title: Lack of Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Causes Synapse Dysfunction in the Drosophila Visual System.
abstract: Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential nutrients for animals and necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system. A lack of PUFAs can result from the consumption of a deficient diet or genetic factors, which impact PUFA uptake and metabolism. Both can cause synaptic dysfunction, which is associated with numerous disorders. However, there is a knowledge gap linking these neuronal dysfunctions and their underlying molecular mechanisms. Because of its genetic manipulability and its easy, fast, and cheap breeding, Drosophila melanogaster has emerged as an excellent model organism for genetic screens, helping to identify the genetic bases of such events. As a first step towards the understanding of PUFA implications in Drosophila synaptic physiology we designed a breeding medium containing only very low amounts of PUFAs. We then used the fly's visual system, a well-established model for studying signal transmission and neurological disorders, to measure the effects of a PUFA deficiency on synaptic function. Using both visual performance and eye electrophysiology, we found that PUFA deficiency strongly affected synaptic transmission in the fly's visual system. These defects were rescued by diets containing omega-3 or omega-6 PUFAs alone or in combination. In summary, manipulating PUFA contents in the fly's diet was powerful to investigate the role of these nutrients on the fly´s visual synaptic function. This study aims at showing how the first visual synapse of Drosophila can serve as a simple model to study the effects of PUFAs on synapse function. A similar approach could be further used to screen for genetic factors underlying the molecular mechanisms of synaptic dysfunctions associated with altered PUFA levels.
authors: CNRS, UMR6265 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; INRA, UMR1324 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, UMR CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France.
authors: Anna B
authors: AB
authors: Ziegler
authors: CNRS, UMR6265 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; INRA, UMR1324 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, UMR CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France.
authors: Cindy
authors: C
authors: Ménagé
authors: CNRS, UMR6265 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; INRA, UMR1324 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, UMR CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France.
authors: Stéphane
authors: S
authors: Grégoire
authors: CNRS, UMR6265 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; INRA, UMR1324 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, UMR CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France.
authors: Thibault
authors: T
authors: Garcia
authors: CNRS, UMR6265 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; INRA, UMR1324 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, UMR CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France.
authors: Jean-François
authors: JF
authors: Ferveur
authors: CNRS, UMR6265 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; INRA, UMR1324 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, UMR CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France.
authors: Lionel
authors: L
authors: Bretillon
authors: CNRS, UMR6265 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; INRA, UMR1324 CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France; Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, UMR CSGA, 21000, Dijon, France.
authors: Yael
authors: Y
authors: Grosjean
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated