Integrated approach to spinocerebellar ataxia includes Drosophila genetic screens

Park J, Al-Ramahi I, Tan Q, Mollema N, Diaz-Garcia JR, Gallego-Flores T, Lu HC, Lagalwar S, Duvick L, Kang H, Lee Y, Jafar-Nejad P, Sayegh LS, Richman R, Liu X, Gao Y, Shaw CA, Arthur JS, Orr HT, Westbrook TF, Botas J, Zoghbi HY. RAS-MAPK-MSK1 pathway modulates ataxin 1 protein levels and toxicity in SCA1. Nature. 2013 Jun 20;498(7454):325-31. PMID: 23719381.

From the abstract: "We have developed a strategy to identify therapeutic entry points ... this approach, which integrates parallel cell-based and Drosophila genetic screens, ... revealed that downregulation of several components of the RAS-MAPK-MSK1 pathway decreases ATXN1 levels and suppresses neurodegeneration in Drosophila and mice."

Study includes fly assays relevant to fragile X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome

Todd PK, Oh SY, Krans A, He F, Sellier C, Frazer M, Renoux AJ, Chen KC, Scaglione KM, Basrur V, Elenitoba-Johnson K, Vonsattel JP, Louis ED, Sutton MA, Taylor JP, Mills RE, Charlet-Berguerand N, Paulson HL. CGG repeat-associated translation mediates neurodegeneration in fragile X tremor ataxia syndrome. Neuron. 2013 May 8;78(3):440-55. PMID: 23602499.

From the abstract: "In Drosophila, CGG repeat toxicity is suppressed by eliminating RAN translation and enhanced by increased polyglycine protein production. These studies expand the growing list of nucleotide repeat disorders in which RAN translation occurs and provide evidence that RAN translation contributes to neurodegeneration."

Flies & infection.

Ben-Ami R, Watson CC, Lewis RE, Albert ND, Arias CA, Raad II, Kontoyiannis DP. Drosophila melanogaster as a model to explore the effects of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain type on virulence and response to linezolid treatment. Microb Pathog. 2013 Feb;55:16-20. PMID: 23232438.

Diaz L, Kontoyiannis DP, Panesso D, Albert ND, Singh KV, Tran TT, Munita JM, Murray BE, Arias CA. Dissecting the mechanisms of linezolid resistance in a Drosophila melanogaster infection model of Staphylococcus aureus. J Infect Dis. 2013 Jul;208(1):83-91. PMID: 23547139; PMCID: PMC3666140.


See also this post.

Fly model of Alzheimer's disease is used to explore links to copper homeostasis.

Lang M, Fan Q, Wang L, Zheng Y, Xiao G, Wang X, Wang W, Zhong Y, Zhou B. Inhibition of human high-affinity copper importer Ctr1 orthologous in the nervous system of Drosophila ameliorates Aβ42-induced Alzheimer's disease-like symptoms. Neurobiol Aging. 2013 Nov;34(11):2604-12. PMID: 23827522.

From the abstract:  "These results imply that copper may play a causative role in developing AD ... Early manipulation of brain copper uptake can have a great effect on Aβ pathology."

Fly cells and in vivo assays used in Huntingtons study.

Lu B, Al-Ramahi I, Valencia A, Wang Q, Berenshteyn F, Yang H, Gallego-Flores T, Ichcho S, Lacoste A, Hild M, Difiglia M, Botas J, Palacino J. Identification of NUB1 as a suppressor of mutant Huntington toxicity via enhanced protein clearance. Nat Neurosci. 2013 May;16(5):562-70. PMID: 23525043.

New fly model related to neurodegeneration--DRPLA fly model--linking neurodegeneration with autophagy

Charroux B, Fanto M. The fine line between waste disposal and recycling: DRPLA fly models illustrate the importance of completing the autophagy cycle for rescuing neurodegeneration. Autophagy. 2010 Jul;6(5):667-9. PMID: 20543566.

High Level Panel Report of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda Released

 

At the beginning of June, the high level panel (HLP) co-chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron passed its recommendations to the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on the future of the global development agenda.

The report is a hugely ambitious one and has managed to target many of the most pertinent issues in development today and in the future, ranging from food security to economic development and water and sanitation to good governance. It has also crucially included a health specific goal of ensuring healthy lives.

The report has not only built on the millennium development goals (MDGs) but has also looked beyond them up to 2030. For NTDs, this is hugely important.

Great progress has been made in the areas targeted by the MDGs such as malaria and HIV/AIDs with notable successes in both. However, inevitably, those issues that were excluded from the process did suffer in terms of attention and funding, with NTDs a notable example from the health sector.

The Coalition is delighted to note that the report has called for NTDs to be included in the top-level health targets, alongside HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. By giving NTDs this platform, we are hopeful that this will help to ensure millions of people can look forward to a future free from the burden that these diseases cause.

Looking ahead, we now await the next stage of this consultative process where the UN General Assembly will make a final decision on what the development agenda will look like beyond 2015 incorporating the sustainable development agenda. The report notes that for all the health goals, the indicators should be further disaggregated and the Coalition urges that this be done with precision, incorporating tangible targets beneath the overarching health goal.