Discovery of In Vivo Molecular Pathways Mediating Tau-Induced Sleep and Circadian Disruption

Abstract

During this reporting period, we have discovered 60 RNAi candidates that reproducibly alter sleep and/or circadian rhythmicity when expressed in combination with phosphomimetic Tau (TauE14). We identified these candidates through behavioral screening of nearly 400 Drosophila RNAi strains that target homologs of human genes linked to neurodegeneration through GWAS and systems biology approaches. We have focused on 9 RNAi strains that suppress the behavioral rhythmicity deficits induced by expressing TauE14 in circadian clock neurons. Of these candidates we find that RNAi knockdown of histone deacetylase HDAC1 using two independent RNAi lines suppresses TauE14 rhythmicity defects, validating this gene as a potential mediator of Tau neuropathogenic effects. In parallel to this screen, we have also established a novel model of TauE14 sleep disruption for use in RNAi modifier screening. Our approach validates the use of high-throughput in vivo behavioral screening combined with human genomic studies to identify novel molecular pathways that mediate disease processes in the brain.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2023
Accession Number
AD1209096

Entities

People

  • Ravi Allada

Organizations

  • Northwestern University

Tags

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  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Biomedical Research
  • Circadian Rhythms
  • Computational Biology
  • Diptera
  • Diseases
  • Drosophila
  • Electronic Mail
  • Genes
  • Indirect Costs
  • Law
  • Maryland
  • Medical Personnel
  • Neurodegeneration
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Phenotypes
  • Professional Development
  • Students
  • Systems Biology
  • Throughput
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Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Molecular Genetics
  • Neuroscience
  • Oncology (Cancer Research).