Dataset Information

Inducing Cold-Sensitivity in the Frigophilic Fly Drosophila montana by RNAi.

ABSTRACT: Cold acclimation is a critical physiological adaptation for coping with seasonal cold. By increasing their cold tolerance individuals can remain active for longer at the onset of winter and can recover more quickly from a cold shock. In insects, despite many physiological studies, little is known about the genetic basis of cold acclimation. Recently, transcriptomic analyses in Drosophila virilis and D. montana revealed candidate genes for cold acclimation by identifying genes upregulated during exposure to cold. Here, we test the role of myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase (Inos), in cold tolerance in D. montana using an RNAi approach. D. montana has a circumpolar distribution and overwinters as an adult in northern latitudes with extreme cold. We assessed cold tolerance of dsRNA knock-down flies using two metrics: chill-coma recovery time (CCRT) and mortality rate after cold acclimation. Injection of dsRNAInos did not alter CCRT, either overall or in interaction with the cold treatment, however it did induced cold-specific mortality, with high levels of mortality observed in injected flies acclimated at 5°C but not at 19°C. Overall, injection with dsRNAInos induced a temperature-sensitive mortality rate of over 60% in this normally cold-tolerant species. qPCR analysis confirmed that dsRNA injection successfully reduced gene expression of Inos. Thus, our results demonstrate the involvement of Inos in increasing cold tolerance in D. montana. The potential mechanisms involved by which Inos increases cold tolerance are also discussed.

SUBMITTER: Vigoder FM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5104470 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Inducing Cold-Sensitivity in the Frigophilic Fly Drosophila montana by RNAi.

Vigoder Felipe M FM Parker Darren J DJ Cook Nicola N Tournière Océane O Sneddon Tanya T Ritchie Michael G MG

PloS one 20161110 11

Cold acclimation is a critical physiological adaptation for coping with seasonal cold. By increasing their cold tolerance individuals can remain active for longer at the onset of winter and can recover more quickly from a cold shock. In insects, despite many physiological studies, little is known about the genetic basis of cold acclimation. Recently, transcriptomic analyses in Drosophila virilis and D. montana revealed candidate genes for cold acclimation by identifying genes upregulated during ...[more]

PMID: 27832122

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Project description:We utilized a candidate gene approach using custom microarray constructed for our study species Drosophila montana and D. virilis to identify genes with modulated expression patterns under low temperature conditions. The flies were exposed to four different treatments (+5°C for 6 days, 0°C for 1 hour, two periods of recovery after cold stress and a control treatment). The aim of the study was to identify potential cold-responsive genes and to investigate differences in gene expression between the species. Microarray analysis revealed altogether 31 out of 219 genes on the array to show expression changes during different stages of cold stress. Among the potential stress tolerance genes detected earlier in D. melanogaster, hsr-omega was upregulated in both species during cold acclimation, expression changes in other genes being treatment- and species specific. Our microarray study clearly showed that different stages of cold response elicit changes at least in genes involved in heat shock response, circadian rhythm and metabolism. Cold- induced gene expression was investigated comparing four different treatments to the control treatment: 1) Cold acclimation: 14 days in control conditions, then 6 days at +5°C 2) Cold hardening: 20 days in control conditions, then1 hour at 0°C 3) 15-min recovery from chill coma: the 20-day-old flies were exposed to -6°C for 16 hours, after which they were let to recover for 15 minutes 4) 1-hour recovery from chill coma: the 20-day-old flies were exposed to -6°C for 16 hours, after which they were let to recover for 1 hour. In control treatment flies were kept for 20 days at 19°C. All the flies were 20-days old at the time of sample collection, and the light:dark cycle was 22 hours of light and 2 hours of dark. Because of the limited space on the array plate, the recovery samples were collected only for D. montana. All the samples were collected 5-6 hours after the lights had been turned on in the chamber and the flies were immediately immersed in liquid nitrogen, after which they were stored at -84ºC. Three pools of ten flies were collected from each treatment group.

Dataset Information

Inducing Cold-Sensitivity in the Frigophilic Fly Drosophila montana by RNAi.

Publications

Inducing Cold-Sensitivity in the Frigophilic Fly Drosophila montana by RNAi.

Similar Datasets

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