First person – Komal Panchal

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.

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

Biology Open ◽

10.1242/bio.049569 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. bio049569 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Komal Panchal ◽

Anand Krishna Tiwari

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Rho Gtpases ◽

Rho Gtpase ◽

Genetic Interaction ◽

Mitochondrial Dynamics ◽

Ectopic Expression ◽

Mitochondrial Outer Membrane ◽

Disease Associated Genes

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.

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First person – Manuela Santalla

Biology Open ◽

10.1242/bio.058569 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Heart Function ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Early Career ◽

First Person ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

Selection Of

ABSTRACT First 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. Manuela Santalla is first author on ‘Testing the effect of tobacco cigarettes on heart function of Drosophila melanogaster’, published in BiO. Manuela is a postdoc in the lab of Dr. Paola Ferrero, interested in understanding how the heart works. She studies the physiology of the heart of the fruit fly and how different conditions affect it.

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First person – Laura Tamberg

Disease Models & Mechanisms ◽

10.1242/dmm.046532 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. dmm046532

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factor ◽

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Model System ◽

Early Career ◽

Disease Models ◽

First Person ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

University Of Technology ◽

Selection Of

ABSTRACTFirst Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Laura Tamberg is first author on ‘Daughterless, the Drosophila orthologue of TCF4, is required for associative learning and maintenance of the synaptic proteome’, published in DMM. Laura is a PhD student in the lab of Tõnis Timmusk at the Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia. Her research involves investigating the use of Drosophila melanogaster as a model system to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying transcription factor TCF4-related neuronal diseases.

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First person – Ekaterina Migunova

Disease Models & Mechanisms ◽

10.1242/dmm.049235 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (8) ◽

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Cardiac Hypertrophy ◽

Early Career ◽

Disease Models ◽

First Person ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

Selection Of

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Ekaterina Migunova is first author on ‘ ELAC2/RNaseZ-linked cardiac hypertrophy in Drosophila melanogaster’, published in DMM. Ekaterina is a PhD student in the lab of Edward Dubrovsky at Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA, investigating the role of ELAC2 mutations in cardiomyopathy.

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Future Leader to Watch – Olayemi Joseph Olajide

Biology Open ◽

10.1242/bio.058548 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. bio058548

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Selective Vulnerability ◽

Early Career ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

Concordia University ◽

Behavioral Neurobiology ◽

Molecular Neurodegeneration ◽

Selection Of

ABSTRACTFuture Leader to Watch 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. Olayemi Joseph Olajide is first author on ‘Molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration in the entorhinal cortex that underlie its selective vulnerability during the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease’, published in BiO. He is a Research Fellow in the Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, investigating the mechanisms of molecular neurodegeneration during the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

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First person – Fanny Jaudon and Martina Albini

Journal of Cell Science ◽

10.1242/jcs.259251 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 134 (16) ◽

Keyword(s):

Neurotrophic Factor ◽

Neurological Disorders ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Neurological Diseases ◽

Early Career ◽

First Person ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

And Function ◽

The University ◽

Selection Of

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Fanny Jaudon and Martina Albini are co-first authors on ‘ A developmental stage- and Kidins220-dependent switch in astrocyte responsiveness to brain-derived neurotrophic factor’, published in JCS. Fanny is a postdoc at the University of Trieste in the lab of Lorenzo A. Cingolani at Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy, investigating the molecular mechanisms controlling development and function of neuronal circuits and implementing genome-editing approaches for the treatment of neurological disorders. Martina is a PhD student at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in the lab of Fabio Benfenati and Fabrizia Cesca investigating neurotrophin biology and its involvement in neurological diseases.

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First person – Federico Pecori

Journal of Cell Science ◽

10.1242/jcs.255166 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 133 (20) ◽

pp. jcs255166

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Cell Biology ◽

Embryonic Stem ◽

Early Career ◽

First Person ◽

Receptor Endocytosis ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

Selection Of

ABSTRACTFirst Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Federico Pecori is first author on ‘Mucin-type O-glycosylation controls pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells via Wnt receptor endocytosis’, published in JCS. Federico is a PhD student in the lab of Shoko Nishihara at the Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Bioinformatics, Soka University, Tokyo, Japan, where he is interested in the mechanisms regulating stem cell identity.

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First person – Magdalena Cardenas-Rodriguez

Journal of Cell Science ◽

10.1242/jcs.259056 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 134 (14) ◽

Keyword(s):

Molecular Genetics ◽

Small Gtpases ◽

Early Career ◽

Human Diseases ◽

First Person ◽

Research Assistant ◽

Cellular Processes ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

Genetic Compensation ◽

Selection Of

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Magdalena Cardenas-Rodriguez is first author on ‘ Genetic compensation for cilia defects in cep290 mutants by upregulation of cilia-associated small GTPases’, published in JCS. Magdalena is a research assistant in the lab of Jose Luis Badano at Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay, investigating the cellular processes that are altered in cilia-related human diseases.

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First person – Natalí Delorme and Leonardo Zamora

Biology Open ◽

10.1242/bio.059175 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Life Cycle ◽

New Zealand ◽

Stress Response ◽

Marine Invertebrates ◽

Early Career ◽

New Method ◽

First Person ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

Selection Of

ABSTRACT First 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. Natalí Delorme and Leonardo Zamora are co-first authors on ‘ A new method to localise and quantify oxidative stress in live juvenile mussels’, published in BiO. They are both researchers in the laboratory of Serean Adams at the Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand. Natalí's research interests centre around ecophysiology of marine invertebrates, particularly on the organisms' stress response. Leonardo is investigating the biology of commercially, ecologically and culturally relevant marine invertebrates throughout their life cycle.

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First person – Jia Yu and Pei-Ju Liao

Journal of Cell Science ◽

10.1242/jcs.259653 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 134 (24) ◽

Keyword(s):

Protein Interactions ◽

Structural Model ◽

Early Career ◽

Drug Binding ◽

First Person ◽

Protein Protein Interactions ◽

Early Career Researchers ◽

Complex Simulation ◽

Drug Binding Sites ◽

Selection Of

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Jia Yu and Pei-Ju Liao are co-first authors on ‘ Structural model of human PORCN illuminates disease-associated variants and drug-binding sites’, published in JCS. Jia is a senior postdoc in the lab of David Virshup at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, investigating Wnt secretion and signalling; in particular, how Wnt trafficking and secretion is regulated by two integral membrane proteins, porcupine and WLS. Pei-Ju is a research assistant in the same lab, investigating protein–protein interactions in the systems biology of signalling pathways using protein structure modelling and protein complex simulation.

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