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Serotonin modulates a depression-like state in Drosophila responsive to lithium treatment.

ABSTRACT: Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects millions of patients; however, the pathophysiology is poorly understood. Rodent models have been developed using chronic mild stress or unavoidable punishment (learned helplessness) to induce features of depression, like general inactivity and anhedonia. Here we report a three-day vibration-stress protocol for Drosophila that reduces voluntary behavioural activity. As in many MDD patients, lithium-chloride treatment can suppress this depression-like state in flies. The behavioural changes correlate with reduced serotonin (5-HT) release at the mushroom body (MB) and can be relieved by feeding the antidepressant 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan or sucrose, which results in elevated 5-HT levels in the brain. This relief is mediated by 5-HT-1A receptors in the ?-/?-lobes of the MB, whereas 5-HT-1B receptors in the ?-lobes control behavioural inactivity. The central role of serotonin in modulating stress responses in flies and mammals indicates evolutionary conserved pathways that can provide targets for treatment and strategies to induce resilience.

SUBMITTER: Ries AS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5467214 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Serotonin modulates a depression-like state in Drosophila responsive to lithium treatment.

Ries Ariane-Saskia AS Hermanns Tim T Poeck Burkhard B Strauss Roland R

Nature communications 20170606

Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects millions of patients; however, the pathophysiology is poorly understood. Rodent models have been developed using chronic mild stress or unavoidable punishment (learned helplessness) to induce features of depression, like general inactivity and anhedonia. Here we report a three-day vibration-stress protocol for Drosophila that reduces voluntary behavioural activity. As in many MDD patients, lithium-chloride treatment can suppress this depression-like state ...[more]

PMID: 28585544

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Project description:Lithium has been used for more than 50 years as the primary therapy for bipolar affective disorder (BPD) and is highly effective in its treatment. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the lithium’s therapeutic action still remains elusive. The goal of the proposed study is to identify genes involved in the lithium-responsive neurological pathway using the fruit fly as a model organism. Based on the fact that the fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms are well conserved between the fruit fly and vertebrates, the outcomes of this project are expected to lead to the recognition of uncharacterized players or processes responsible for the lithium action in the vertebrates, which would open up the future possibility to develop novel and improved therapies for BPD. The proposed gene-profiling experiment is designed to identify candidate genes and genetic pathways involved in the lithium-responsive biological process. Specific aims of this project are; 1) identify genes whose expression levels are significantly different between the wild type and Shu, 2) identify genes whose expression levels are enhanced or suppressed after lithium treatment, and 3) identify genes whose expression is differentially regulated in the wild type and Shu after lithium treatment. We expect that the genes identified through the proposed microarray analysis will provide important clues for elucidating the molecular and cellular processes responsible for the lithium action. A Drosophila mutant Shudderer (Shu) exhibits various neurological phenotypes, including hyperactivity, uncoordinated movements, and sporadically occurring jerks. Interestingly, many of these phenotypes are greatly suppressed by lithium with the internal concentrations used for treatment of human BPD patients. In addition, Shu mutant is more resistant to the toxic effects of lithium than the wild type strain. These data have led us to the hypothesis that the biological process responsive to lithium is affected in the Shu mutant. We expect that we will be able to identify genes and genetic pathways involved in the lithium-responsive process by comparing the gene expression profiles between the wild type and the Shu mutant with or without lithium treatment. Newly eclosed Canton-S (wild type) and Shu mutant females will be placed in vials containing fly food with or without 50mM LiCl. They will be cultured at 25oC with 65% humidity for 5 days. Three groups of fifty flies (150 flies in total) will be collected for each experimental condition (i.e., genotype and lithium treatment) and frozen on dry ice. The head will be separated and total RNA will be extracted from each group using the TRIzol Reagent (Life Technologies) followed by an RNeasy (Qiagen) cleanup step and a DNase I digestion step. The RNA will be resuspended in DEPC-treated water and the absorbance will be checked at 260 and 280 nm for determination of sample purity and concentration. The GeneChip Drosophila Genome 2.0 Arrays will be used to quantify the levels of transcripts in each sample. The total number of samples will be 4 (2 genotypes and 2 treatments) X 3 (triplicate) = 12. Keywords: dose response

Dataset Information

Serotonin modulates a depression-like state in Drosophila responsive to lithium treatment.

Publications

Serotonin modulates a depression-like state in Drosophila responsive to lithium treatment.

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