Browsing by Author "Campusano, Jorge M. "

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    Assessing olfactory, memory, social and circadian phenotypes associated with schizophrenia in a genetic model based on Rim
    (2021) Hidalgo, Sergio ; Campusano, Jorge M. ; Hodge, James J. L.
    Schizophrenia shows high heritability and several of the genes associated with this disorder are involved in calcium (Ca2+) signalling and synaptic function. One of these is the Rab-3 interacting molecule-1 (RIM1), which has recently been associated with schizophrenia by Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). However, its contribution to the pathophysiology of this disorder remains unexplored. In this work, we use Drosophila mutants of the orthologue of RIM1, Rim, to model some aspects of the classical and non-classical symptoms of schizophrenia. Rim mutants showed several behavioural features relevant to schizophrenia including social distancing and altered olfactory processing. These defects were accompanied by reduced evoked Ca2+ influx and structural changes in the presynaptic terminals sent by the primary olfactory neurons to higher processing centres. In contrast, expression of Rim-RNAi in the mushroom bodies (MBs), the main memory centre in flies, spared learning and memory suggesting a differential role of Rim in different synapses. Circadian deficits have been reported in schizophrenia. We observed circadian locomotor activity deficits in Rim mutants, revealing a role of Rim in the pacemaker ventral lateral clock neurons (LNvs). These changes were accompanied by impaired day/night remodelling of dorsal terminal synapses from a subpopulation of LNvs and impaired day/night release of the circadian neuropeptide pigment dispersing factor (PDF) from these terminals. Lastly, treatment with the commonly used antipsychotic haloperidol rescued Rim locomotor deficits to wildtype. This work characterises the role of Rim in synaptic functions underlying behaviours disrupted in schizophrenia.
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    Characterization of a Novel Drosophila SERT Mutant: Insights on the Contribution of the Serotonin Neural System to Behaviors
    (2017) Hidalgo, Sergio; Molina-Mateo, Daniela; Escobedo, Pia; Zarate, Rafaella V.; Fritz, Elsa; Fierro, Angelica; Perez, Edwin G.; Iturriaga-Vasquez, Patricio; Reyes-Parada, Miguel; Varas, Rodrigo; Fuenzalida-Uribe, Nicolas; Campusano, Jorge M.
    A better comprehension on how different molecular components of the serotonergic system contribute to the adequate regulation of behaviors in animals is essential in the interpretation on how they are involved in neuropsychiatric and pathological disorders. It is possible to study these components in "simpler" animal models including the fly Drosophila melanogaster, given that most of the components of the serotonergic system are conserved between vertebrates and invertebrates. Here we decided to advance our understanding on how the serotonin plasma membrane transporter (SERT) contributes to serotonergic neurotransmission and behaviors in Drosophila. In doing this, we characterized for the first time a mutant for Drosophila SERT (dSERT) and additionally used a highly selective serotonin-releasing drug, 4-methylthioamphetamine (4-MTA), whose mechanism of action involves the SERT protein. Our results show that dSERT mutant animals exhibit an increased survival rate in stress conditions, increased basal motor behavior, and decreased levels in an anxiety-related parameter, centrophobism. We also show that 4-MTA increases the negative chemotaxis toward a strong aversive odorant, benzaldehyde. Our neurochemical data suggest that this effect is mediated by dSERT and depends on the 4-MTA-increased release of serotonin in the fly brain. Our in silico data support the idea that these effects are explained by specific interactions between 4-MTA and dSERT. In sum, our neurochemical, in silico, and behavioral analyses demonstrate the critical importance of the serotonergic system and particularly dSERT functioning in modulating several behaviors in Drosophila.
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    Lipophorin receptors regulate mushroom bodies development and participate in learning, memory, and sleep in flies
    (2021) Rojo-Cortes, Francisca ; Tapia-Valladares, Victoria ; Fuenzalida-Uribe, Nicolas ; Hidalgo, Sergio ; Roa, Candy B. ; Gonzalez-Ramirez, Maria-Constanza ; Oliva, Carlos ; Campusano, Jorge M. ; Marzolo, Maria-Paz