TY - JOUR
T1 - Neuronal knockdown of Cullin3 as a Drosophila model of autism spectrum disorder
AU - Tener, Samantha J.
AU - Lin, Zhi
AU - Park, Scarlet J.
AU - Oraedu, Kairaluchi
AU - Ulgherait, Matthew
AU - Van Beek, Emily
AU - Martínez-Muñiz, Andrés
AU - Pantalia, Meghan
AU - Gatto, Jared A.
AU - Volpi, Julia
AU - Stavropoulos, Nicholas
AU - Ja, William W.
AU - Canman, Julie C.
AU - Shirasu-Hiza, Mimi
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024, The Author(s).
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - Mutations in Cullin-3 (Cul3), a conserved gene encoding a ubiquitin ligase, are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we characterize ASD-related pathologies caused by neuron-specific Cul3 knockdown in Drosophila. We confirmed that neuronal Cul3 knockdown causes short sleep, paralleling sleep disturbances in ASD. Because sleep defects and ASD are linked to metabolic dysregulation, we tested the starvation response of neuronal Cul3 knockdown flies; they starved faster and had lower triacylglyceride levels than controls, suggesting defects in metabolic homeostasis. ASD is also characterized by increased biomarkers of oxidative stress; we found that neuronal Cul3 knockdown increased sensitivity to hyperoxia, an exogenous oxidative stress. Additional hallmarks of ASD are deficits in social interactions and learning. Using a courtship suppression assay that measures social interactions and memory of prior courtship, we found that neuronal Cul3 knockdown reduced courtship and learning compared to controls. Finally, we found that neuronal Cul3 depletion alters the anatomy of the mushroom body, a brain region required for memory and sleep. Taken together, the ASD-related phenotypes of neuronal Cul3 knockdown flies establish these flies as a genetic model to study molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying ASD pathology, including metabolic and oxidative stress dysregulation and neurodevelopment.
AB - Mutations in Cullin-3 (Cul3), a conserved gene encoding a ubiquitin ligase, are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we characterize ASD-related pathologies caused by neuron-specific Cul3 knockdown in Drosophila. We confirmed that neuronal Cul3 knockdown causes short sleep, paralleling sleep disturbances in ASD. Because sleep defects and ASD are linked to metabolic dysregulation, we tested the starvation response of neuronal Cul3 knockdown flies; they starved faster and had lower triacylglyceride levels than controls, suggesting defects in metabolic homeostasis. ASD is also characterized by increased biomarkers of oxidative stress; we found that neuronal Cul3 knockdown increased sensitivity to hyperoxia, an exogenous oxidative stress. Additional hallmarks of ASD are deficits in social interactions and learning. Using a courtship suppression assay that measures social interactions and memory of prior courtship, we found that neuronal Cul3 knockdown reduced courtship and learning compared to controls. Finally, we found that neuronal Cul3 depletion alters the anatomy of the mushroom body, a brain region required for memory and sleep. Taken together, the ASD-related phenotypes of neuronal Cul3 knockdown flies establish these flies as a genetic model to study molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying ASD pathology, including metabolic and oxidative stress dysregulation and neurodevelopment.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41598-024-51657-9
DO - 10.1038/s41598-024-51657-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 38233464
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 14
JO - Scientific reports
JF - Scientific reports
IS - 1
M1 - 1541
ER -