The Serine Protease Homolog, Scarface, Is Sensitive to Nutrient Availability and Modulates the Development of the Drosophila Blood–Brain Barrier
6430 • The Journal of Neuroscience, July 28, 2021 • 41(30):6430–6448 Development/Plasticity/Repair The Serine Protease Homolog, Scarface, Is Sensitive to Nutrient Availability and Modulates the Development of the Drosophila Blood–Brain Barrier Esteban G. Contreras,1 Álvaro Glavic,2 Andrea H. Brand,3 and Jimena A. Sierralta1 1Biomedical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile, 2Fund for Research Centers in Prioritary Areas Center for Genome Regulation, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800024, Chile, and 3The Gurdon Institute and Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, England The adaptable transcriptional response to changes in food availability not only ensures animal survival but also lets embry- onic development progress. Interestingly, the CNS is preferentially protected from periods of malnutrition, a phenomenon known as “brain sparing.” However, the mechanisms that mediate this response remain poorly understood. To get a better understanding of this, we used Drosophila melanogaster as a model, analyzing the transcriptional response of neural stem cells (neuroblasts) and glia of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) from larvae of both sexes during nutrient restriction using tar- geted DamID. We found differentially expressed genes in both neuroblasts and glia of the BBB, although the effect of nutri- ent deficiency was primarily observed in the BBB. We characterized the function of a nutritional sensitive gene expressed in the BBB, the serine protease homolog, scarface (scaf). Scaf is expressed in subperineurial glia in the BBB in response to nutri- tion. Tissue-specific knockdown of scaf increases subperineurial glia endoreplication and proliferation of perineurial glia in the blood–brain barrier.
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