‘Fly-ing’ From Rare to Common Neurodegenerative Disease Mechanisms

Authors

Mengqi Ma
Matthew J Moulton
Shenzhao Lu
Hugo J Bellen

Publication Date

9-1-2022

Journal

Trends Genetics

DOI

10.1016/j.tig.2022.03.018

PMID

35484057

PMCID

PMC9378361

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

9-1-2023

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Disease Models, Animal, Drosophila, Drosophila melanogaster, Humans, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Parkinson Disease, Drosophila, neurodegeneration, mitochondria, lipid, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Genome sequencing advances have enabled researchers and clinicians to probe vast numbers of human variants to distinguish pathogenic from benign variation. Model organisms have been critical in variant assessment and delineating molecular mechanisms of some of the diseases caused by these variants. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has played a valuable role in this endeavor, taking advantage of its genetic technologies and established biological knowledge. In this review, we highlight the utility of the fly in studying the function of genes associated with rare neurological diseases that have led to a better understanding of common disease mechanisms. We emphasize that shared themes emerge among disease mechanisms, including the importance of lipids, in two prominent neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.