RESUMO
Importin ß-superfamily nuclear import receptors (NIRs) mitigate mislocalization and aggregation of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), like FUS and TDP-43, which are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. NIRs potently disaggregate RBPs by recognizing their nuclear localization signal (NLS). However, disease-causing mutations in NLS compromise NIR binding and activity. Here, we define features that characterize the anti-aggregation activity of NIR and NLS. We find that high binding affinity between NIR and NLS, and optimal NLS location relative to the aggregating domain plays a role in determining NIR disaggregation activity. A designed FUS chimera (FUSIBB), carrying the importin ß binding (IBB) domain, is solubilized by importin ß in vitro, translocated to the nucleus in cultured cells, and downregulates the expression of endogenous FUS. In this study, we posit that guiding the mutual recognition of NLSs and NIRs will aid the development of therapeutics, illustrated by the highly soluble FUSIBB replacing the aggregation-prone endogenous FUS.
Assuntos
Regulação para Baixo , Sinais de Localização Nuclear , Proteína FUS de Ligação a RNA , beta Carioferinas , Proteína FUS de Ligação a RNA/metabolismo , Proteína FUS de Ligação a RNA/genética , Humanos , beta Carioferinas/metabolismo , beta Carioferinas/genética , Núcleo Celular/metabolismo , Ligação Proteica , Células HEK293 , Agregados Proteicos , Células HeLa , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/metabolismo , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/genética , Transporte Ativo do Núcleo CelularRESUMO
Sleep is essential, but animals may forgo sleep to engage in other critical behaviors, such as feeding and reproduction. Previous studies have shown that female flies exhibit decreased sleep after mating, but our understanding of the process is limited. Here, we report that postmating nighttime sleep loss is modulated by diet and sleep deprivation, demonstrating a complex interaction among sleep, reproduction, and diet. We also find that female-specific pC1 neurons and sleep-promoting dorsal fan-shaped body (dFB) neurons are required for postmating sleep plasticity. Activating pC1 neurons leads to sleep suppression on standard fly culture media but has little sleep effect on sucrose-only food. Published connectome data suggest indirect, inhibitory connections among pC1 subtypes. Using calcium imaging, we show that activating the pC1e subtype inhibits dFB neurons. We propose that pC1 and dFB neurons integrate the mating status, food context, and sleep drive to modulate postmating sleep plasticity.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Drosophila , Distúrbios do Início e da Manutenção do Sono , Animais , Feminino , Drosophila/fisiologia , Proteínas de Drosophila/fisiologia , Sono/fisiologia , Privação do Sono , Drosophila melanogaster/fisiologiaRESUMO
People tend to fall asleep when gently rocked or vibrated. Experimental studies have shown that rocking promotes sleep in humans and mice. However, the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon are not well understood. A habituation model proposes that habituation, a form of non-associative learning, mediates sleep induction by monotonous stimulation. Here, we show that gentle vibration promotes sleep in Drosophila in part through habituation. Vibration-induced sleep (VIS) leads to increased homeostatic sleep credit and reduced arousability, and can be suppressed by heightened arousal or reduced GABA signaling. Multiple mechanosensory organs mediate VIS, and the magnitude of VIS depends on vibration frequency and genetic background. Sleep induction improves over successive blocks of vibration. Furthermore, training with continuous vibration does not generalize to intermittent vibration, demonstrating stimulus specificity, a characteristic of habituation. Our findings suggest that habituation plays a significant role in sleep induction by vibration.