Bedke, J. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2023

A novel adipose loss-of-function mutant in Drosophila

To identify genes required for brain growth, we took an RNAi knockdown reverse genetic approach in Drosophila. One potential candidate isolated from this effort is the anti-lipogenic gene adipose (adp). Adp has an established role in the negative regulation of lipogenesis in the fat body of the fly and adipose tissue in mammals. While fat is key to proper development in general, adp has not been investigated during brain development. Here we found that RNAi knockdown of adp in neuronal stem cells and neurons results in reduced brain lobe volume and sought to replicate this with a mutant fly. We generated a novel adp mutant that acts as a loss-of-function mutant based on buoyancy assay results. We found that despite a change in fat content in the body overall and an increase in the number of larger (>5m) brain lipid droplets, there was no change in the brain lobe volume of mutant larvae. Overall, our work describes a novel adp mutant that can functionally replace the long-standing adp60 mutant and shows that the adp gene has no obvious involvement in brain growth.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2018

Establishment of the miniature fish species Danionella translucida as a genetically and optically tractable neuroscience model

Integrative studies of the diverse neuronal networks that govern social behavior are hindered by the lack of methods to record neural activity comprehensively across the entire brain. The recent development of the miniature fish Danionella cerebrum as a model organism offers one potential solution, as the small size and optical transparency of these animals makes it possible to visualize circuit activity throughout the nervous system1-4. Here, we establish the feasibility of using Danionella as a model for social behavior and socially reinforced learning by showing that adult fish exhibit strong affiliative tendencies, and that social interactions can serve as the reinforcer in an appetitive conditioning paradigm. Fish exhibited an acute ability to identify conspecifics and distinguish them from closely related species, which was mediated by both visual and particularly olfactory cues. These behaviors were abolished by pharmacological and genetic interference with oxytocin signaling, demonstrating the conservation of key neural mechanisms observed in other vertebrates5-11. Our work validates Danionella as a tool for understanding the social brain in general, and its modulation by neuropeptide signaling in particular.

neuroscience↗