title: Glial Glycolysis Is Essential for Neuronal Survival in Drosophila.
abstract: Neuronal information processing requires a large amount of energy, indicating that sugars and other metabolites must be efficiently delivered. However, reliable neuronal function also depends on the maintenance of a constant microenvironment in the brain. Therefore, neurons are efficiently separated from circulation by the blood-brain barrier, and their long axons are insulated by glial processes. At the example of the Drosophila brain, we addressed how sugar is shuttled across the barrier to nurture neurons. We show that glial cells of the blood-brain barrier specifically take up sugars and that their metabolism relies on glycolysis, which, surprisingly, is dispensable in neurons. Glial cells secrete alanine and lactate to fuel neuronal mitochondria, and lack of glial glycolysis specifically in the adult brain causes neurodegeneration. Our work implies that a global metabolic compartmentalization and coupling of neurons and glial cells is a conserved, fundamental feature of bilaterian nervous systems independent of their size.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neuro- und Verhaltensbiologie, Badestr. 9, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Volkenhoff
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neuro- und Verhaltensbiologie, Badestr. 9, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weiler
authors.affiliation: Organisch-Chemisches Institut der Universität Münster, Abt. Massenspektrometrie, Corrensstr. 40, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Letzel
authors.affiliation: MPI für molekulare Biomedizin, Röntgenstr. 20, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stehling
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neuro- und Verhaltensbiologie, Badestr. 9, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Klämbt
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neuro- und Verhaltensbiologie, Badestr. 9, 48149 Münster, Germany. Electronic address: Stefanie.Schirmeier@uni-muenster.de.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schirmeier
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002470:Cell Survival; D004330:Drosophila / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006019:Glycolysis; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008124:Locomotion; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014199:Trehalose / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019344:Lactic Acid; D014199:Trehalose; D000409:Alanine