Specialized Cortex Glial Cells Accumulate Lipid Droplets in Drosophila melanogaster

We have examined the generation and development of glial cells in the first optic ganglion, the lamina, of Drosophila melanogaster. Previous work has shown that the growth of retinal axons into the developing optic lobes induces the terminal cell divisions that generate the lamina monopolar neurons. We investigated whether photoreceptor ingrowth also influences the development of lamina glial cells, using P element enhancer trap lines, genetic mosaics and birthdating analysis. Enhancer trap lines that mark the differentiating lamina glial cells were found to require retinal innervation for expression. In mutants with only a few photoreceptors, only the few glial cells near ingrowing axons expressed the marker. Genetic mosaic analysis indicates that the lamina neurons and glial cells are readily separable, suggesting that these are derived from distinct lineages. Additionally, BrdU pulse-chase experiments showed that the cell divisions that produce lamina glia, unlike those producing lamina neurons, are not spatially or temporally correlated with the retinal axon ingrowth. Finally, in mutants lacking photoreceptors, cell divisions in the glial lineage appeared normal. We conclude that the lamina glial cells derive from a lineage that is distinct from that of the L-neurons, that glia are generated independently of photoreceptor input, and that completion of the terminal glial differentiation program depends, directly or indirectly, on an inductive signal from photoreceptor axons.

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Glial cells in neuronal development: recent advances and insights from Drosophila melanogaster

Neuroscience Bulletin ◽

10.1007/s12264-014-1448-2 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 584-594 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Jiayao Ou ◽

Yijing He ◽

Xi Xiao ◽

Tian-Ming Yu ◽

Changyan Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Glial Cells ◽

Neuronal Development ◽

Recent Advances

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Flavonoids Regulate Lipid Droplets Biogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster

Natural Product Communications ◽

10.1177/1934578x19852430 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (5) ◽

pp. 1934578X1985243 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marianna Fantin ◽

Francesca Garelli ◽

Barbara Napoli ◽

Alessia Forgiarini ◽

Sentiljana Gumeni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Lipid Metabolism ◽

Lipid Droplets ◽

Metabolic Diseases ◽

Protective Role ◽

Fat Storage ◽

Fat Bodies ◽

Obesity And Cancer ◽

Neuronal Disorders

Lipid droplets (LDs), cytosolic fat storage organelles, are emerging as major regulators of lipid metabolism, trafficking, and signaling in various cells and tissues. LDs are altered in cardiovascular and neuronal disorders, inflammation, obesity, and cancer. Flavonoids comprise different classes of molecules, characterized by a well-known antioxidant activity and a beneficial effect in several diseases. However, the cellular mechanism by which different classes of flavonoids improve health is poorly understood, in particular as far as LDs biogenesis is concerned. Here we used Drosophila melanogaster as a model system to investigate the effects of a selected group of flavonoids on larval tissues by examining LDs biogenesis. In our study, fruit flies were grown in xanthohumol-, isoquercetin-, and genistein-enriched food and larval tissues were analyzed using a LD marker. Total mRNA expression of two main enzymes (minotaur and midway) responsible for triacylglycerides synthesis was evaluated after treatments. Among the flavonoids analyzed, xanthohumol and isoquercetin resulted to be potent regulators of LDs biogenesis in a tissue-specific manner, inducing fat storage decrease in fat bodies and accumulation of LDs in nerves. Since LDs have been suggested to play a protective role against intracellular stress in nonadipocyte cells, our data support the hypothesis that some phytochemicals could act as strong modulators of LDs biogenesis in vivo. The knowledge of how different flavonoids act on lipid metabolism in different tissues can help to manage the use of phytochemicals with the aim of selectively ameliorating specific neuronal and metabolic diseases’ manifestations.

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Downregulation of DmMANF in Glial Cells Results in Neurodegeneration and Affects Sleep and Lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2017.00610 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Lucyna Walkowicz ◽

Ewelina Kijak ◽

Wojciech Krzeptowski ◽

Jolanta Górska-Andrzejak ◽

Vassilis Stratoulias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Glial Cells

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Developmental expression of human tau in Drosophila melanogaster glial cells induces motor deficits and disrupts maintenance of PNS axonal integrity, without affecting synapse formation

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0226380 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. e0226380

Author(s):

Enrico M. Scarpelli ◽

Van Y. Trinh ◽

Zarrin Tashnim ◽

Jacob L. Krans ◽

Lani C. Keller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Glial Cells ◽

Synapse Formation ◽

Developmental Expression ◽

Motor Deficits

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Downregulation of EDTP in glial cells suppresses polyglutamine protein aggregates and extends lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster

Neuroscience Letters ◽

10.1016/j.neulet.2018.12.009 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 694 ◽

pp. 168-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Chengfeng Xiao ◽

Shuang Qiu

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Glial Cells ◽

Protein Aggregates ◽

Polyglutamine Protein

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Glide directs glial fate commitment and cell fate switch between neurones and glia

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.122.1.131 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 122 (1) ◽

pp. 131-139 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

S. Vincent ◽

J.L. Vonesch ◽

A. Giangrande

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Peripheral Nervous System ◽

Glial Cell ◽

Cell Fate ◽

Glial Cells ◽

Neuronal Development ◽

Precursor Cells ◽

A Cell ◽

Glial Fate

Glial cells constitute the second component of the nervous system and are important during neuronal development. In this paper we describe a gene, glial cell deficient, (glide), that is necessary for glial cell fate commitment in Drosophila melanogaster. Mutations at the glide locus prevent glial cell determination in the embryonic central and peripheral nervous system. Moreover, we show that the absence of glial cells is the consequence of a cell fate switch from glia to neurones. This suggests the existence of a multipotent precursor cells in the nervous system. glide mutants also display defects in axonal navigation, which confirms and extends previous results indicating a role for glial cells in these processes.

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Obesity-associated cardiac dysfunction in starvation-selected Drosophila melanogaster

AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpregu.00160.2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 309 (6) ◽

pp. R658-R667 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Christopher M. Hardy ◽

Ryan T. Birse ◽

Matthew J. Wolf ◽

Lin Yu ◽

Rolf Bodmer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Lipid Droplets ◽

Fat Body ◽

Strong Relationship ◽

Starvation Resistance ◽

Intracellular Lipid ◽

Genetic Changes ◽

Heart Dysfunction ◽

Genetic Manipulations ◽

Fat Deposits

There is a clear link between obesity and cardiovascular disease, but the complexity of this interaction in mammals makes it difficult to study. Among the animal models used to investigate obesity-associated diseases, Drosophila melanogaster has emerged as an important platform of discovery. In the laboratory, Drosophila can be made obese through lipogenic diets, genetic manipulations, and adaptation to evolutionary stress. While dietary and genetic changes that cause obesity in flies have been demonstrated to induce heart dysfunction, there have been no reports investigating how obesity affects the heart in laboratory-evolved populations. Here, we studied replicated populations of Drosophila that had been selected for starvation resistance for over 65 generations. These populations evolved characteristics that closely resemble hallmarks of metabolic syndrome in mammals. We demonstrate that starvation-selected Drosophila have dilated hearts with impaired contractility. This phenotype appears to be correlated with large fat deposits along the dorsal cuticle, which alter the anatomical position of the heart. We demonstrate a strong relationship between fat storage and heart dysfunction, as dilation and reduced contractility can be rescued through prolonged fasting. Unlike other Drosophila obesity models, the starvation-selected lines do not exhibit excessive intracellular lipid deposition within the myocardium and rather store excess triglycerides in large lipid droplets within the fat body. Our findings provide a new model to investigate obesity-associated heart dysfunction.

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The scoop on the fly brain: glial engulfment functions in Drosophila

Neuron Glia Biology ◽

10.1017/s1740925x0700049x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 63-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Mary A. Logan ◽

Marc R. Freeman

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Glial Cells ◽

Model System ◽

Adult Brain ◽

Trauma Studies ◽

Ideal Model ◽

Ideal Model System ◽

Insight Into ◽

Developing Nervous System

AbstractGlial cells provide support and protection for neurons in the embryonic and adult brain, mediated in part through the phagocytic activity of glia. Glial cells engulf apoptotic cells and pruned neurites from the developing nervous system, and also clear degenerating neuronal debris from the adult brain after neural trauma. Studies indicate that Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal model system to elucidate the mechanisms of engulfment by glia. The recent studies reviewed here show that many features of glial engulfment are conserved across species and argue that work in Drosophila will provide valuable cellular and molecular insight into glial engulfment activity in mammals.

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