Morpho-Functional Consequences of Swiss Cheese Knockdown in Glia of Drosophila melanogaster.

Elena V Ryabova,Halyna R Shcherbata,Natalia Matiytsiv,Artem E Komissarov,Nina V Surina,Svetlana V Sarantseva,Pavel A Melentev,Ekaterina A Ivanova

doi:10.3390/cells10030529

Elena V Ryabova, Halyna R Shcherbata + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10030529

Copy DOI

Abstract

Glia are crucial for the normal development and functioning of the nervous system in many animals. Insects are widely used for studies of glia genetics and physiology. Drosophila melanogaster surface glia (perineurial and subperineurial) form a blood–brain barrier in the central nervous system and blood–nerve barrier in the peripheral nervous system. Under the subperineurial glia layer, in the cortical region of the central nervous system, cortex glia encapsulate neuronal cell bodies, whilst in the peripheral nervous system, wrapping glia ensheath axons of peripheral nerves. Here, we show that the expression of the evolutionarily conserved swiss cheese gene is important in several types of glia. swiss cheese knockdown in subperineurial glia leads to morphological abnormalities of these cells. We found that the number of subperineurial glia nuclei is reduced under swiss cheese knockdown, possibly due to apoptosis. In addition, the downregulation of swiss cheese in wrapping glia causes a loss of its integrity. We reveal transcriptome changes under swiss cheese knockdown in subperineurial glia and in cortex + wrapping glia and show that the downregulation of swiss cheese in these types of glia provokes reactive oxygen species acceleration. These results are accompanied by a decline in animal mobility measured by the negative geotaxis performance assay.

Highlights

The swiss cheese gene of Drosophila melanogaster is evolutionarily conserved and its orthologues are found in a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to mammals [1]
We show that the expression of the evolutionarily conserved swiss cheese gene is important in several types of glia. swiss cheese knockdown in subperineurial glia leads to morphological abnormalities of these cells
We found that the number of subperineurial glia nuclei is reduced under swiss cheese knockdown, possibly due to apoptosis

Summary

Introduction

The swiss cheese (sws) gene of Drosophila melanogaster is evolutionarily conserved and its orthologues are found in a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to mammals [1]. Mutations in the swiss cheese orthologue gene in humans—NTE—lead to different diseases, including organophosphate-induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN); hereditary spastic paraplegia type 39; pure cerebellar ataxia; ataxia with spasticity; and rare syndromes, such as Gordon Holmes, Boucher–Neuhäuser and Oliver McFarlane syndromes [2,3,4,5]. SWS is widely expressed in nerve and glial cells [9,10]. The specific subtypes of glial cells that require SWS were formerly identified [9,11]. The role of SWS in glial cells that form barriers in the Drosophila nervous system is not fully clear

Methods

Results

Conclusion