Biology subjects

Watanabe, L. P.

Publications and source records attributed to Watanabe, L. P..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Exercise-induced changes in climbing performance

Exercise is recommended to promote health and prevent a range of diseases. However, how exercise precipitates these benefits is unclear, nor do we understand why exercise responses differ so widely between individuals. We investigate how climbing ability in Drosophila melanogaster changes in response to an exercise treatment. We find extensive variation in baseline climbing ability, and exercise-induced changes ranging from -13% to +20% in climbing ability. Climbing ability, and its exercise-induced change, are sex- and genotype-dependent. GWASs implicate "cell-cell signaling" genes in the control of climbing ability. We also find that animal activity does not predict climbing ability and that the exercise-induced climbing ability change cannot be predicted from the activity level induced by the exercise treatment. These results provide promising new avenues for further research into the molecular pathways controlling climbing activity and illustrate the complexities involved in trying to predict individual responses to exercise.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2020

GWAS reveal a role for the central nervous system in regulating weight and weight change in response to exercise

Body size and weight show considerable variation both within and between species. This variation is controlled in part by genetics, but also strongly influenced by environmental factors including diet and the level of activity experienced by the individual. Due to the increasing obesity epidemic in much of the world, there is considerable interest in the genetic factors that control body weight and how weight changes in response to exercise treatments. Here, we use GWAS in Drosophila to identify the molecular pathways that control weight and exercise-induced weight changes. We find that there is a complex set of molecular pathways controlling weight, with many genes linked to the central nervous system (CNS). Weight was strongly impacted by animal size and body composition. While the CNS appears to be important for weight and exercise-induced weight change, signaling pathways are particularly important for determining how exercise impacts weight.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2018

Genetic networks underlying natural variation in basal and induced activity levels in Drosophila melanogaster

Exercise is recommended by health professionals across the globe as part of a healthy lifestyle to prevent and/or treat the consequences of obesity. While overall, the health benefits of exercise and an active lifestyle are well understood, very little is known about how genetics impacts an individuals inclination for and response to exercise. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the genetic architecture underlying natural variation in activity levels in the model system Drosophila melanogaster. Activity levels were assayed in the Drosophila Genetics Reference Panel 2 fly strains at baseline and in response to a gentle exercise treatment using the Rotational Exercise Quantification System. We found significant, sex-dependent variation in both activity measures and identified over 100 genes that contribute to basal and induced exercise activity levels. This gene set was enriched for genes with functions in the central nervous system and in neuromuscular junctions and included several candidate genes with known activity phenotypes such as flightlessness or uncoordinated movement. Interestingly, there were also several chromatin proteins among the candidate genes, two of which were validated and shown to impact activity levels. Thus, the study described here reveals the complex genetic architecture controlling basal and exercise-induced activity levels in D. melanogaster and provides a resource for exercise biologists.

genetics↗