School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus Building 85, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.
J Neurosci Methods. 2012 Jan 30;203(2):325-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2011.08.037. Epub 2011 Sep 10.
Larval locomotion is a sensitive readout of a range of nervous system deficits in Drosophila, and has been utilised to quantify modulation of the disease phenotype in models of human disease. Single larvae are typically analysed in series using manual quantification of parameters such as contraction rate, or grouped together and studied en-masse. Here, we describe the development of tests for the analysis of several spatially isolated third instar larvae in parallel. We rapidly quantify larval turning rate and velocity during wandering behaviour in a 4 plate assay. In a second test, larvae are recorded as they race along five parallel lanes towards a yeast stimulus. This allows increased throughput analysis of comparative genotypes simultaneously, video archiving, and detection of exacerbation or rescue of defective locomotion in a Drosophila model of tauopathy, as we demonstrate genetically and through delivery of candidate therapeutic chemicals in fly food. The tests are well-suited for rapid comparison of locomotion capability in Drosophila mutants or candidate modulation screens in Drosophila models of human disease.
幼虫运动是果蝇神经系统缺陷的一个敏感指标，已被用于量化人类疾病模型中疾病表型的调节。通常使用手动量化收缩率等参数的方法对单个幼虫进行连续分析，或者将它们分组并进行整体研究。在这里，我们描述了一种用于同时平行分析多个空间分离的三龄幼虫的测试方法。我们在 4 板测定中快速量化了游走行为期间幼虫的转弯率和速度。在第二个测试中，幼虫在沿着五条平行跑道向酵母刺激物奔跑的过程中被记录下来。这允许同时对比较基因型进行高通量分析、视频存档，并检测果蝇神经tau病模型中运动缺陷的加重或挽救，我们通过遗传和在果蝇食物中提供候选治疗性化学物质来证明这一点。这些测试非常适合快速比较果蝇突变体的运动能力或人类疾病的果蝇模型中的候选调节筛选。
