CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in Drosophila via visual selection in a summer classroom.

CRISPR/Cas9 methods are a powerful in vivo approach to edit the genome of Drosophila melanogaster. To convert existing Drosophila GAL4 lines to LexA driver lines in a secondary school classroom setting, we applied the CRISPR-based genetic approach to a collection of Gal4 'driver' lines. The integration of the yellow+ coat color marker into homology-assisted CRISPR knock-in (HACK) enabled visual selection of Gal4-to-LexA conversions using brightfield stereo-microscopy available in a broader set of standard classrooms. Here, we report the successful conversion of eleven Gal4 lines with expression in neuropeptide-expressing cells into corresponding, novel LexA drivers. The conversion was confirmed by LexA- and Gal4-specific GFP reporter gene expression. This curriculum was successfully implemented in a summer course running 16 hours/week for seven weeks. The modularity, flexibility, and compactness of this course should enable development of similar classes in secondary schools and undergraduate curricula, to provide opportunities for experience-based science instruction, and university-secondary school collaborations that simultaneously fulfill research needs in the community of science.

Simplified homology-assisted CRISPR for gene editing in Drosophila.

In vivo genome editing with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 generates powerful tools to study gene regulation and function. We revised the homology-assisted CRISPR knock-in method to convert Drosophila GAL4 lines to LexA lines using a new universal knock-in donor strain. A balancer chromosome-linked donor strain with both body color (yellow) and eye red fluorescent protein (RFP) expression markers simplified the identification of LexA knock-in using light or fluorescence microscopy. A second balancer chromosome-linked donor strain readily converted the second chromosome-linked GAL4 lines regardless of target location in the cis-chromosome but showed limited success for the third chromosome-linked GAL4 lines. We observed a consistent and robust expression of the yellow transgene in progeny harboring a LexA knock-in at diverse genomic locations. Unexpectedly, the expression of the 3xP3-RFP transgene in the "dual transgene" cassette was significantly increased compared with that of the original single 3xP3-RFP transgene cassette in all tested genomic locations. Using this improved screening approach, we generated 16 novel LexA lines; tissue expression by the derived LexA and originating GAL4 lines was similar or indistinguishable. In collaboration with 2 secondary school classes, we also established a systematic workflow to generate a collection of LexA lines from frequently used GAL4 lines.

A genetic strategy to measure insulin signaling regulation and physiology in Drosophila.

Insulin regulation is a hallmark of health, and impaired insulin signaling promotes metabolic diseases like diabetes mellitus. However, current assays for measuring insulin signaling in all animals remain semi-quantitative and lack the sensitivity, tissue-specificity or temporal resolution needed to quantify in vivo physiological signaling dynamics. Insulin signal transduction is remarkably conserved across metazoans, including insulin-dependent phosphorylation and regulation of Akt/Protein kinase B. Here, we generated transgenic fruit flies permitting tissue-specific expression of an immunoepitope-labelled Akt (AktHF). We developed enzyme-linked immunosorption assays (ELISA) to quantify picomolar levels of phosphorylated (pAktHF) and total AktHF in single flies, revealing dynamic tissue-specific physiological regulation of pAktHF in response to fasting and re-feeding, exogenous insulin, or targeted genetic suppression of established insulin signaling regulators. Genetic screening revealed Pp1-87B as an unrecognized regulator of Akt and insulin signaling. Tools and concepts here provide opportunities to discover tissue-specific regulators of in vivo insulin signaling responses.

Transgenic Drosophila lines for LexA-dependent gene and growth regulation.

Conditional expression of short hairpin RNAs with binary genetic systems is an indispensable tool for studying gene function. Addressing mechanisms underlying cell-cell communication in vivo benefits from simultaneous use of 2 independent gene expression systems. To complement the abundance of existing Gal4/UAS-based resources in Drosophila, we and others have developed LexA/LexAop-based genetic tools. Here, we describe experimental and pedagogical advances that promote the efficient conversion of Drosophila Gal4 lines to LexA lines, and the generation of LexAop-short hairpin RNA lines to suppress gene function. We developed a CRISPR/Cas9-based knock-in system to replace Gal4 coding sequences with LexA, and a LexAop-based short hairpin RNA expression vector to achieve short hairpin RNA-mediated gene silencing. We demonstrate the use of these approaches to achieve targeted genetic loss-of-function in multiple tissues. We also detail our development of secondary school curricula that enable students to create transgenic flies, thereby magnifying the production of well-characterized LexA/LexAop lines for the scientific community. The genetic tools and teaching methods presented here provide LexA/LexAop resources that complement existing resources to study intercellular communication coordinating metazoan physiology and development.

An Interscholastic Network To Generate LexA Enhancer Trap Lines in Drosophila.

Binary expression systems like the LexA-LexAop system provide a powerful experimental tool kit to study gene and tissue function in developmental biology, neurobiology, and physiology. However, the number of well-defined LexA enhancer trap insertions remains limited. In this study, we present the molecular characterization and initial tissue expression analysis of nearly 100 novel StanEx LexA enhancer traps, derived from the StanEx1 index line. This includes 76 insertions into novel, distinct gene loci not previously associated with enhancer traps or targeted LexA constructs. Additionally, our studies revealed evidence for selective transposase-dependent replacement of a previously-undetected KP element on chromosome III within the StanEx1 genetic background during hybrid dysgenesis, suggesting a molecular basis for the over-representation of LexA insertions at the NK7.1 locus in our screen. Production and characterization of novel fly lines were performed by students and teachers in experiment-based genetics classes within a geographically diverse network of public and independent high schools. Thus, unique partnerships between secondary schools and university-based programs have produced and characterized novel genetic and molecular resources in Drosophila for open-source distribution, and provide paradigms for development of science education through experience-based pedagogy.

A Drosophila LexA Enhancer-Trap Resource for Developmental Biology and Neuroendocrine Research.

Novel binary gene expression tools like the LexA-LexAop system could powerfully enhance studies of metabolism, development, and neurobiology in Drosophila However, specific LexA drivers for neuroendocrine cells and many other developmentally relevant systems remain limited. In a unique high school biology course, we generated a LexA-based enhancer trap collection by transposon mobilization. The initial collection provides a source of novel LexA-based elements that permit targeted gene expression in the corpora cardiaca, cells central for metabolic homeostasis, and other neuroendocrine cell types. The collection further contains specific LexA drivers for stem cells and other enteric cells in the gut, and other developmentally relevant tissue types. We provide detailed analysis of nearly 100 new LexA lines, including molecular mapping of insertions, description of enhancer-driven reporter expression in larval tissues, and adult neuroendocrine cells, comparison with established enhancer trap collections and tissue specific RNAseq. Generation of this open-resource LexA collection facilitates neuroendocrine and developmental biology investigations, and shows how empowering secondary school science can achieve research and educational goals.

Suppression of insulin production and secretion by a decretin hormone.

Decretins, hormones induced by fasting that suppress insulin production and secretion, have been postulated from classical human metabolic studies. From genetic screens, we identified Drosophila Limostatin (Lst), a peptide hormone that suppresses insulin secretion. Lst is induced by nutrient restriction in gut-associated endocrine cells. limostatin deficiency led to hyperinsulinemia, hypoglycemia, and excess adiposity. A conserved 15-residue polypeptide encoded by limostatin suppressed secretion by insulin-producing cells. Targeted knockdown of CG9918, a Drosophila ortholog of Neuromedin U receptors (NMURs), in insulin-producing cells phenocopied limostatin deficiency and attenuated insulin suppression by purified Lst, suggesting CG9918 encodes an Lst receptor. NMUR1 is expressed in islet ß cells, and purified NMU suppresses insulin secretion from human islets. A human mutant NMU variant that co-segregates with familial early-onset obesity and hyperinsulinemia fails to suppress insulin secretion. We propose Lst as an index member of an ancient hormone class called decretins, which suppress insulin output.

A genetic strategy to measure circulating Drosophila insulin reveals genes regulating insulin production and secretion.

Insulin is a major regulator of metabolism in metazoans, including the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) suggest a genetic basis for reductions of both insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion, phenotypes commonly observed in humans with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). To identify molecular functions of genes linked to T2DM risk, we developed a genetic tool to measure insulin-like peptide 2 (Ilp2) levels in Drosophila, a model organism with superb experimental genetics. Our system permitted sensitive quantification of circulating Ilp2, including measures of Ilp2 dynamics during fasting and re-feeding, and demonstration of adaptive Ilp2 secretion in response to insulin receptor haploinsufficiency. Tissue specific dissection of this reduced insulin signaling phenotype revealed a critical role for insulin signaling in specific peripheral tissues. Knockdown of the Drosophila orthologues of human T2DM risk genes, including GLIS3 and BCL11A, revealed roles of these Drosophila genes in Ilp2 production or secretion. Discovery of Drosophila mechanisms and regulators controlling in vivo insulin dynamics should accelerate functional dissection of diabetes genetics.

Platelet-derived growth factor/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inactivation by sunitinib results in Tsc1/Tsc2-dependent inhibition of TORC1.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors are implicated in development and tumorigenesis and dual inhibitors like sunitinib are prescribed for cancer treatment. While mammalian VEGF and PDGF receptors are present in multiple isoforms and heterodimers, Drosophila encodes one ancestral PDGF/VEGF receptor, PVR. We identified PVR in an unbiased cell-based RNA interference (RNAi) screen of all Drosophila kinases and phosphatases for novel regulators of TORC1. PVR is essential to sustain target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activity in cultured insect cells and for maximal stimulation by insulin. CG32406 (henceforth, PVRAP, for PVR adaptor protein), an Src homology 2 (SH2) domain-containing protein, binds PVR and is required for TORC1 activation. TORC1 activation by PVR involves Tsc1/Tsc2 and, in a cell-type-dependent manner, Lobe (ortholog of PRAS40). PVR is required for cell survival in vitro, and both PVR and TORC1 are necessary for hemocyte expansion in vivo. Constitutive PVR activation induces tumor-like structures that exhibit high TORC1 activity. Like its mammalian orthologs, PVR is inhibited by sunitinib, and sunitinib treatment phenocopies PVR loss in hemocytes. Sunitinib inhibits TORC1 in insect cells, and sunitinib-mediated TORC1 inhibition requires an intact Tsc1/Tsc2 complex. Sunitinib similarly inhibited TORC1 in human endothelial cells in a Tsc1/Tsc2-dependent manner. Our findings provide insight into the mechanism of action of PVR and may have implications for understanding sunitinib sensitivity and resistance in tumors.

TOR signaling never gets old: aging, longevity and TORC1 activity.

The target of rapamycin (TOR) signal transduction network monitors intra- and extracellular conditions that favor cell growth. Research during the last decade has revealed a modular structure of the TOR signaling network. Each signaling module senses a particular set of signals from the cellular milieu and exerts regulatory control towards TOR activity. The TOR pathway responds to growth factor signals, nutrient availability, and cellular stresses like hypoxia and energy stress. The signaling modules and their molecular components constituting the TOR network are remarkably conserved in both sequence and function across species. In yeast, roundworms, flies, and mice, the TOR pathway has been shown to regulate lifespan. Correspondingly, genetic, dietary or pharmacological manipulation of individual signaling modules as well as TOR activity itself extends lifespan in these model organisms. We discuss the potential impact of manipulating TOR activity for human health and lifespan.

Dynamic switch of negative feedback regulation in Drosophila Akt-TOR signaling.

Akt represents a nodal point between the Insulin receptor and TOR signaling, and its activation by phosphorylation controls cell proliferation, cell size, and metabolism. The activity of Akt must be carefully balanced, as increased Akt signaling is frequently associated with cancer and as insufficient Akt signaling is linked to metabolic disease and diabetes mellitus. Using a genome-wide RNAi screen in Drosophila cells in culture, and in vivo analyses in the third instar wing imaginal disc, we studied the regulatory circuitries that define dAkt activation. We provide evidence that negative feedback regulation of dAkt occurs during normal Drosophila development in vivo. Whereas in cell culture dAkt is regulated by S6 Kinase (S6K)-dependent negative feedback, this feedback inhibition only plays a minor role in vivo. In contrast, dAkt activation under wild-type conditions is defined by feedback inhibition that depends on TOR Complex 1 (TORC1), but is S6K-independent. This feedback inhibition is switched from TORC1 to S6K only in the context of enhanced TORC1 activity, as triggered by mutations in tsc2. These results illustrate how the Akt-TOR pathway dynamically adapts the routing of negative feedback in response to the activity load of its signaling circuit in vivo.

With TOR, less is more: a key role for the conserved nutrient-sensing TOR pathway in aging.

Target of rapamycin (TOR) is an evolutionarily conserved nutrient-sensing protein kinase that regulates growth and metabolism in all eukaryotic cells. Studies in flies, worms, yeast, and mice support the notion that the TOR signaling network modulates aging. TOR is also emerging as a robust mediator of the protective effects of various forms of dietary restriction (DR), which can extend life span and slow the onset of certain age-related diseases across species. Here we discuss how modulating TOR signaling slows aging through downstream processes including mRNA translation, autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling, stress responses, and metabolism. Identifying the mechanisms by which the TOR signaling network works as a pacemaker of aging is a major challenge and may help identify potential drug targets for age-related diseases, thereby facilitating healthful life span extension in humans.

The PDGF/VEGF receptor controls blood cell survival in Drosophila.

The Drosophila PDGF/VEGF receptor (PVR) has known functions in the guidance of cell migration. We now demonstrate that during embryonic hematopoiesis, PVR has a role in the control of antiapoptotic cell survival. In Pvr mutants, a large fraction of the embryonic hemocyte population undergoes apoptosis, and the remaining blood cells cannibalistically phagocytose their dying peers. Consequently, total hemocyte numbers drop dramatically during embryogenesis, and large aggregates of engorged macrophages carrying multiple apoptotic corpses form. Hemocyte-specific expression of the pan-caspase inhibitor p35 in Pvr mutants eliminates hemocyte aggregates and restores blood cell counts and morphology. Additional rescue experiments suggest involvement of the Ras pathway in PVR-mediated blood cell survival. In cell culture, we demonstrate that PVR directly controls survival of a hemocyte cell line. This function of PVR shows striking conservation with mammalian hematopoiesis and establishes Drosophila as a model to study hematopoietic cell survival in development and disease.