The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster as an alternative animal model for Translational Science of molecular mechanisms of human liver diseases

Abstract

Liver diseases are a major health problem worldwide and the number of people affected by nonalcoholic fat liver disease (NAFLD) has been increasing in the past decades. The pathology may progress from benign non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to more advanced stages such as cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease progression has to be deeply investigated prior to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. In this context, RNA technology and novel genetic tools emerged as innovative and efficient molecular approaches to decipher the molecular routes that potentially control and/or reverse NAFLDs and the related pathologies. Dr Moraes has been awarded of a regular FAPESP grant to perform proteomics analysis following the misexpression of the micro RNA 1914-5p in liver-derived cell lines. In pro-steatotic cultured cells, this miRNA has been shown to control lipid metabolism, and it potentially targets more than 100 mRNA encoding proteins connected to this metabolism. To validate in an in vivo model the relevant candidates that will be identified in the proteomics approach, we plan to use the genetic tools of Drosophila melanogaster, which emerges as a powerful model system for the study of metabolic diseases. This collaborative project will strengthen the interactions between researchers from CNRS (Drosophila task) and the São Paulo State (proteomics task). (AU)