TY  - THES
N2  - Astrocytes are a type of central nervous system glia that have critical roles within the brain, including supporting synapse formation, synaptic transmission, and maintaining proper circuit function. Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system, we investigated the effects of knocking down slowpoke (slo) on astrocyte morphology and circuit function. slo is the Drosophila ortholog of the alpha subunit of a voltage and calcium gated potassium channel KCNMA1 in humans. Knockdown of slo just in astrocytes with RNAi produced varied results on astrocyte morphogenesis and animal behavior. Knockdown with sloRNAi-104421 resulted in smaller astrocyte cell bodies in the L3 larval ventral nerve cord, despite normal astrocyte process infiltration into the neuropil. Expression of this RNAi line in astrocytes also led to motor defects in both larvae and adult male animals. Expression of additional RNAi lines in astrocytes did not recapitulate the astrocyte cell body phenotype or behavioral defects. Additionally, examination of astrocyte cell body size in slo mutants was also normal. In order to test whether expression of sloRNAi-104421 was exerting its effects in a specific way to astrocytes, we expressed sloRNAi-104421 in other glial subtypes within the larval VNC: ensheathing glia and cortex glia. Within these glial cell subtypes, general morphology of cells was normal, though cortex glia-expression of sloRNAi-104421 produced loss of cortex glia cells in the thoracic region of the neuropil, supporting the hypothesis that sloRNAi-104421 is targeting a gene with cell-specific roles. While the target of sloRNAi-104421 could not be definitively attributed to slowpoke, it is clear that the gene it was disrupting had a profound impact on astrocyte morphology and animal behavior. This adds to the growing body of evidence that astrocytes modulate neuronal circuits and that disruption of astrocytes has profound effects on proper CNS function.
DO  - 10.6083/zw12z598c
DO  - DOI
AB  - Astrocytes are a type of central nervous system glia that have critical roles within the brain, including supporting synapse formation, synaptic transmission, and maintaining proper circuit function. Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system, we investigated the effects of knocking down slowpoke (slo) on astrocyte morphology and circuit function. slo is the Drosophila ortholog of the alpha subunit of a voltage and calcium gated potassium channel KCNMA1 in humans. Knockdown of slo just in astrocytes with RNAi produced varied results on astrocyte morphogenesis and animal behavior. Knockdown with sloRNAi-104421 resulted in smaller astrocyte cell bodies in the L3 larval ventral nerve cord, despite normal astrocyte process infiltration into the neuropil. Expression of this RNAi line in astrocytes also led to motor defects in both larvae and adult male animals. Expression of additional RNAi lines in astrocytes did not recapitulate the astrocyte cell body phenotype or behavioral defects. Additionally, examination of astrocyte cell body size in slo mutants was also normal. In order to test whether expression of sloRNAi-104421 was exerting its effects in a specific way to astrocytes, we expressed sloRNAi-104421 in other glial subtypes within the larval VNC: ensheathing glia and cortex glia. Within these glial cell subtypes, general morphology of cells was normal, though cortex glia-expression of sloRNAi-104421 produced loss of cortex glia cells in the thoracic region of the neuropil, supporting the hypothesis that sloRNAi-104421 is targeting a gene with cell-specific roles. While the target of sloRNAi-104421 could not be definitively attributed to slowpoke, it is clear that the gene it was disrupting had a profound impact on astrocyte morphology and animal behavior. This adds to the growing body of evidence that astrocytes modulate neuronal circuits and that disruption of astrocytes has profound effects on proper CNS function.
T1  - Examining slo regulation of astrocyte morphology and neuronal excitability
DA  - 2020
AU  - Mathieson, Danielle
L1  - https://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/8619/files/Mathieson.Danielle.2020.pdf
PB  - Oregon Health and Science University
PY  - 2020
ID  - 8619
L4  - https://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/8619/files/Mathieson.Danielle.2020.pdf
KW  - Drosophila melanogaster
KW  - Behavior
KW  - Astrocytes
KW  - RNA Interference
KW  - Neuroglia
TI  - Examining slo regulation of astrocyte morphology and neuronal excitability
Y1  - 2020
L2  - https://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/8619/files/Mathieson.Danielle.2020.pdf
LK  - https://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/8619/files/Mathieson.Danielle.2020.pdf
UR  - https://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/record/8619/files/Mathieson.Danielle.2020.pdf
ER  -