TDP-43 impairs sleep in Drosophila through Ataxin-2-dependent metabolic disturbance.

Neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia are associated with substantial sleep disruption, which may accelerate cognitive decline and brain degeneration. Here, we define a role for trans-activation response element (TAR) DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43), a protein associated with human neurodegenerative disease, in regulating sleep using Drosophila. Expression of TDP-43 severely disrupts sleep, and the sleep deficit is rescued by Atx2 knockdown. Brain RNA sequencing revealed that Atx2 RNA interference regulates transcripts enriched for small-molecule metabolic signaling in TDP-43 brains. Focusing on these Atx2-regulated genes, we identified suppressors of the TDP-43 sleep phenotype enriched for metabolism pathways. Knockdown of Atx2 or treatment with rapamycin attenuated the sleep phenotype and mitigated the disruption of small-molecule glycogen metabolism caused by TDP-43. Our findings provide a connection between toxicity of TDP-43 and sleep disturbances and highlight key aspects of metabolism that interplay with TDP-43 toxicity upon Atx2 rescue.

Citation

Alexandra E Perlegos, Jaclyn Durkin, Samuel J Belfer, Anyara Rodriguez, Oksana Shcherbakova, Kristen Park, Jenny Luong, Nancy M Bonini, Matthew S Kayser. TDP-43 impairs sleep in Drosophila through Ataxin-2-dependent metabolic disturbance. Science advances. 2024 Jan 12;10(2):eadj4457

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PMID: 38198547

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