Transcriptomics of aged Drosophila motor neurons reveals a matrix metalloproteinase that impairs motor function.

ABSTRACT: The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is responsible for transforming nervous system signals into motor behavior and locomotion. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, an age-dependent decline in motor function occurs, analogous to the decline experienced in mice, humans, and other mammals. The molecular and cellular underpinnings of this decline are still poorly understood. By specifically profiling the transcriptome of Drosophila motor neurons across age using custom microarrays, we found that the expression of the matrix metalloproteinase 1 (dMMP1) gene reproducibly increased in motor neurons in an age-dependent manner. Modulation of physiological aging also altered the rate of dMMP1 expression, validating dMMP1 expression as a bona fide aging biomarker for motor neurons. Temporally contr

SUBMITTER: Azpurua J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5847883 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature