A first-of-its-kind, proof-of-concept drug screen with implications for two unmet medical needs. / The actin-bundling protein fascin is a key mediator of tumor invasion and metastasis and its activity drives filopodia formation, cell-shape changes and cell migration. Small-molecule inhibitors of fascin block tumor metastasis in animal models. Conversely, fascin deficiency might underlie the pathogenesis of some developmental brain disorders. To identify fascin-pathway modulators we devised a cell-based assay for fascin function and used it in a bidirectional drug screen. The screen utilized cultured fascin-deficient mutant Drosophila neurons, whose neurite arbors manifest the 'filagree' phenotype. Taking a repurposing approach, we screened a library of 1040 known compounds, many of them FDA-approved drugs, for filagree modifiers. Based on scaffold distribution, molecular-fingerprint similarities, and chemical-space distribution, this library has high structural diversity, supporting its utility as a screening tool. We identified 34 fascin-pathway blockers (with potential anti-metastasis activity) and 48 fascin-pathway enhancers (with potential cognitive-enhancer activity). The structural diversity of the active compounds suggests multiple molecular targets. Comparisons of active and inactive compounds provided preliminary structure-activity relationship information. The screen also revealed diverse neurotoxic effects of other drugs, notably the 'beads-on-a-string' defect, which is induced solely by statins. Statin-induced neurotoxicity is enhanced by fascin deficiency. In summary, we provide evidence that primary neuron culture using a genetic model organism can be valuable for early-stage drug discovery and developmental neurotoxicity testing. Furthermore, we propose that, given an appropriate assay for target-pathway function, bidirectional screening for brain-development disorders and invasive cancers represents an efficient, multipurpose strategy for drug discovery.

In translational research, disease models in preclinical studies are used as media for discovery of drugs or novel therapeutics. Development of in vitro models for various neurological diseases that enable efficient pharmacological or toxicological screening has been ongoing but challenging. Recognizing the potential benefit of in vitro disease models, dysfunctions in the cortical neuronal networks were induced to mimic the functional pathology of neurological symptoms using microelectrode arrays. Two different disease states – tinnitusand excitotoxicity – were investigated and discussed. In this model, pentylenetetrazol-induced increase in spontaneous firing rate and synchrony in the auditory cortical networks was used as correlate of tinnitus. Potential tinnitus treatment drugs from several different classes – including the novel class of potassium channel openers – were screened and quantified. The potentialtherapeutic values of these drugs were also discussed as the basis for drug repurposing. Functional excitotoxicity was induced by cisplatin (a cancer drug that causes neurological sideeffects) and glutamate (the major excitatory neurotransmitter). As proof-of-principle that the model may contribute to expediting the development of therapeutics, cisplatin excitotoxicity wasprevented by the antioxidant D-methionine, while glutamate excitotoxicity was prevented by ceftriaxone (a modulator of a glutamate reuptake transporter). In the latter part of the study, with results linking two of the screened drugs L-carnitine and D-methionine to GABAA receptor activation, it was demonstrated that this model not only served as an efficient drug-screening platform, but can be utilized to functionally investigate the underlying mechanism of drugs. Inaddition, several practical or conceptual directions for future studies to improve on this in vitro disease model are suggested.

Le récepteur cannabinoique de type 1 (CB1R) est l’un des récepteurs couplés aux protéines G les plus abondants du cerveau mammifère. CB1R a longtemps été décrit comme un récepteur présynaptique régulant de manière rétrograde la transmission synaptique. Cependant, depuis les vingt dernières années, de nouveaux rôles ont été découverts et il est maintenant clairement admis que l’action des endocannabinoides (eCBs) ne se limite pas à la régulationde la neurotransmission au niveau de synapses adultes déjà établies. En effet, les eCBs et le CB1R sont des acteurs majeurs de l’ensemble des phases du développement cérébral. Cependant, les mécanismes moléculaires impliqués n’ont toujours pas été identifiés. Les mécanismes cellulaires auxquels nous nous intéressons ne dépendant pas de l’environnement cellulaire, nous proposons donc de combiner la puissance génétique du modèle drosophile à l’accessibilité et la haute résolution offerte par la culture primaire de neurones. De plus, le récepteur CB1 ne possédant pas d’orthologue parmi les invertébrés, ce système offre la possibilité d’étudier la biologie du récepteur en s’affranchissant de la machinerie endocannabinoide. Cependant, actuellement, aucun protocole de culture primaire de neurones de drosophile ne permet d’obtenir des cellules hautement différenciées et polarisées à basse densité. Ainsi, nous avons tout d’abord développé, optimisé et validé un nouveau protocole permettant de d’obtenir des neurones fonctionnels, hautement différenciés et polarisés en culture de basse densité. Dans un second temps, nous avons démontré que l’activation durécepteur CB1, exprimé ectopiquement dans les neurones de drosophile, entrainait son internalisation, de manière identique à ce qui avait déjà été observé chez les mammifères. Puis, nous avons étudié l’effet de l’expression et de l’activation ectopique de CB1R sur le développement neuronal chez la drosophile. Ainsi, nous avons démontré que l’activation du récepteur module directement la dendritogénèse. Afin de compléter la caractérisation de notremodèle, nous avons démontré que l’activation transitoire du récepteur dans les corps pédonculés (le centre de la mémoire olfactive chez la drosophile) altérait spécifiquement la formation d’une forme consolidée de mémoire après un conditionnement aversif. En conclusion, la validation du modèle drosophile dans l’étude de la biologie cellulaire durécepteur CB1 ouvre de nouvelles perspectives quant à la détermination des mécanismes moléculaires régissant l’action du récepteur sur le fonctionnement neuronal. / The type-1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R), the neuronal receptor for the major psychoactive substance of marijuana, is one, of the most abundant G-protein coupled receptors in the mammalian central nervous system. CB1R is traditionally described as a presynaptic receptor that retrogradely regulates synaptic transmission. In addition to this now relatively wellcharacterized function, in the last two decades it has become widely recognized that endocannabinoid (eCB) actions in the brain are not limited to the regulation of neurotransmission at established adult synapses. Indeed, eCB and CB1R are now recognized to be involved in brain development at the synaptic, neuronal and network levels. However, precise mechanisms underlying these processes remain poorly described. Since cellular mechanisms that mediate CB1R-activition dependent neuronal remodeling and subneuronal targeting have been demonstrated to be cell-autonomous, we aimed to combine the power of Drosophila genetics with the experimental accessibility and single-cell resolution of lowdensity primary neuronal cultures, a tool currently lacking in Drosophila. Moreover, becauseDrosophila does not have a CB1R ortholog, CB1R cell biology may be observed independently from eCB machinery. Thus, we first developed and validated an in vitro culture protocol that yields mature and fully differentiated Drosophila neurons. Secondly, we showed that activation-dependent endocytosis of ectopically expressed CB1R is conserved in Drosophila neurons. Next, we investigated whether ectopic expression and activation of CB1R in Drosophila modulate neuronal development. As observed in mammals, we observed that activation of CB1R impairs dendritogenesis in a cell-autonomous manner. For further characterization of our model, we showed that, as with mammals, transient ectopic CB1R expression and activation in mushroom body neurons (the center of olfactory memory in Drosophila) modulate the formation of a consolidated form of aversive memory. In conclusion, the validation of this new animal model opens new perspectives to better characterize mechanisms underlying modulation of neuronal functions induced by CB1Ractivity