Dataset Information

Inhibition of oxidative stress in cholinergic projection neurons fully rescues aging-associated olfactory circuit degeneration in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Loss of the sense of smell is among the first signs of natural aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Cellular and molecular mechanisms promoting this smell loss are not understood. Here, we show that Drosophila melanogaster also loses olfaction before vision with age. Within the olfactory circuit, cholinergic projection neurons show a reduced odor response accompanied by a defect in axonal integrity and reduction in synaptic marker proteins. Using behavioral functional screening, we pinpoint that expression of the mitochondrial reactive oxygen scavenger SOD2 in cholinergic projection neurons is necessary and sufficient to prevent smell degeneration in aging flies. Together, our data suggest that oxidative stress induced axonal degeneration in a single class of neurons drives the functional decline of an entire neural network and the behavior it controls. Given the important role of the cholinergic system in neurodegeneration, the fly olfactory system could be a useful model for the identification of drug targets.

SUBMITTER: Hussain A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5790380 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Inhibition of oxidative stress in cholinergic projection neurons fully rescues aging-associated olfactory circuit degeneration in <i>Drosophila</i>.

Hussain Ashiq A Pooryasin Atefeh A Zhang Mo M Loschek Laura F LF La Fortezza Marco M Friedrich Anja B AB Blais Catherine-Marie CM Üçpunar Habibe K HK Yépez Vicente A VA Lehmann Martin M Gompel Nicolas N Gagneur Julien J Sigrist Stephan J SJ Grunwald Kadow Ilona C IC

eLife 20180118

Loss of the sense of smell is among the first signs of natural aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Cellular and molecular mechanisms promoting this smell loss are not understood. Here, we show that <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> also loses olfaction before vision with age. Within the olfactory circuit, cholinergic projection neurons show a reduced odor response accompanied by a defect in axonal integrity and reduction in synaptic marker proteins. Using behav ...[more]

PMID: 29345616

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Project description:Hereditary spastic paraplegias are characterized by lower limb spasticity resulting from degeneration of long corticospinal axons. SPG11 is one of the most common autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegias, and the SPG11 protein spatacsin forms a complex with the SPG15 protein spastizin and heterotetrameric AP5 adaptor protein complex, which includes the SPG48 protein AP5Z1. Using the integration-free episomal method, we established SPG11 patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patient fibroblasts. We differentiated SPG11 iPSCs, as well as SPG48 iPSCs previously established, into cortical projection neurons and examined protective effects by targeting mitochondrial dynamics using P110, a peptide that selectively inhibits mitochondrial fission GTPase Drp1. P110 treatment mitigates mitochondrial fragmentation, improves mitochondrial motility, and restores mitochondrial health and ATP levels in SPG11 and SPG48 neurons. Neurofilament aggregations are increased in SPG11 and SPG48 axons, and these are also suppressed by P110. Similarly, P110 mitigates neurofilament disruption in both SPG11 and SPG48 knockdown cortical projection neurons, confirming the contribution of hereditary spastic paraplegia gene deficiency to subsequent neurofilament and mitochondrial defects. Strikingly, neurofilament aggregations in SPG11 and SPG48 deficient neurons double stain with ubiquitin and autophagy related proteins, resembling the pathological hallmark observed in SPG11 autopsy brain sections. To confirm the cause-effect relationship between the SPG11 mutations and disease phenotypes, we knocked-in SPG11 disease mutations to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and differentiated these stem cells into cortical projection neurons. Reduced ATP levels and accumulated neurofilament aggregations along axons are observed, and both are mitigated by P110. Furthermore, rescue experiment with expression of wild-type SPG11 in cortical projection neurons derived from both SPG11 patient iPSCs and SPG11 disease mutation knock-in hESCs leads to rescue of mitochondrial dysfunction and neurofilament aggregations in these SPG11 neurons. Finally, in SPG11 and SPG48 long-term cultures, increased release of phosphoNF-H, a biomarker for nerve degeneration, is significantly reduced by inhibiting mitochondrial fission pharmacologically using P110 and genetically using Drp1 shRNA. Taken together, our results demonstrate that impaired mitochondrial dynamics underlie both cytoskeletal disorganization and axonal degeneration in SPG11 and SPG48 neurons, highlighting the importance of targeting these pathologies therapeutically.

Dataset Information

Inhibition of oxidative stress in cholinergic projection neurons fully rescues aging-associated olfactory circuit degeneration in Drosophila.

Publications

Inhibition of oxidative stress in cholinergic projection neurons fully rescues aging-associated olfactory circuit degeneration in <i>Drosophila</i>.

Similar Datasets

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