Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
Author: Gisela Mariel Decurgez | Email: giseladecurgez@gmail.com
Gisela Mariel Decurgez1°, Lorena Tschopp1°, Pedro Ballestero1°2°, Hernán Hauché1°, Melina Bordone1°, Nara Muraro2°, Juan Ferrario1°
1° Instituto de Biociencias, Biotecnología y Biología traslacional (iB3) – FCEyN –UBA
2° Biomedicine Research Institute of Buenos Aires – CONICET – Partner Institute of the Max Planck Society
Regular intake of yerba mate (YM) is beneficial for Parkinson’s disease (PD), including less prevalence to develop the disease in human and a robust neuroprotective effect on dopaminergic neurons in vitro (Bernardi, 2019). Novel results from our lab show that YM activates the AMPK pathway, which is strongly linked with cell homeostasis.
The hallmark of PD is the progressive death of dopaminergic neurons, however, its cause is uncertain. Current evidence stronlgly link accumulation of misfolded alpha-synuclein (aSyn) with the concomitant appearance of cell inclusions while cellular mechanisms that improves cell metabolism and debris clearance reduce signs of degeneration in experimental models and show clinical benefits in patients.
Taking these information together we propose to explore the dynamic of aSyn expression and accumulation in the Drosophila melanogaster aSyn-expressing model of PD chronically feed with YM, which exhibit dopaminergic dysfunction and some benefits upon YM exposure.
We feed flies with YM up to 30 days, evaluated behavioral parameters and processed their heads for western blot and qRT-PCR analysis.
First experiments show a reduction in the amount of aSyn in flies treated with YM. Also, we explored the regulation of aSyn gene expression, AMPK and downstream autophagy markers using qRT-PCR.
In this poster we will present ongoing results and discuss approaches projected to evaluate regulation of autophagy in these animal model of PD.