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Recent advances in using Drosophila to model neurodegenerative diseases

  • Apoptosis in Drosophila
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Apoptosis Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases are progressive disorders of the nervous system that affect the function and maintenance of specific neuronal populations. Most disease cases are sporadic with no known cause. The identification of genes associated with familial cases of these diseases has enabled the development of animal models to study disease mechanisms. The model organism Drosophila has been successfully used to study pathogenic mechanisms of a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases. Recent genetic studies in the Drosophila models have provided new insights into disease mechanisms, emphasizing the roles played by mitochondrial dynamics, RNA (including miRNA) function, protein translation, and synaptic plasticity and differentiation. It is anticipated that Drosophila models will further our understanding of mechanisms of neurodegeneration and facilitate the development of novel and rational treatments for these debilitating neurodegenerative diseases.

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Abbreviations

4E-BP:

Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein

AD:

Alzheimer’s disease

ALS:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

APP:

Amyloid precursor protein

BACE:

β-site APP-cleaving enzyme

CEBP:

cAMP-responsive element-binding protein

FMR:

Fragile × mental retardation

HD:

Huntington’s disease

HDAC:

Histone deacetylase

JNCL:

Juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis

LRRK2:

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2

NFT:

Neurofibrillary tangles

NMJ:

Neuromuscular junction

Pael-R:

Parkin associated endothelin-like receptor

PAR-1:

Partioning defective-1

PD:

Parkinson’s disease

PINK1:

Pten-induced kinase 1

RNAi:

RNA interference

SBMA:

Spinobulbar muscular strophy

SCA:

Spinocerebellar ataxia

SMA:

Spinal muscular atrophy

SOD1:

Copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase

VAPB:

Vesicle-ass ociated membrane protein-associated protein B

SMN:

Survival motor neuron

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Acknowledgments

We apologize to those whose work we could not cite because of space constraints. Research in the author’s laboratory is supported by grants from the McKnight Foundation (Brain Disorders Award), Alzheimer’s Association (IIRG0626723), and the NIH (R21NS056878, R01AR054926, R01MH080378, and R01NS043167).

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  1. Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Bingwei Lu

  2. GRECC, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

    Bingwei Lu

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Correspondence to Bingwei Lu.

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Lu, B. Recent advances in using Drosophila to model neurodegenerative diseases. Apoptosis 14, 1008–1020 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10495-009-0347-5

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