Article Text

Download PDFPDF
A38 Exploring the interplay between gut microbiota and mutant HTT toxicity in drosophila melanogaster
  1. Jasmine Speranza,
  2. Julian Ketley,
  3. Flaviano Giorgini
  1. Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, UK

Abstract

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative condition caused by the expansion of a CAG trinucleotide repeat in the HTT gene. Recent work suggests that the gut microbiota (GM) - a complex ecosystem composed of bacteria, viruses, and fungi – may play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Endogenous (e.g., diet, antibiotics) and host-related (e.g., genotype, age) factors affect GM composition and functionality. Conversely, the GM modulates host metabolism, inflammation, and immune responses, possibly influencing the pathogenesis of brain disorders/diseases, including HD. We have used a Drosophila model of HD to investigate the effect of pan-neuronal mutant HTT expression on the GM. Additionally, we have explored whether gut dysbiosis induced by tetracycline administration influences HD-related phenotypes. Tetracycline treatment did not affect phenotypes (lifespan, viability, locomotion, and neuronal degeneration) of either wild-type HTT or mutant HTT flies compared to untreated controls. However, we found a higher abundance of culturable bacteria in gut homogenates of mutant HTT compared to wild-type HTT Drosophila. To explore potential differences in gut physiology, we used the SMURF assay to investigate its integrity. Mutant HTT flies exhibited an abnormal SMURF phenotype (gut permeability to a blue dye) suggesting dysfunction of the intestinal barrier, a phenomenon commonly associated with ageing and altered metabolism and immunity in Drosophila. In summary, our study supports an effect of HD on epithelial physiology and GM content, possibly through a dysregulation of immune responses.

  • Huntington’s disease
  • gut microbiota
  • neurodegeneration

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.