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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.09.22.509008

A Drosophila model of diabetic neuropathy reveals a crucial role of proteasome activity in the glia

Abstract

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common chronic, progressive complication of diabetes mellitus. The main symptom is sensory loss; the molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. We found that Drosophila fed a high-sugar diet, which induces diabetes-like phenotypes, exhibit impairment of noxious heat avoidance. The impairment of heat avoidance was associated with shrinkage of the leg neurons expressing the Drosophila transient receptor potential channel Painless. Using a candidate genetic screening approach, we identified proteasome modulator 9 as one of the modulators of impairment of heat avoidance. We further showed that proteasome inhibition in the glia reversed the impairment of noxious heat avoidance, and heat-shock proteins and exosome secretion in the glia mediated the effect of proteasome inhibition. Our results establish Drosophila as a useful system for exploring molecular mechanisms of diet-induced peripheral neuropathy and propose that the glial proteasome is one of the candidate therapeutic targets for DPN.

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Suzuki, M., Kuromi, H., Shindo, M., Sakata, N., Niimi, N., Fukui, K., Saitoe, M., Sango, K.. 2022-09-23. A Drosophila model of diabetic neuropathy reveals a crucial role of proteasome activity in the glia. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.09.22.509008

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