Preventing Neurodegeneration in the Drosophila Mutant bubblegum

Author:

Min Kyung-Tai1,Benzer Seymour1

Affiliation:

1. Division of Biology 156-29, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.

Abstract

The Drosophila melanogaster recessive mutant bubblegum ( bgm ) exhibits adult neurodegeneration, with marked dilation of photoreceptor axons. The bubblegum mutant shows elevated levels of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs), as seen in the human disease adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). In ALD, the excess can be lowered by dietary treatment with “Lorenzo's oil,” a mixture of unsaturated fatty acids. Feeding the fly mutant one of the components, glyceryl trioleate oil, blocked the accumulation of excess VLCFAs as well as development of the pathology. Mutant flies thus provide a potential model system for studying mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease and screening drugs for treatment.

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Subject

Multidisciplinary

Reference27 articles.

1. Mutsuddi M., Nambu J. R., Curr. Biol. 8, 809 (1998).

2. TheSwiss CheeseMutant Causes Glial Hyperwrapping and Brain Degeneration inDrosophila

3. Min K.-T., Benzer S., Curr. Biol. 7, 885 (1997).

4. Drosophila lines carrying P{ lacZ w + } were screened for mutations causing reduced life-span at 29°C. Candidates showing reduced life-span compared with the parent strain were examined after aging (but before death) to identify those with brain degeneration (3). The bubblegum mutant showed such degeneration and was selected for further characterization.

5. Fly heads were prepared by fixation in 1% paraformaldehyde plus 1% glutaraldehyde postfixation in 1% osmium tetroxide dehydration in an ethanol series and embedding in Epon 812. For light microscopy 1-μm sections were stained with 1% toluidine blue plus 1% Borax. For electron microscopy ultrathin sections (80 nm) were examined with a Philips 201 electron microscope at 60 kV.

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