Effects of Alpha-Synuclein Expression on Behavioral Activity in Drosophila : A Simple Model of Parkinsons Disease

Adult transgenic fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster ) carrying the human gene coding for the protein α-synuclein were tested for geotactic, locomotor, and phototactic behaviors as well as α-synuclein expression. Specific assays in adult conscious flies can be used to determine geotactic, phototactic, and locomotor behaviors. The presence of endogenous α-synuclein in the fly brain was assessed via immunological blot assays. The expression of monomeric human α-synuclein (19 kDa) in the brain of flies containing the homozygous human UAS wild-type α-synuclein transgene was shown by specific immunological blotting procedures. Behavioral testing indicated that motor rather than sensory functions were principally affected by the presence of α-synuclein, mimicking its effects in Parkinson’s disease. These data illustrate that the human gene coding for α-synuclein can be expressed in the fly and produce behavioral effects in accord with behaviors seen in patients with Parkinson’s disease.