Dopamine receptors in the central nervous system regulate locomotor function and as such are important therapeutic targets for neuropathologic conditions including Parkinson's disease. To better understand the processes that determine receptor-mediated function in mammals we will utilize Drosophila as a model organism. Flies are amenable to a unique spectrum of genetic approaches for which advanced research tools (e.g. microarrays, repository of mutant fly lines) are readily available. It is of note that there is a high degree of structural and functional conservation between the Drosophila and mammalian proteins that modulate dopaminergic neurotransmission. Our laboratory has recently extended these known parallels with the cloning and pharmacologic characterization of a Drosophila dopamine 2 like receptor (DD2R), the homolog of a well-established mammalian protein that is a key regulator of locomotor function. In vitro pharmacologic comparison between the fly and human D2 receptors reveals a similar profile of agonist (endogenous amines and selected synthetic ligands) induced signaling. At the same time, a subset of anti-Parkinsonian D2R drugs preferentially binds and activates the human (vs. the fly) receptor homolog.
In Aim 1, receptor mutants will be generated in which divergent residues are exchanged between the human D2R and the DD2R. These constructs will be utilized to identify human amino acids that confer functional activity to clinically important agonists.
In Aim 2, we propose to define the tissue specific expression and the pharmacologic profile of multiple DD2R splice variants that we have identified. As a rationale for these studies, it is well established that mammalian D2 receptor isoforms have distinct cellular distributions and modulate different functions in vivo. The assessment of DD2R splice variants will rely on a combination of approaches including quantitative PCR to assess relative transcript abundance, confocal microscopy with DD2R antibodies to assess expression profiles, and in vitro cell based assays to assess pharmacologic properties. To examine in vivo function, we have generated trangenic RNA interference (RNAi) flies with reduced expression of the DD2R. Characterization of these flies has revealed a highly significant decrease in locomotor function.
In Aim 3, we propose to identify novel genes that are linked to dopaminergic signaling pathways, utilizing two complementary approaches (i) transcriptome analysis of the DD2R RNAi (vs. control) flies, and (ii) screening an existing collection of insertion bearing fly lines for alterations in locomotor activity/dopaminergic signaling. Once identified, these genes will be functionally assessed to determine their potential role in dopaminergic signaling.
