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The European Journal of Neuroscience Jan 2020A central question in the circadian biology field concerns the mechanisms that translate ~24-hr oscillations of the molecular clock into overt rhythms. Drosophila... (Review)
Review
A central question in the circadian biology field concerns the mechanisms that translate ~24-hr oscillations of the molecular clock into overt rhythms. Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful system that provided the first understanding of how molecular clocks are generated and is now illuminating the neural basis of circadian behavior. The identity of ~150 clock neurons in the Drosophila brain and their roles in shaping circadian rhythms of locomotor activity have been described before. This review summarizes mechanisms that transmit time-of-day signals from the clock, within the clock network as well as downstream of it. We also discuss the identification of functional multisynaptic circuits between clock neurons and output neurons that regulate locomotor activity.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Circadian Clocks; Circadian Rhythm; Drosophila; Drosophila Proteins; Drosophila melanogaster
PubMed: 30059181
DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14092 -
International Journal of Molecular... Nov 2018Transcription factors (TFs) play essential roles in the transcriptional regulation of functional genes, and are involved in diverse physiological processes in living... (Review)
Review
Transcription factors (TFs) play essential roles in the transcriptional regulation of functional genes, and are involved in diverse physiological processes in living organisms. The fruit fly , a simple and easily manipulated organismal model, has been extensively applied to study the biological functions of TFs and their related transcriptional regulation mechanisms. It is noteworthy that with the development of genetic tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 and the next-generation genome sequencing techniques in recent years, identification and dissection the complex genetic regulatory networks of TFs have also made great progress in other insects beyond . However, unfortunately, there is no comprehensive review that systematically summarizes the structures and biological functions of TFs in both model and non-model insects. Here, we spend extensive effort in collecting vast related studies, and attempt to provide an impartial overview of the progress of the structure and biological functions of current documented TFs in insects, as well as the classical and emerging research methods for studying their regulatory functions. Consequently, considering the importance of versatile TFs in orchestrating diverse insect physiological processes, this review will assist a growing number of entomologists to interrogate this understudied field, and to propel the progress of their contributions to pest control and even human health.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila; Drosophila Proteins; Evolution, Molecular; Transcription Factors; Transcriptional Activation
PubMed: 30469390
DOI: 10.3390/ijms19113691 -
Genome Dec 2022Autophagy is an important process that maintains adult tissue homeostasis and functions by protecting cells in autonomous and non-cell-autonomous ways. By degrading... (Review)
Review
Autophagy is an important process that maintains adult tissue homeostasis and functions by protecting cells in autonomous and non-cell-autonomous ways. By degrading toxic components or proteins involved in cell signaling pathways, autophagy preserves the balance among stem cells, progenitors, and differentiated cells in various tissues. In this minireview, we discuss recent studies performed in that highlight new roles of autophagy in adult cell fate decisions, including quiescence, proliferation, differentiation, and death.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila; Cell Differentiation; Autophagy; Stem Cells; Drosophila Proteins
PubMed: 36240515
DOI: 10.1139/gen-2022-0069 -
Genes Feb 2020Behavior is a readout of neural function. Therefore, any difference in behavior among different species is, in theory, an outcome of interspecies diversification in the... (Review)
Review
Behavior is a readout of neural function. Therefore, any difference in behavior among different species is, in theory, an outcome of interspecies diversification in the structure and/or function of the nervous system. However, the neural diversity underlying the species-specificity in behavioral traits and its genetic basis have been poorly understood. In this article, we discuss potential neural substrates for species differences in the courtship pulse song frequency and mating partner choice in the subgroup. We also discuss possible neurogenetic mechanisms whereby a novel behavioral repertoire emerges based on the study of nuptial gift transfer, a trait unique to in the genus . We found that the conserved central circuit composed primarily of -expressing neurons (the -circuit) serves for the execution of courtship behavior, whereas the sensory pathways impinging onto the -circuit or the motor pathways downstream of the -circuit are susceptible to changes associated with behavioral species differences.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila Proteins; Drosophila melanogaster; Neural Pathways; Neurons; Sexual Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 32024133
DOI: 10.3390/genes11020157 -
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta Apr 2007The Smoothened (Smo) signalling pathway participates in many developmental processes, contributing to the regulation of gene expression by controlling the activity of... (Review)
Review
The Smoothened (Smo) signalling pathway participates in many developmental processes, contributing to the regulation of gene expression by controlling the activity of transcription factors belonging to the Gli family. The key elements of the pathway were identified by means of genetic screens carried out in Drosophila, and subsequent analysis in other model organisms revealed a high degree of conservation in both the proteins involved and in their molecular interactions. Recent analysis of the pathway, using a combination of biochemical and cell biological approaches, is uncovering the intricacies of Smo signalling, placing its elements in particular cellular compartments and qualifying the molecular processes involved. These include the synthesis, secretion and diffusion of the ligand, the activation of the receptor and the modifications in the activity of nuclear effectors. In this review we discuss recent advances in understanding biochemical and cellular aspects of Smo signalling, with particular focus in the similarities in the mechanism of signal transduction between Smo and other transmembrane proteins belonging to the G-Protein coupled receptors superfamily (GPCR).
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Drosophila Proteins; Humans; Molecular Sequence Data; Phosphorylation; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Signal Transduction; Smoothened Receptor
PubMed: 17094938
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2006.09.020 -
Developmental Cell Jun 2021Toll receptors are key determinants of planar polarity during Drosophila gastrulation. Two papers in the current issue of Developmental Cell now identify key features of...
Toll receptors are key determinants of planar polarity during Drosophila gastrulation. Two papers in the current issue of Developmental Cell now identify key features of their downstream signaling that allow cell symmetry to be broken by apparently non-polarized Toll receptors.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila; Drosophila Proteins; Gastrulation; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 34102101
DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.05.013 -
Cell Metabolism Jan 2006Signal transduction cascades, such as Hedgehog (Hh) signaling, are potentially important targets for new drugs. A new study in this issue of Cell Metabolism identifies...
Signal transduction cascades, such as Hedgehog (Hh) signaling, are potentially important targets for new drugs. A new study in this issue of Cell Metabolism identifies hedgehog signaling in the formation of the Drosophila fly body and in mammalian adipogenesis.
Topics: Adipogenesis; Animals; Drosophila Proteins; Drosophila melanogaster; Hedgehog Proteins; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 16399497
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2005.12.002 -
The Journal of Cell Biology Mar 2009Cell-cell signaling mediated by the Notch receptor is iteratively involved in numerous developmental contexts, and its dysregulation has been associated with inherited... (Review)
Review
Cell-cell signaling mediated by the Notch receptor is iteratively involved in numerous developmental contexts, and its dysregulation has been associated with inherited genetic disorders and cancers. The core components of the signaling pathway have been identified for some time, but the study of the modulation of the pathway in different cellular contexts has revealed many layers of regulation. These include complex sugar modifications in the extracellular domain as well as transit of Notch through defined cellular compartments, including specific endosomes.
Topics: Animals; Cell Membrane; Drosophila Proteins; Endocytosis; Glycosylation; Humans; Ligands; Peptide Hydrolases; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Receptors, Notch; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 19255248
DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200811141 -
Current Opinion in Structural Biology Oct 2007Notch receptors are approximately 300 kDa cell surface glycoproteins whose activation by Notch ligands regulates cell fate decisions in the metazoa. The extracellular... (Review)
Review
Notch receptors are approximately 300 kDa cell surface glycoproteins whose activation by Notch ligands regulates cell fate decisions in the metazoa. The extracellular domain of Notch receptors has many epidermal growth factor like repeats that are glycosylated with O-fucose and O-glucose glycans as well as N-glycans. Disruption of O-fucose glycan synthesis leads to severe Notch signaling defects in Drosophila and mammals. Removal or addition of O-fucose glycan consensus sites on Notch receptors also leads to Notch signaling defects. Ligand binding and ligand-induced Notch signaling assays have provided insights into how changes in the O-fucose glycans of Notch receptors alter Notch signaling.
Topics: Animals; Carbohydrate Sequence; Drosophila; Drosophila Proteins; Fucose; Genes, Insect; Glycosylation; Humans; Mammals; Models, Biological; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutation; N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases; Receptors, Notch; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 17964136
DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2007.09.007 -
Cell Chemical Biology Jul 2016Cell-specific proteomics in multicellular systems and whole animals is a promising approach to understand the differentiated functions of cells and tissues. Here, we...
Cell-specific proteomics in multicellular systems and whole animals is a promising approach to understand the differentiated functions of cells and tissues. Here, we extend our stochastic orthogonal recoding of translation (SORT) approach for the co-translational tagging of proteomes with a cyclopropene-containing amino acid in response to diverse codons in genetically targeted cells, and create a tetrazine-biotin probe containing a cleavable linker that offers a way to enrich and identify tagged proteins. We demonstrate that SORT with enrichment, SORT-E, efficiently recovers and enriches SORT tagged proteins and enables specific identification of enriched proteins via mass spectrometry, including low-abundance proteins. We show that tagging at distinct codons enriches overlapping, but distinct sets of proteins, suggesting that tagging at more than one codon enhances proteome coverage. Using SORT-E, we accomplish cell-specific proteomics in the fly. These results suggest that SORT-E will enable the definition of cell-specific proteomes in animals during development, disease progression, and learning and memory.
Topics: Amino Acids; Animals; Azo Compounds; Biotin; Drosophila Proteins; Drosophila melanogaster; Female; Genetic Code; Mass Spectrometry; Molecular Probes; Molecular Structure; Protein Transport; Proteomics; Tetrazoles
PubMed: 27447048
DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2016.05.018