Drosophila
- Sleep-length differences are associated with altered longevity in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster
Summary: We show that fruit flies with shortened sleep patterns have decreased aging rates and increased longevity, while flies with disrupted circadian rhythm have decreased longevity. Our data suggests that circadian and sleep systems interact differentially with mechanisms of aging.
- Vps54 regulates Drosophila neuromuscular junction development and interacts genetically with Rab7 to control composition of the postsynaptic density
Summary: The retrograde vesicle tethering factor, Vps54, regulates development of the Drosophila larval NMJ. Moreover, presynaptic Vps54 interacts genetically with the small GTPase, Rab7, to control NMJ growth and postsynaptic density composition.
- Compartment and cell-type specific hypoxia responses in the developing Drosophila brain
Summary: A fluorescent biosensor reveals cell type specific hypoxia levels in the Drosophila brain in unprecedented detail. It paves the way for further functional studies addressing the role of oxygen in neural stem cell maintenance and differentiation.
- A gum Arabic assisted sustainable drug delivery system for adult Drosophila
Summary: Drug insolubility and a lack of a continuous delivery system are big challenges for large-scale compound screenings in flies. The authors developed a U-GLAD system that can successfully solve these issues.
- Nucleolar stress in Drosophila neuroblasts, a model for human ribosomopathies
Summary: Nucleolar stress (loss of ribosome production/function) in certain human progenitor or stem cells results in disease. In fruit flies, larval mushroom body neuroblasts are relatively resilient to nucleolar stress.
- Suppression of store-operated calcium entry causes dilated cardiomyopathy of the Drosophila heart
Summary: Ca2+ dysregulation in cardiomyocytes is a common feature of cardiomyopathy and heart failure pathogenesis. Here we demonstrate in Drosophila melanogaster that store-operated Ca2+ entry is essential for physiological heart function.
- Forcing contacts between mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum extends lifespan in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer's disease
Summary: Enhancing mitochondria–ER contacts ameliorates locomotor phenotypes and extends lifespan in a fly model of Alzheimer's disease.
- Analysis of a cellular structure observed in the compound eyes of Drosophila white; yata mutants and white mutants
Summary: We analysed a cellular structure formed by changes associated with exposure to light in the compound eyes of Drosophila white mutants, white; yata mutants and aged flies.
- Visualisation of ribosomes in Drosophila axons using Ribo-BiFC
Summary: We described a novel straightforward technique termed Ribo-BiFC to visualise assembled ribosomes in Drosophila cells. This technique revealed ribosomes in axons of both developing and mature neurons.