Synapses are specialized communication points between neurons, and their number is a major determinant of cognitive abilities. These dynamic structures undergo developmental-and activity-dependent changes. During brain aging and certain diseases, synapses are gradually lost, causing mental decline. It is, thus, critical to identify the molecular mechanisms controlling synapse number. We show here that the levels of phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) regulate synapse number in both Drosophila larval motor neurons and adult brain projection neurons. The supernumerary synapses induced by PI3K overexpression are functional and elicit changes in behavior. Remarkably, PI3K activation induces synaptogenesis in aged adult neurons as well. We demonstrate that persistent PI3K activity is necessary for synapse maintenance. We also report that PI3K controls the expression and localization of synaptic markers in human neuroblastoma cells, suggesting that PI3K synaptogenic activity is conserved in humans. Thus, we propose that PI3K stimulation can be applied to prevent or delay synapse loss in normal aging and in neurological disorders.

System consolidation, as opposed to cellular consolidation, is defined as the relatively slow process of reorganizing the brain circuits that maintain long-term memory. This concept is founded, in part, on observations made in mammals that recently formed memories become progressively independent on brain regions initially involved in their acquisition and retrieval, and dependent on other brain regions for their long-term storage. Here we present evidence that olfactory appetitive and aversive memories in Drosophila evolve using a system-like consolidation process. We show that all three classes of mushroom body neurons (MBn) are involved in the retrieval of short- and intermediate-term memory. With the passage of time, memory retrieval becomes independent of α′/β′ and γ MBn, and long-term memory becomes completely dependent on α/β MBn. This shift in neuronal dependency for behavioral performance is paralleled by shifts in the activity of the relevant neurons during the retrieval of short- vs long-term memories. Moreover, transient neuron inactivation experiments show that the α′/β′ MBn have a time-limited role in memory processing using flies trained to have both early and remote memories. These results argue that system consolidation is not a unique feature of the mammalian brain and memory systems, but rather a general and conserved feature of how different temporal memories are encoded from relatively simple to complex brains.

Cellular ultrastructures for signal integration are unknown in any nervous system. The ellipsoid body (EB) of the Drosophila brain is thought to control locomotion upon integration of various modalities of sensory signals with the animal internal status. However, the expected excitatory and inhibitory input convergence that virtually all brain centres exhibit is not yet described in the EB. Based on the EB expression domains of genetic constructs from the choline acetyl transferase (Cha), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) genes, we identified a new set of neurons with the characteristic ring-shaped morphology (R neurons) which are presumably cholinergic, in addition to the existing GABA-expressing neurons. The R1 morphological subtype is represented in the Cha- and TH-expressing classes. In addition, using transmission electron microscopy, we identified a novel type of synapse in the EB, which exhibits the precise array of two independent active zones over the same postsynaptic dendritic domain, that we named 'agora'. This array is compatible with a coincidence detector role, and represents ~8% of all EB synapses in Drosophila. Presumably excitatory R neurons contribute to coincident synapses. Functional silencing of EB neurons by driving genetically tetanus toxin expression either reduces walking speed or alters movement orientation depending on the targeted R neuron subset, thus revealing functional specialisations in the EB for locomotion control.

Synapse loss correlates with cognitive decline in aging and most neurological pathologies. Sensory perception changes often represent subtle dysfunctions that precede the onset of a neurodegenerative disease. However, a cause-effect relationship between synapse loss and sensory perception deficits is difficult to prove and quantify due to functional and structural adaptation of neural systems. Here we modified a PI3K/AKT/GSK3 signaling pathway to reduce the number of synapses-without affecting the number of cells-in five subsets of local interneurons of the Drosophila olfactory glomeruli and measured the behavioral effects on olfactory perception. The neuron subsets were chosen under the criteria of GABA or ChAT expression. The reduction of one subset of synapses, mostly inhibitory, converted the responses to all odorants and concentrations tested as repulsive, while the reduction of another subset, mostly excitatory, led to a shift toward attraction. However, the simultaneous reduction of both synapse subsets restored normal perception. One group of local interneurons proved unaffected by the induced synapse loss in the perception of some odorants, indicating a functional specialization of these cells. Using genetic tools for space and temporal control of synapse number decrease, we show that the perception effects are specific to the local interneurons, rather than the mushroom bodies, and are not based on major structural changes elicited during development. These findings demonstrate that synapse loss cause sensory perception changes and suggest that normal perception is based on a balance between excitation and inhibition.

Transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is a DNA/RNA binding protein involved in transcriptional regulation and RNA processing. It is linked to sporadic and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. TDP-43 is predominantly nuclear, but it translocates to the cytoplasm under pathological conditions. Cytoplasmic accumulation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination and truncation of TDP-43 are the main hallmarks of TDP-43 proteinopathies. Among these processes, the pathways leading to TDP-43 fragmentation remain poorly understood. We review here the molecular and biochemical properties of several TDP-43 fragments, the mechanisms and factors mediating their production, and their potential role in disease progression. We also address the presence of TDP-43 C-terminal fragments in several neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, and highlight their respective implications. Finally, we discuss features of animal models expressing TDP-43 fragments as well as recent therapeutic strategies to approach TDP-43 truncation.

Proteinopathies constitute a group of diseases in which certain proteins are abnormally folded leading to aggregation and eventual cell failure. Most neurodegenerative diseases belong to protein misfolding disorders and, among them, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent. AD is characterized by accumulation of the amyloid-β42 (Aβ42) peptide in the extracellular space. Hence, we genetically engineered a molecular chaperone that was selectively delivered to this cellular location. It has been reported that the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) binds Aβ42 preventing self-aggregation. Here, we employed two isoforms of the Hsp70, cytosolic and extracellular, to evaluate their potential protective effect against the memory decline triggered by extracellular deposition of Aβ42. Both Hsp70 isoforms significantly improved memory performance of flies expressing Aβ42, irrespective of their age or the level of Aβ42 load. Using olfactory classical conditioning, we established a Drosophila model of AD based on Aβ42 neurotoxicity and monitored memory decline through aging. The onset of the memory impairment observed was proportional to the cumulative level of Aβ42 in the Drosophila brain. These data support the use of this Drosophila model of AD to further investigate molecules with a protective activity against Aβ42-induced memory loss, contributing to the development of palliative therapies for AD.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder triggered by the accumulation of soluble assemblies of the amyloid-β42 (Aβ42) peptide. Despite remarkable advances in understanding the pathogenesis of AD, the development of palliative therapies is still lacking. Engineered anti-Aβ42 antibodies are a promising strategy to stall the progression of the disease. Single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies increase brain penetration and offer flexible options for delivery while maintaining the epitope targeting of full antibodies. Here, we examined the ability of two anti-Aβ scFv antibodies targeting the N-terminal (scFv9) and C-terminal (scFv42.2) regions of Aβ42 to suppress the progressive memory decline induced by extracellular deposition of Aβ42 in Drosophila. Using olfactory classical conditioning, we observe that both scFv antibodies significantly improve memory performance in flies expressing Aβ42 in the mushroom body neurons, which are intimately involved in the coding and storage of olfactory memories. The scFvs effectively restore memory at all ages, from one-day post-eclosion to thirty-day-old flies, proving their ability to prevent the toxicity of different pathogenic assemblies. These data support the application of this paradigm of Aβ42-induced memory loss in Drosophila to investigate the protective activity of Aβ42–binding agents in an AD-relevant functional assay.

Successful clinical translation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) based therapies for cartilage repair will likely require the implementation of standardized protocols and broadly applicable tools that facilitate comparisons among cell types and chondroinduction methods. The present study investigated the utility of recombinant lentiviral reporter vectors as reliable tools for comparing chondrogenic potential among primary cell populations and distinguishing cellular-level variations of chondrogenic activity in widely used three-dimensional (3D) culture systems. Primary equine MSCs and chondrocytes were transduced with vectors containing combinations of fluorescent and luciferase reporter genes under constitutive cytomeglavirus (CMV) or chondrocyte-lineage (Col2) promoters. Reporter activity was measured by fluorescence imaging and luciferase assay. In 3D cultures of MSC aggregates and polyethylene glycol-hyaluronic acid (PEG-HA) hydrogels, transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGF-β3)-mediated chondroinduction increased Col2 reporter activity, demonstrating close correlation with histology and mRNA expression levels of COL2A1 and SOX9. Comparison of chondrogenic activities among MSC populations using a secretable luciferase reporter revealed enhanced chondrogenesis of bone marrow-derived MSCs relative to MSC populations from synovium and adipose tissues. A dual fluorescence reporter – enabling discrimination of highly chondrogenic (Col2-GFP) cells within an MSC population (CMV-tdtomato) – revealed marked heterogeneity in differentiating aggregate cultures, and identified chondrogenic cells in chondrocyte-seeded PEG-HA hydrogels after 6 weeks in a subcutaneous implant model – indicating stable, long-term reporter expression in vivo. These results suggested that lentiviral reporter vectors may be used to address fundamental questions regarding chondrogenic activity in chondroprogenitor cell populations and accelerate clinical translation of cell-based cartilage repair strategies.