. Mitchell ◽  
Gabriela Suarez ◽  
Neel B. Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Chemical Synthesis ◽  
Acid Amide ◽  
Fatty Acid Amides ◽  
Fatty Acid Amide

Fatty acid amides are a diverse family of underappreciated, biologically occurring lipids. Herein, the methods for the chemical synthesis and subsequent characterization of specific members of the fatty acid amide family are described. The synthetically prepared fatty acid amides and those obtained commercially are used as standards for the characterization and quantification of the fatty acid amides produced by biological systems, a fatty acid amidome. The fatty acid amidomes from mouse N18TG2 cells, sheep choroid plexus cells, Drosophila melanogaster, Bombyx mori, Apis mellifera, and Tribolium castaneum are presented.

scholarly journals In Vivo and In Vitro Assays Evaluating the Biological Activity of Taurine, Glucose and Energetic Beverages

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 2198
Author(s):  
Marcos Mateo-Fernández ◽  
Fernando Valenzuela-Gómez ◽  
Rafael Font ◽  
Mercedes Del Río-Celestino ◽  
Tania Merinas-Amo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Biological Activity ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Methylation Status ◽  
Repetitive Sequences ◽  
Energy Drinks ◽  
Red Bull

Taurine is one of the main ingredients used in energy drinks which are highly consumed in adolescents for their sugary taste and stimulating effect. With energy drinks becoming a worldwide phenomenon, the biological effects of these beverages must be evaluated in order to fully comprehend the potential impact of these products on the health due to the fact nutrition is closely related to science since the population consumes food to prevent certain diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the biological effects of taurine, glucose, classic Red Bull® and sugar-free Red Bull® in order to check the food safety and the nutraceutical potential of these compounds, characterising different endpoints: (i) Toxicology, antitoxicology, genotoxicology and life expectancy assays were performed in the Drosophila melanogaster model organism; (ii) The in vitro chemopreventive activity of testing compounds was determined by assessing their cytotoxicity, the proapoptotic DNA-damage capability to induce internucleosomal fragmentation, the strand breaks activity and the modulator role on the methylation status of genomic repetitive sequences of HL-60 promyelocytic cells. Whereas none tested compounds showed toxic or genotoxic effect, all tested compounds exerted antitoxic and antigenotoxic activity in Drosophila. Glucose, classic Red Bull® and sugar-free Red Bull® were cytotoxic in HL-60 cell line. Classic Red Bull® induced DNA internucleosomal fragmentation although none of them exhibited DNA damage on human leukaemia cells. In conclusion, the tested compounds are safe on Drosophila melanogaster and classic Red Bull® could overall possess nutraceutical potential in the in vivo and in vitro model used in this study. Besides, taurine could holistically be one of the bioactive compounds responsible for the biological activity of classic Red Bull®.

scholarly journals Influence of Dopamine on Fluorescent Advanced Glycation End Products Formation Using Drosophila melanogaster

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 453
Author(s):  
Ana Filošević Vujnović ◽  
Katarina Jović ◽  
Emanuel Pištan ◽  
Rozi Andretić Waldowski
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Advanced Glycation End Products ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Covalent Modification ◽  
Advanced Glycation ◽  
Biomarkers Of Aging ◽  
Glycation End Products ◽  
End Products

Non-enzymatic glycation and covalent modification of proteins leads to Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). AGEs are biomarkers of aging and neurodegenerative disease, and can be induced by impaired neuronal signaling. The objective of this study was to investigate if manipulation of dopamine (DA) in vitro using the model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), and in vivo using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, influences fluorescent AGEs (fAGEs) formation as an indicator of dopamine-induced oxidation events. DA inhibited fAGEs-BSA synthesis in vitro, suggesting an anti-oxidative effect, which was not observed when flies were fed DA. Feeding flies cocaine and methamphetamine led to increased fAGEs formation. Mutants lacking the dopaminergic transporter or the D1-type showed further elevation of fAGEs accumulation, indicating that the long-term perturbation in DA function leads to higher production of fAGEs. To confirm that DA has oxidative properties in vivo, we fed flies antioxidant quercetin (QUE) together with methamphetamine. QUE significantly decreased methamphetamine-induced fAGEs formation suggesting that the perturbation of DA function in vivo leads to increased oxidation. These findings present arguments for the use of fAGEs as a biomarker of DA-associated neurodegenerative changes and for assessment of antioxidant interventions such as QUE treatment.

scholarly journals PRESENCE OF A BASE LINE LEVEL OF SISTER CHROMATID EXCHANGES IN SOMATIC CELLS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER IN VIVO AND IN VITRO

Genetics ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 100 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-278
Author(s):  
Hideo Tsuji
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sister Chromatid ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Sister Chromatid Exchanges ◽  
Base Line ◽  
Cell Cycles ◽  
Chromatid Exchanges ◽  
Third Instar Larvae

ABSTRACT Sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) under in vivo and in vitro conditions were examined in ganglion cells of third-instar larvae of Drosophila melanogaster (Oregon-R). In the in vivo experiment, third-instar larvae were fed on synthetic media containing 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd). After two cell cycles, ganglia were dissected and treated with colchicine. In the in vitro experiment, the ganglia were also incubated in media containing BrdUrd for two cell cycles, and treated with colchicine. SCEs were scored in metaphase stained with Hoechst 33258 plus Giemsa. The frequencies of SCEs stayed constant in the range of 25-150 vg/ml and 0.25-2.5 vg/ml of BrdUrd in vivo and in vitro, respectively. SCEs gradually increased at higher concentrations, strongly suggesting that at least a fraction of the detected SCEs are spontaneous. The constant levels of SCE frequency were estimated, on the average, at 0.103 per cell per two cell cycles for females and 0.101 for males in vivo and at 0.096 for females and 0.091 for males in vitro. No difference was found in the SCE frequency between sexes at any of the BrdUrd concentrations. The analysis for the distribution of SCEs within chromosomes revealed an extraordinarily high proportion of the SCEs at the junctions between euchromatin and heterochromatin; the remaining SCEs were preferentially localized in the euchromatic regions of the chromosomes and in the heterochromatic Y chromosome. These results were largely inconsistent with those of Gatti et al. (1979).

scholarly journals Inhibition of platelet phagocytosis as an in vitro predictor for therapeutic potential of RBC antibodies in murine ITP

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 135 (26) ◽  
pp. 2420-2424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramsha Khan ◽  
Melissa Menard ◽  
Chao-Ching Jen ◽  
Xi Chen ◽  
Peter A. A. Norris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Cells ◽  
Immune Thrombocytopenia ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Sufficient Condition ◽  
First Line ◽  
Phagocytosis Assay ◽  
First Line Therapy ◽  
Line Therapy

Abstract Polyclonal anti-D is a first-line therapy for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Monoclonal antibodies are desirable alternatives, but none have yet proven successful despite their ability to opsonize erythrocytes (or red blood cells, RBCs) and cause anemia. Here, we examined 12 murine erythrocyte–specific antibodies of different specificity and subtypes and found that 8 of these antibodies could induce anemia in antigen-positive mice. Of these 8 antibodies, only 5 ameliorated ITP. All antibodies were examined for their in vitro ability to support macrophage-mediated phagocytosis of erythrocytes. Antibodies which supported erythrocyte phagocytosis in vitro successfully ameliorated ITP in vivo. To examine the ability of each antibody to inhibit phagocytosis of platelets, the antibodies were used to sensitize erythrocytes in vitro and these were added to a platelet phagocytosis assay. Antibodies that inhibited platelet phagocytosis in vitro also all ameliorated ITP in vivo. We conclude that inducing anemia is not a sufficient condition for amelioration of ITP but that the antibody’s ability to prevent platelet phagocytosis in vitro predicted its ability to ameliorate ITP. We suggest that inhibition of in vitro platelet phagocytosis may prove to be a valuable tool for determining which erythrocyte antibodies would likely be candidates for clinical use in ITP.

Genetic analysis of oxygen defense mechanisms in Drosophila melanogaster and identification of a novel behavioural mutant with a Shaker phenotype

Genome ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 749-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. Humphreys ◽  
Brenda Duyf ◽  
Mei-Ling A. Joiner ◽  
John P. Phillips ◽  
Arthur J. Hilliker
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Chromosome Region ◽  
Recessive Mutation ◽  
Ether Anaesthesia ◽  
Ros Metabolism ◽  
Chromosome Mutations ◽  
New Gene ◽  
New Alleles

Mutants of Drosophila melanogaster that lack Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase or urate are hypersensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in vivo by the redox-cycling agent paraquat. We have subsequently employed paraquat as a selective agent to identify adult viable mutants potentially defective in other, perhaps unknown, components of ROS metabolism. Paraquat screening of ethyl methanesulfonate-induced second- and third-chromosome mutations yielded 24 paraquat hypersensitive mutants. Two mutants were identified as being new alleles of the previously identified doublesex (dsx) and pink (p) genes. The remainder of the mutations identified previously undescribed genes, including one second chromosome paraquat hypersensitive mutant that was found to exhibit shaking legs, abdomen pulsations, and body shuddering under ether anaesthesia. This recessive mutation was mapped to the polytene chromosome region of 48A5–48B2 and defines a new gene we named quiver (qvr). This mutation is similar in phenotype to the Shaker (Sh), ether-a-gogo (eag), and Hyperkinetic (Hk) mutations, all of which affect potassium channel function in D. melanogaster. Key words : Drosophila, paraquat, EMS-mutagenesis, Shaker, oxidative-stress.

scholarly journals Cross-Species RNAi Rescue Platform in Drosophila melanogaster

Genetics ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 183 (3) ◽  
pp. 1165-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Kondo ◽  
Matthew Booker ◽  
Norbert Perrimon
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Transgenic Animals ◽  
Selection Marker ◽  
Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Artificial Chromosomes ◽  
Target Effects

RNAi-mediated gene knockdown in Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful method to analyze loss-of-function phenotypes both in cell culture and in vivo. However, it has also become clear that false positives caused by off-target effects are prevalent, requiring careful validation of RNAi-induced phenotypes. The most rigorous proof that an RNAi-induced phenotype is due to loss of its intended target is to rescue the phenotype by a transgene impervious to RNAi. For large-scale validations in the mouse and Caenorhabditis elegans, this has been accomplished by using bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) of related species. However, in Drosophila, this approach is not feasible because transformation of large BACs is inefficient. We have therefore developed a general RNAi rescue approach for Drosophila that employs Cre/loxP-mediated recombination to rapidly retrofit existing fosmid clones into rescue constructs. Retrofitted fosmid clones carry a selection marker and a phiC31 attB site, which facilitates the production of transgenic animals. Here, we describe our approach and demonstrate proof-of-principle experiments showing that D. pseudoobscura fosmids can successfully rescue RNAi-induced phenotypes in D. melanogaster, both in cell culture and in vivo. Altogether, the tools and method that we have developed provide a gold standard for validation of Drosophila RNAi experiments.

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