The aim of my study was to create a Drosophila line lacking the expression of all Sirtuin genes, check its developmental phenotype and characterise its response in stress conditions. The flies had bigger weight than controls, they had decreased fertility and fecundity and they developed more slowly. They showed a trend towards increased resistance to chill coma, but they did not show a significant difference in starvation or oxidative stress assay. Its effect on lifespan is being investigated.

Accumulating evidence points to a fundamental connection between sleep and feeding behavior. However, the temporal, genetic, and neuronal architecture that defines these relationships is poorly understood. Drosophila are amenable to high-throughput studies and offer numerous genetic tools which have advanced our understanding of the mechanistic relationships between these behaviors. However, certain features of the sleep-feeding axis have remained elusive, largely due to the separate measurement of sleep and feeding. Here, I develop a system which simultaneously measures sleep and feeding in individual animals by employing high resolution machine vision tracking and micro-controller interface functionality. Using this system, I show that food consumption drives a transient rise in sleep, which depends on food quality, quantity, and timing of a meal. The leucokinin system mediates these effects, particularly in response to protein ingestion. We further use the system to examine sleep homeostasis and demonstrate sleep dependence on energy expenditure and fat-brain communication. Collectively, these findings provide novel insight into the fundamental connections between sleep and feeding behavior. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Dysregulation of sleep and metabolism has enormous health consequences. Sleep loss is linked to increased appetite and insulin insensitivity, and epidemiological studies link chronic sleep deprivation to obesity-related disorders. Interactions between sleep and metabolism involve the integration of signalling from brain regions regulating sleep, feeding, and metabolism, as well as communication between the brain and peripheral organs. In this series of studies, using the fruit fly as a model organism, we investigated how feeding information is processed to regulate sleep, and how peripheral tissues regulate sleep through the modulation of energy stores. In order to address these questions, we performed a large RNAi screen to identify novel genetic regulators of sleep and metabolism. We found that, the mRNA/DNA binding protein, Translin (trsn), is necessary for the acute modulation of sleep in accordance with feeding state. Flies mutant for trsn or selective knockdown of trsn in Leucokinin (Lk) neurons abolishes starvation-induced sleep suppression. In addition, genetic silencing of Lk neurons or a mutation in the Lk locus also disrupts the integration between sleep and metabolism, suggesting that Lk neurons are active during starvation. We confirmed this hypothesis by measuring baseline activity during fed and starved states. We found that LHLK neurons, which have axonal projections to sleep and metabolic centers of the brain, are more active during starvation. These findings suggest that LHLK neurons are modulated in accordance with feeding state to regulate sleep. Finally, to address how peripheral tissues regulate sleep, we performed an RNAi screen, selectively knocking down genes in the fat body. We found that knockdown of Phosphoribosylformylglycinamidine synthase (Ade2), a highly conserved gene involved the biosynthesis of purines, regulates sleep and energy stores. Flies heterozygous for two Ade2 mutations are short sleepers and this effect is partially rescued by restoring Ade2 to the fly fat body. These findings suggest Ade2 functions within the fat body to promote both sleep and energy storage, providing a functional link between these processes. Together, the experimental evidence presented here provides an initial model for how the peripheral tissues communicate to the brain to modulate sleep in accordance with metabolic state. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Cell competition is the process whereby less fit cells termed "losers" are selectively eliminated from a tissue by their fitter neighbors - or " winners." This sacrifice of aberrant cells is thought to have evolved at the advent of multicellularity to enforce cell co-operativity and ensure the fitness of the host organism. Accumulating evidence over the last 40 years has suggested key roles for cell competition during development, adult tissue homeostasis and at the onset and during the progression of diseases including cancer. However, if we are to exploit competition in the treatment of human pathologies and in tissue regeneration, we still have a lot to learn about the underlying mechanisms that ultimately instruct the elimination of loser cells. The main goal of this work was to identify the key molecular events that are responsible for initiating the loser status of Minute heterozygous cells. As many Minute mutations affect ribosomal genes, it has long been assumed that the loser status is closely linked to their associated slow growth phenotype, which occurs a consequence of reduced protein synthesis. Surprisingly, I have found that the loser status is independent of rates of translation. Instead, the activity of a single transcription factor, Nrf2, that typically co-ordinates an oxidative stress response, is sufficient to instruct the elimination of cells by their neighbors. Given the importance of Nrf2, I have sought to identify events occurring both upstream and downstream of the pathway in the loser context. Here, I have shown how multiple loser cell types are suffering from an underlying proteotoxic stress, as a result of an imbalance in proteostasis and their accumulation of toxic protein aggregates. In addition, I have developed a screening strategy to identify key molecules downstream of Nrf2 that could be involved in loser cell recognition. These findings not only provide new insights into the mechanisms of cell competition, but broaden the implications of the process to age-related diseases including those that result in neurodegeneration.

Axons possess a continuous network of smooth tubular endoplasmic reticulum (ER), extending from the nuclear envelope throughout the neuron to synapses. Mutations affecting proteins with intramembrane hairpin domains that model tubular ER membrane can lead to the axon degenerative disease, hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). However, the extent and mechanisms by which HSP proteins contribute to axonal ER organization and dynamics are unclear. To understand these mechanisms, there is a need to visualize axonal ER in wild-type and mutant live axons. I have therefore aimed to develop these tools in Drosophila larvae and adults, and use them to visualize mutant phenotypes. Firstly, I developed a system to visualize fluorescently marked ER in individual axons in adult fly legs, and tested how this can be used to investigate the effects of loss of intramembrane hairpin HSP proteins on ER in adult legs. Secondly, known mutations affecting HSP hairpin proteins reduce the axonal ER network but not severely; I hypothesized that additional HSP ER membrane proteins might contribute to residual tubule formation; these include Arl6IP, also reported to promote ER tubule formation. I generated transgenic flies to overexpress a fluorescently tagged eGFP::Arl6IP1, and found that this fusion protein localizes within axonal ER. To study whether loss of Arl6IP1 function affects axonal ER, I tested the effects of knockdown on this compartment, but found no consistent effects. To achieve stronger loss of function, I also generated a mutant stock that lacked one of the transmembrane domains and showed a slight developmental delay in homozygous Drosophila larvae. Like mutations in a number of other HSP hairpin proteins, this lesion is homozygous viable, and further characterization of its phenotype will help elucidate how Arl6IP1 contributes to modeling the axonal ER network. In conclusion, my work shows the utility of GFP markers of axonal ER, it can facilitate faster screening for other genes that potentially regulate ER structure and for ageing phenotypes that are not apparent in larval stages, and suggests Arl6IP1 as another HSP protein with a role in axonal ER organization.

Droosphila willistoni é uma espécie pertencente ao subgênero Sophophora com origem e distribuição Neotropical. Esta espécie é um intrigante modelo biológico para diferentes pesquisas em genética evolutiva e de populações, evolução molecular e ecologia. Sua característica mais proeminente é a elevada ocorrência de polimorfismo cromossômico para inversões paracêntricas segregantes, sendo considerada por muitos especialistas como a espécie mais polimórfica do gênero Drosophila. O genoma da linhagem Gd-H4-1 de Drosophila willistoni, oriunda da Ilha Guadalupe (Caribe), foi sequenciado no Consórcio Drosophila 12 Genomes (2007). Nosso grupo de pesquisa do Laboratório de Drosophila da UFRGS é referência mundial no estudo da caracterização do polimorfismo cromossômico de Drosophila willistoni. A disponibilização do genoma desta espécie trouxe novos desafios e motivações para as análises envolvendo este organismo-modelo tão peculiar, especificamente no que concerne à gênese de suas inversões cromossômicas. O presente estudo visa delimitar, pela primeira vez, os pontos de quebra da inversão IIL-H do cromossomo II de Drosophila willistoni, na linhagem sequenciada Gd-H4-1, e na linhagem SG12.00 coletada no Uruguai e portadora da inversão IIL-H fixada. Esta delimitação é o primeiro passo para a subsequente caracterização molecular desta região, a fim de tentar inferir o possível mecanismo que originou esta inversão e as consequências genômicas que esta possa acarretar. A primeira análise comparou o padrão cromossômico do braço IIL entre a linhagem sequenciada Gd-H4-1 e o fotomapa de Drosophila willistoni, mostrando que o braço IIL da linhagem sequenciada apresenta os arranjos IIL-A e IIL-F fixados que o diferencia do arranjo do fotomapa. Dada a devida caracterização cromossômica da linhagem sequenciada, estabeleceu-se que esta seria o padrão para a análise dos pontos de quebra das inversões em Drosophila willistoni (Capítulo III, Tópico III.1). Para o estudo dos pontos de quebra da inversão IIL-H faz-se necessária a comparação destas regiões genômicas, entre a linhagem sequenciada padrão e outra linhagem de Drosophila willistoni que possua a inversão IIL-H fixada. Sendo assim, escolheu-se a linhagem SG12.00, a qual tinha seu padrão cromossômico caracterizado. Já o estabelecimento das diferenças do padrão cromossômico no braço IIL entre as duas linhagens foi obtido por cruzamentos recíprocos entre estas, mostrando que o braço IIL da linhagem SG12.00 difere do arranjo cromossômico da Gd-H4-1 pela ocorrência dos arranjos IIL-A, IIL-F e IIL-H fixados (Capítulo III, Tópico III.2). As análises acerca da montagem dos scaffolds do genoma do cromossomo II de Drosophila willistoni foram feitas a partir do estabelecimento de 18 sondas mapeadas fisicamente neste cromossomo da linhagem Gd-H4-1, por hibridação in situ não fluorescente. Adicionalmente, quatro sondas foram estabelecidas, uma para o braço cromossômico XL, uma para o cromossomo III, e duas para o braço cromossômico XR. Os resultados obtidos mudam a tradicional inferência dos Elementos de Muller respectivos aos braços IIL e IIR do cromossomo II de Drosophia willistoni, bem como mostram que a orientação dos scaffolds do braço cromossômico IIR estava invertida (Capítulo III, Tópico III.3 e Capítulo V). Para a delimitação dos genes flanqueadores dos pontos de quebra distal e proximal da inversão IIL-H de Drosophila willistoni foram executadas diferentes etapas de planejamento e estabelecimento de sondas gênicas e intergênicas, mapeadas fisicamente por hibridação in situ não fluorescente juntamente com a tentativa de delimitação dos pontos de quebra pela técnica da PCR. A delimitação do ponto de quebra proximal da inversão IIL-H foi mais laboriosa e complexa, mostrando que este ponto está envolvido com o reuso de uma sequência de aproximadamente 1.212 pb pelo ponto de quebra distal da inversão IIL-F, bem como a ocorrência da duplicação desta mesma sequência (Capítulo III, Tópico III.4). / Drosophila willistoni is a Neotropical species member of the Sophophora subgenus. This species is an interesting model organism for several researchers on evolutionary biology, population genetics, molecular evolution and ecology. This species is mainly characterized by its huge chromosomal polymorphism of paracentric segregating inversions, being considered by several experts as the most polymorphic Drosophila species. The genome of the Gd-H4-1 strain of Drosophila willistoni, collected in the Caribbean Guadaloupe Island, was sequenced by the Drosophila 12 Genomes Consortium (2007). Our research group at Drosophila Laboratory of the UFRGS, member of such Consortium, is worldwide recognized in the study of the chromosomal polymorphism of Drosophila willistoni. The availability of the Drosophila willistoni fully sequenced genome created new challenges and incentived the study of this special model organism, mainly respect to the genesis of its chromosomal inversions. For the first time, the present Thesis aimed to characterize detect and delineate the breakpoints of a chromosomal inversion in Drosophila willistoni - the IIL-H inversion in the Gd-H4-1 and in the Uruguayan SG12.00, a homozygous strain for the IIL-H inversion. This is the first step, for a further molecular characterization of this region, in order to reveal the possible mechanism that generated that inversion and the genomic consequences of this event. The first analysis here performed, compared the chromosomal banding pattern of the IIL arm with that of the sequenced Gd-H4-1 and those of the photomap of Drosophila willistoni, showing that IIL of the sequenced strain presents the IIL-A and IIL-F in homozygosis. Such characteristic differentiate Gd-H4-1 of the assumed standard arrangement. Considering the characterization of the sequenced strain, it was established that it should be considered as standard for the analysis of the breakpoints of the Drosophila willistoni inversions (Chapter III, Topic III.1). To determine the breakpoints of the IIL-H inversion, it was necessary to compare such regions with those of other strain of Drosophila willistoni, with the IIL-H inversion fixed in homozygosis, the Uruguayan strain SG12.00. The establishment of the precise difference between the chromosomal arrangements of the IIL arm of both strains was obtained through reciprocal crossings between them. It was observed that the IIL arm in the SG12.00 strain differ of that of the Gd-H4-1 strain, by the occurrence of the IIL-A, IIL-F e IIL-H fixed arrangements (Chapter III, Topic III.2). Analyses of the scaffolds assemblage of the chromosome II of Drosophila willistoni were performed through the use of 18 probes mapped by non-fluorescent in situ hybridization in the chromosomes of the Gd-H4-1 strain. Additionally, four other probes were hybridized, one in the XL chromosomal arm, one in the third chromosome and two in the XR arm. The results obtained in this study changed the traditional inference of the genic content of Muller Elements for the IIL and IIR chromosomal arms of Drosophia willistoni, and demonstrated that the orientation of the scaffolds of the chromosomal arm IIR was inverted (Chapter III, Topic III.3). To determine the genes flanking the distal and proximal breakpoints of the IIL-H inversion of Drosophila willistoni we followed several methodological steps. The first was the planning and the choice of probes of genic and intergenic sequences, and their physical mapping by non-fluorescent in situ hybridization and an attempt to define the breakpoints by PCR The delimitation of the proximal breakpoint of IIL-H was laborious and more complex, showing that this breakpoint is involved with the reuse of a 1.212 pb sequence by the distal breakpoint of the IIL-F invrsion, and is also involved with the duplication of this same sequence (Chapter III, Topic III.4).

Os elementos de transposição (TEs) são segmentos de DNA que têm a capacidade de mover-se e replicar-se dentro do genoma. Estão presentes em praticamente todos os organismos, compreendendo uma fração significativa do genoma dos mesmos. Duas classes de TEs são amplamente reconhecidas, os retrotransposons (classe I), que se transpõem por um intermediário de RNA, e os transposons (classe II) que usam DNA como intermediário direto da transposição. A diversidade, complexidade e ubiqüidade dos elementos transponíveis, a ampla variação fenotípica e molecular produzida em seus hospedeiros como conseqüência de sua transposição, assim como a transmissão horizontal da informação genética entre espécies indicam que essas seqüências desempenham uma importante função no processo evolutivo dos genomas, justificando a importância do seu estudo nos diversos organismos. O presente trabalho procurou explorar a história evolutiva de diferentes elementos de transposição em Drosophila visando contribuir para o entendimento do processo de co-evolução dessas seqüências com o genoma hospedeiro. Nosso principal foco foi investigar a evolução de retrovírus endógenos de Drosophila. Evidenciamos a ocorrência de um grande número de eventos de transmissão horizontal entre espécies. Muitos desses retrovírus podem ainda estar ativos e potencialmente serem agentes infecciosos, o que pode ajudar a explicar o grande número de eventos de transferência horizontal que encontramos. Investigamos também, a distribuição e evolução de uma família de transposons de DNA não autônomos, os quais podem ser considerados elementos do tipo MITEs (Miniature Inverted-repeat Transposable Elements). Nossas análises confirmaram que diferentes processos têm contribuído para a evolução e distribuição dos TEs nos genomas, como transmissão vertical, perda estocástica, polimorfismo ancestral, introgressão e transferência horizontal. / Transposable elements (TEs) are segments of DNA that have the ability to move and replicate within the genome. They are present in nearly all organisms, composing a significant fraction of their genomes. Two classes of TEs are widely recognized, the retrotransposons (class I) that transpose through a RNA intermediate and transposons (class II) that use DNA as a direct intermediate of transposition. The diversity, complexity and ubiquity of transposable elements, the extensive phenotypic and molecular variation produced in their hosts as a consequence of its transposition, as well as genetic horizontal transmission between species, indicate that TEs play an important role in evolution of genomes, substantiating the importance their study in different organisms. This study aimed to explore the evolutionary history of different transposable elements in Drosophila to contribute to the understanding of the co-evolution of these sequences with the host genome. Our main focus was to investigate the evolution of Drosophila endogenous retroviruses and we found several examples of horizontal transfer between species. Some of these retroviruses may still be active and are potentially infectious agents, which help to explain the high number of horizontal transfer events. We also investigate the distribution and evolution of a non-autonomous family of DNA transposons, which can be considered as MITEs (Miniature Inverted-repeat Transposable Elements). Our analyses confirm that several processes have contributed to the evolution and distribution of transposable elements in the genomes, such as vertical transmission, stochastic loss, ancestral polymorphism with independent assortment of copies during speciation, introgression and horizontal transfer.

O grupo willistoni de Drosophila tem origem e distribuição essencialmente Neotropical. A primeira descrição de espécies desse grupo data do final do século 19, sendo a mais recente nova espécie adicionada ao grupo em 2013. Dessa forma, apesar de uma longa trajetória de estudos, muito ainda precisa ser acrescentado acerca da diversidade e evolução das espécies desse grupo, que é o principal objetivo da presente Tese. Assim, revisamos os registros de distribuição geográfica das espécies dos subgrupos willistoni, bocainensis e alagitans, e reforçamos a D. willistoni como a de distribuição mais ampla do grupo. As lacunas quanto à distribuição das espécies do grupo, parecem ser devidas mais a escassez de estudos do que à ausência de espécies. A caracterização ultraestrutural dos estágios pré-adultos de espécies do grupo willistoni, mostrou que, com exceção da forma dos filamentos respiratórios dos ovos, que são variáveis, todas as outras estruturas apresentam-se de forma similar, tanto dentro quanto entre as espécies analisadas. Quanto à análise de estruturas morfológicas dos adultos das espécies crípticas do subgrupo willistoni, foram observadas diferenças essencialmente na genitália masculina. Essas diferenças permitem a diferenciação ou identificação de espécies, até mesmo daquelas entidades pertencentes ao cluster da D. paulistorum. As nossas análises filogenéticas combinando marcadores morfológicos e moleculares, sugerem a origem evolutiva do subgrupo no Mioceno, a partir da espécie D. insularis. D. paulistorum começou a divergir há cerca um milhão de anos, e parece estar ainda em processo de especiação. Tal sugestão tem respaldo na similaridade aqui observada com diferentes marcadores dentro do grande conjunto de espécies, incluindo as espécies incipientes da D. paulistorum. / The willistoni group of Drosophila has a distribution that is essentially Neotropical, as is its origin. The first species description of this group dates from the later 19th century, with the latest dating from 2013. Thus, even after many studies, a lot of information is still lacking about the diversity and evolution of the species in this group, a situation this work aims to improve. With that said, we revised the geographical distribution records for the species in the subgroups willistoni, bocainensis and alagitans, and reaffirmed D. willistoni as the one with the widest distribution within this group. Gaps in the distribution information, seems to be more due to lack of research than due to a lack of species. The ultrastructural characterization of the pre-adult stages of the willistoni group showed that, with the exception of the shape of the egg’s respiratory filaments, which are variable, all other structures have a similar shape, either within or between the analyzed species. As for the the analisys of morphological structures in adults of the cryptic species in the subgroup wlillistoni, the differences were limited to the male genitalia. Those differences allowed us to differentiate or identify species, even those belonging to the D. paulistorum cluster. Our phylogenetic analyses, combining both morphologic and molecular markers, suggest an origin during the Miocene, from D. insularis. D. paulistorum started diverging around 1Mya, and it seems to be an ongoing process. This suggestion is backed by the similarities hereby observed with different markers within a big group of species, including the early D. paulistorum species.

Sensory axons from functionally related neurons often project to similar regions in the central nervous system (CNS). Various cell-cell interactions and activity-dependent mechanisms contribute to the formation of these arrangements, but it remains unclear how they ultimately influence circuit wiring and function. I examined mechanisms of somatosensory circuit assembly in Drosophila. In larvae, class III (cIII) and class IV (cIV) dendritic arborization neurons detect gentle touch and noxious stimuli, respectively. Sensory axons travel together to the CNS and terminate in the ventral nerve cord (VNC). Previous work showed that within the VNC, touch and nociceptive axons sort into adjacent layers and make modality-specific synaptic connections with a population of nociceptive interneurons. The organization of somatosensory afferents is similar in insects and vertebrates, but mechanisms underlying somatosensory circuit formation are not well understood. I identified a role for axon-axon interactions in modality-specific targeting and connectivity of touch neurons. Ablation of nociceptors resulted in touch neurons extending axons into the nociceptive region and expanding connectivity with nociceptive interneurons. By contrast, nociceptor axon targeting was not noticeably impacted by touch neuron ablation, suggesting that axon interactions act hierarchically to influence axon targeting. To understand how axon sorting emerges during development, I developed a method to perform time-lapse imaging of sensory axons during targeting. Preliminary results suggest that sensory axons arrive in the ventromedial neuropil sequentially based on target layer. I show that nociceptors also impact the transduction of touch stimulus. Whereas touch neuron activation normally elicits behaviors associated with touch stimulus, either ablation or silencing synaptic transmission in nociceptors led to behaviors associated with noxious stimuli. These results point to a possible role for neural activity in touch and nociceptive circuit wiring and function. In support of this, manipulating activity in touch or nociceptive neurons disrupted axon patterning. Additionally, I present a role for Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule 2 (Dscam2) in regulating connectivity between synaptic partners in the nociceptive circuit. Previous work showed that alternative splicing of Dscam2 generates two isoforms. I found that synaptic partners in the larval nociceptive circuit express complementary isoforms. Regulated alternative splicing of Dscam2 is required for robust nociceptive behavior and proper nociceptive axon patterning. Furthermore, forcing synaptic partners to express a common isoform resulted in nociceptive axon targeting defects. I propose that regulated expression of Dscam2 isoforms may be a mechanism to restrict connectivity to select groups of neurons. Taken together, these data support roles for axon-axon, axon-target, and possible activity-dependent mechanisms in somatosensory circuit assembly.

No description available.