..a Model to Explore Dysfunction of Dopaminergic and Serotonergic Neurotransmitter Systems. (2018)

[anacleta]

Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Jun 16;19(6). pii: E1788. doi: 10.3390/ijms19061788.
Big Lessons from Tiny Flies: Drosophila melanogaster as a Model to Explore Dysfunction of Dopaminergic and Serotonergic Neurotransmitter Systems.
Kasture AS1, Hummel T2, Sucic S3, Freissmuth M4.
Author information
1
Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. ameya.kasture@meduniwien.ac.at.
2
Department of Neurobiology, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. thomas.hummel@univie.ac.at.
3
Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. sonja.sucic@meduniwien.ac.at.
4
Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. michael.freissmuth@meduniwien.ac.at.

Abstract

The brain of Drosophila melanogaster is comprised of some 100,000 neurons, 127 and 80 of which are dopaminergic and serotonergic, respectively. Their activity regulates behavioral functions equivalent to those in mammals, e.g., motor activity, reward and aversion, memory formation, feeding, sexual appetite, etc. Mammalian dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons are known to be heterogeneous. They differ in their projections and in their gene expression profile. A sophisticated genetic tool box is available, which allows for targeting virtually any gene with amazing precision in Drosophila melanogaster. Similarly, Drosophila genes can be replaced by their human orthologs including disease-associated alleles. Finally, genetic manipulation can be restricted to single fly neurons. This has allowed for addressing the role of individual neurons in circuits, which determine attraction and aversion, sleep and arousal, odor preference, etc. Flies harboring mutated human orthologs provide models which can be interrogated to understand the effect of the mutant protein on cell fate and neuronal connectivity. These models are also useful for proof-of-concept studies to examine the corrective action of therapeutic strategies. Finally, experiments in Drosophila can be readily scaled up to an extent, which allows for drug screening with reasonably high throughput.

KEYWORDS:
Drosophila; dopamine; neurodegeneration; neurotransmitter transporters; serotonin; vesicular monoamine transporters

FREE FULL TEXT: http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/19/6/1788/htm

[anacleta]

Please, someone who writes well in English, can write to the authors to know if the study of their model could highlight something in cases of persistent post-ssri sexual dysfunction? also mentioning the possible epigenetic modifications? if you do, notify.

[nasibi]

If anything needs to be investigated, it is the Epigenetic changes. More specifically PSSD trials should be run with epigenetic drugs like Decitabine. I think this drug given through an appropriate route of administration has the potential to cure us. This is my opinion. Don't try this at home.

[anacleta]

please write to many researchers of neurology and epigenetic putting this your idea and trying to get them interested in the pssd problem.