Josh Dubnau

Early life social isolation primes flies for more rapid TDP-43 dependent neurodegeneration later in life.

This study shows that early-life social isolation in flies accelerates TDP-43-related neurodegeneration later in life by enhancing mdg4 activation and pathologic propagation.

Glial cell-intrinsic and non-cell autonomous toxicity in a Drosophila C9orf72 neurodegeneration model

This study investigates glial cell-intrinsic and non-cell autonomous toxicity in a Drosophila C9orf72 model by expressing different components of the G4C2 repeat expansion.

Targeted single cell expression profiling identifies integrators of sleep and metabolic state

The paper identifies genes regulating sleep-metabolism interactions in Drosophila LHLK neurons using single-cell sequencing and functional validation.

LINE-1 replication in a mouse TDP-43 model of neurodegeneration marks motor cortex neurons for cell-intrinsic and non-cell autonomous programmed cell death.

This study shows that TDP-43 pathology in mice triggers LINE-1 retrotransposon replication in motor cortex neurons and glia, leading to cell-intrinsic and non-cell autonomous programmed cell death.

TDP-43 pathology in Drosophila induces glial-cell type specific toxicity that can be ameliorated by knock-down of SF2/SRSF1.

This study shows that TDP-43 pathology in Drosophila glial cells causes systemic toxicity, which can be reduced by knocking down SF2/SRSF1.

Endogenous Retroviruses and TDP-43 Proteinopathy Form a Sustaining Feedback to Drive the Intercellular Spread of Neurodegeneration

The paper shows that endogenous retroviruses and TDP-43 proteinopathy form a feedback loop that drives the spread of neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model.

Cell environment shapes TDP-43 function: implications in neuronal and muscle disease

The paper compares TDP-43's transcriptional and splicing effects in muscle and neuronal cells, showing tissue-specific roles in disease.

A behavioral screen for mediators of age-dependent TDP-43 neurodegeneration identifies SF2/SRSF1 among a group of potent suppressors in both neurons and glia.

The paper identifies SF2/SRSF1 as a suppressor of TDP-43 toxicity in both neurons and glia through a Drosophila behavioral screen.

Intercellular viral spread and intracellular transposition of Drosophila gypsy

This study shows Drosophila gypsy retrotransposon can replicate via both intracellular retrotransposition and intercellular viral spread, depending on the presence of its envelope protein.

Postmortem Cortex Samples Identify Distinct Molecular Subtypes of ALS: Retrotransposon Activation, Oxidative Stress, and Activated Glia

The paper uses unsupervised machine learning to identify three molecular subtypes in ALS cortex samples, associated with oxidative stress, retrotransposon activation, and glial activation.

Cellular labeling of endogenous virus replication (CLEVR) reveals de novo insertions of the gypsy endogenous retrovirus in cell culture and in both neurons and glial cells of aging fruit flies

The paper introduces CLEVR, a method to detect gypsy retrovirus replication in Drosophila, showing increased replication in aging flies and when RNAi is disrupted.

Nuclear transcriptomes of the seven neuronal cell types that constitute the Drosophila mushroom bodies.

The paper profiles nuclear transcriptomes of seven neuronal subtypes in Drosophila mushroom bodies, identifying specific genes and molecular features across cell types.

A computational framework for converting high-throughput DNA sequencing data into neural circuit connectivity.

The paper describes a computational framework to convert high-throughput DNA sequencing data into neural circuit connectivity using BOINC and applies it to pseudorabies virus experiments.

Retrotransposon Activation Contributes to Neurodegeneration in a DrosophilaTDP-43 Model of ALS.

This paper shows that TDP-43 expression in Drosophila causes retrotransposon activation, leading to neurodegeneration through DNA damage and programmed cell death.