Fig 1.
Elav-GAL4 system Aβ42 transgenic Drosophila.
(a) The control group was wild-type Elav-W1118. The relative expression level of Aβ42 was increased about 200 times in Elav-Aβ42 Drosophila detecting by the fluorescent PCR. (b) The average lifetime of Elav-W1118 (72.6 days), Elav-Aβ42 transgenic (41.4 days) and Elav-Aβ42/Drp1 (60.5 days) were recorded as shown by the survival curves. After over-expressing Drp1 in Elav-Aβ42 transgenic Drosophila, it was found that the average life of Elav-Aβ42 / Drp1 was longer than that of Elav-Aβ42. The asterisks indicated the p value was lower than 0.05 when compared compared Elav-Aβ42 group to wild-type Elav-W1118 group.
Fig 2.
The wild-type group: on the 15th day, the average number of Elav-W1118 Drosophila whose crawling height within 0–5 cm was 7.68, and the number above 15 cm was 10.45; on the 25th day, the average number within 0-5cm was 5.27, and the number above 15 cm was 8.67. Elav-Aβ42 Drosophila: on the 15th day, the average number whose crawling height within 0–5 cm was 15.58, and the number above 15 cm was 1.86; on the 25th day, the average number within 0–5 cm was 11.01, and the number above 15 cm was 1.56. After Drp1 was over-expressed in Elav-Aβ42 transgenic Drosophila, on the 15th day, the average number within 0–5 cm was 11.98, and the number above 15 cm was 8.98; on the 25th day, the average number within 0-5cm was 10.68, and the number above 15 cm was 6.87. It was found that after over-expressing Drp1 in Elav-Aβ42 transgenic Drosophila, the average number of crawling Drosophila within 0–5 cm was decreased and that above 15 cm was increased in the first 15 and 25 days. The asterisks indicated the p value was lower than 0.05 when compared Elav-Aβ42 group or Elav-Aβ42/Drp1 group to wild-type Elav-W1118 group. The triangle indicated that the p value was lower than 0.05 compared between Elav-Aβ42 group and Elav-Aβ42/Drp1 group.
Fig 3.
Detection of the neuronal degeneration level.
(a) Aβ42 amyloid fibrils detection and routine HE staining of Drosophila brain sections were carried out. The figures were observed and captured under the Olympus microscope (20X, 40X), it was found that overexpressing Drp1 in Elav-Aβ42 transgenic Drosophila suppressed the neuronal degeneration. (b) The quantitative result for the relative level of Aβ42 amyloid fibrils. The asterisks indicated the p value was lower than 0.05 when compared Elav-Aβ42 group to wild-type Elav-W1118 group. The triangle indicated that the p value was lower than 0.05 compared between Elav-Aβ42 group and Elav-Aβ42/Drp1 group.
Fig 4.
Relative level of ATP of the transgenic Elav-GAL4 system.
(a) In the first 25 days, ATP level in Drosophila head was measured, ATP peak area of the wild-type Drosophila was 114.69 mAU*s; after Drp1 overexpressed in Elav-Aβ42 Drosophila, the peak area (163.62 mAU*s) was significantly higher than that of Elav-Aβ42 Drosophila (88.61 mAU *s). (b) Similarly, the relative average level of ATP for Elav-Aβ42/Drp1 Drosophila (0.84) was significantly higher than that of Drosophila Elav-Aβ42 (0.73). The asterisks indicated the p value was lower than 0.05 when compared Elav-Aβ42 group or Elav-Aβ42/Drp1 group to wild-type Elav-W1118 group. The triangle indicated that the p value was lower than 0.05 compared between Elav-Aβ42 group and Elav-Aβ42/Drp1 group.