MEK inhibitor cobimetinib rescues a dRaf mutant lethal phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster.

Since Drosophila melanogaster has proven to be a useful model system to study phenotypes of oncogenic mutations and to identify new anti-cancer drugs, we generated human BRAFV600E homologous dRaf mutant (dRafA572E ) Drosophila melanogaster strains to use these for characterisation of mutant phenotypes and exploit these phenotypes for drug testing. For mutant gene expression, the GAL4/UAS expression system was used. dRafA572E was expressed tissue-specific in the eye, epidermis, heart, wings, secretory glands and in the whole animal. Expression of dRaf A572E under the control of an eye-specific driver led to semi-lethality and a rough eye phenotype. The vast majority of other tissue-specific and ubiquitous drivers led to a lethal phenotype only. The rough eye phenotype was used to test BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib and MEK1/2 inhibitor cobimetinib. There was no phenotype rescue by this treatment. However, a significant rescue of the lethal phenotype was observed under a gut-specific driver. Here, MEK1/2 inhibitor cobimetinib rescued Drosophila larvae to reach pupal stage in 37% of cases as compared to 1% in control experiments. Taken together, the BRAFV600E homolog dRaf A572E exerts mostly lethal effects in Drosophila. Gut-specific dRaf A572E expression might in future be developed further for drug testing.

Cross talk between the cytoplasm and nucleus during development and disease.

Mechanotransduction is a process whereby mechanical stimuli outside the cell are sensed by components of the plasma membrane and transmitted as signals through the cytoplasm that terminate in the nucleus. The nucleus responds to these signals by altering gene expression. During mechanotransduction, complex networks of proteins are responsible for cross talk between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. These proteins include cell membrane receptors, cytoplasmic filaments, LINC complex members that bridge the nucleus and cytoplasm, and nuclear envelope proteins that connect to the chromatin. Mechanotransduction also plays a critical role in development. Furthermore, it is possible that disrupted mechanotransduction leads to changes in gene expression that underlie the pathogenic mechanisms of disease.

Using Drosophila for Studies of Intermediate Filaments.

Drosophila melanogaster is a useful organism for determining protein function and modeling human disease. Drosophila offers a rapid generation time and an abundance of genomic resources and genetic tools. Conservation in protein structure, signaling pathways, and developmental processes make studies performed in Drosophila relevant to other species, including humans. Drosophila models have been generated for neurodegenerative diseases, muscular dystrophy, cancer, and many other disorders. Recently, intermediate filament protein diseases have been modeled in Drosophila. These models have revealed novel mechanisms of pathology, illuminated potential new routes of therapy, and make whole organism compound screens feasible. The goal of this chapter is to outline steps to study intermediate filament function and model intermediate filament-associated diseases in Drosophila. The steps are general and can be applied to study the function of almost any protein. The protocols outlined here are for both the novice and experienced Drosophila researcher, allowing the rich developmental and cell biology that Drosophila offers to be applied to studies of intermediate filaments.

A Drosophila Model of Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex.

The blistering skin disorder epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS) results from dominant mutations in keratin 5 (K5) or keratin 14 (K14) genes, encoding the intermediate filament (IF) network of basal epidermal keratinocytes. The mechanisms governing keratin network formation and collapse due to EBS mutations remain incompletely understood. Drosophila lacks cytoplasmic IFs, providing a 'null' environment to examine the formation of keratin networks and determine mechanisms by which mutant keratins cause pathology. Here, we report that ubiquitous co-expression of transgenes encoding wild-type human K14 and K5 resulted in the formation of extensive keratin networks in Drosophila epithelial and non-epithelial tissues, causing no overt phenotype. Similar to mammalian cells, treatment of transgenic fly tissues with phosphatase inhibitors caused keratin network collapse, validating Drosophila as a genetic model system to investigate keratin dynamics. Co-expression of K5 and a K14(R125C) mutant that causes the most severe form of EBS resulted in widespread formation of EBS-like cytoplasmic keratin aggregates in epithelial and non-epithelial fly tissues. Expression of K14(R125C)/K5 caused semi-lethality; adult survivors developed wing blisters and were flightless due to a lack of intercellular adhesion during wing heart development. This Drosophila model of EBS is valuable for the identification of pathways altered by mutant keratins and for the development of EBS therapies.

Cell adhesion receptor GPR133 couples to Gs protein.

Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), with their very large and complex N termini, are thought to participate in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions and appear to be highly relevant in several developmental processes. Their intracellular signaling is still poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that GPR133, a member of the adhesion GPCR subfamily, activates the G(s) protein/adenylyl cyclase pathway. The presence of the N terminus and the cleavage at the GPCR proteolysis site are not required for G protein signaling. G(s) protein coupling was verified by Gα(s) knockdown with siRNA, overexpression of Gα(s), co-expression of the chimeric Gq(s4) protein that routes GPR133 activity to the phospholipase C/inositol phosphate pathway, and missense mutation within the transmembrane domain that abolished receptor activity without changing cell surface expression. It is likely that not only GPR133 but also other adhesion GPCR signal via classical receptor/G protein-interaction.

Structural and functional evolution of the trace amine-associated receptors TAAR3, TAAR4 and TAAR5 in primates.

The family of trace amine-associated receptors (TAAR) comprises 9 mammalian TAAR subtypes, with intact gene and pseudogene numbers differing considerably even between closely related species. To date the best characterized subtype is TAAR1, which activates the G(s) protein/adenylyl cyclase pathway upon stimulation by trace amines and psychoactive substances like MDMA or LSD. Recently, chemosensory function involving recognition of volatile amines was proposed for murine TAAR3, TAAR4 and TAAR5. Humans can smell volatile amines despite carrying open reading frame (ORF) disruptions in TAAR3 and TAAR4. Therefore, we set out to study the functional and structural evolution of these genes with a special focus on primates. Functional analyses showed that ligands activating the murine TAAR3, TAAR4 and TAAR5 do not activate intact primate and mammalian orthologs, although they evolve under purifying selection and hence must be functional. We also find little evidence for positive selection that could explain the functional differences between mouse and other mammals. Our findings rather suggest that the previously identified volatile amine TAAR3-5 agonists reflect the high agonist promiscuity of TAAR, and that the ligands driving purifying selection of these TAAR in mouse and other mammals still await discovery. More generally, our study points out how analyses in an evolutionary context can help to interpret functional data generated in single species.

Involvement of the chemokine-like receptor GPR33 in innate immunity.

Chemokine receptors control leukocyte chemotaxis and cell-cell communication but have also been associated with pathogen entry. GPR33, an orphan member of the chemokine-like receptor family, is a pseudogene in most humans. After the appearance of GPR33 in first mammalian genomes, this receptor underwent independent pseudogenization in humans, other hominoids and some rodent species. It was speculated that a likely cause of GPR33 inactivation was its interplay with a rodent-hominoid-specific pathogen. Simultaneous pseudogenization in several unrelated species within the last 1 million years (myr) caused by neutral drift appears to be very unlikely suggesting selection on the GPR33 null-allele. Although there are no signatures of recent selection on human GPR33 we found a significant increase in the pseudogene allele frequency in European populations when compared with African and Asian populations. Because its role in the immune system was still hypothetical expression analysis revealed that GPR33 is highly expressed in dendritic cells (DC). Murine GPR33 expression is regulated by the activity of toll-like receptors (TLR) and AP-1/NF-kappaB signaling pathways in cell culture and in vivo. Our data indicate an important role of GPR33 function in innate immunity which became dispensable during human evolution most likely due to past or balancing selection.