Cholinergic signaling modulates intestinal pathophysiology in a drosophila model of cystic fibrosis.
Lane EA, Petsakou A, Liu Y, Chen W, Qadiri M, Hu Y, Perrimon N. PLoS Genet. 2026 Feb 17;22(2):e1012048. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1012048. Online ahead of print. PMID: 41701793
18.02.2026 11:44 β
π 3
π 1
π¬ 0
π 1
Ewen-Campen, B., Chen, W., Tattikota, S. G., Liu, Y., Hu, Y. and Perrimon, N. (2026) The Drosophila proventriculus lacks stem cells but compensates for age-related cell loss via endoreplication-mediated cell growth. bioRxiv 2025.06.27.662004; Nat Com. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-68876-5. PMID: 41593082
28.01.2026 11:56 β
π 5
π 0
π¬ 0
π 1
Moon, Hu, Dzieciatkowska, Kim, Asara, D'Alessandro and Perrimon (2026) Modeling tissue-specific Drosophila metabolism identifies high sugar diet-induced metabolic dysregulation in muscle at reaction and pathway levels. Nat Comm. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-68395-3.
19.01.2026 13:14 β
π 5
π 0
π¬ 0
π 0
Marques et al. (2025) In-situ glial cell-surface proteomics identifies pro-longevity factors in Drosophila. eLife14:RP109422https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.109422.1
13.12.2025 13:24 β
π 4
π 1
π¬ 0
π 0
Lin, Deng, Gao, Tan, Zhong, Tan, Tan, Virshup, Bosch, Perrimon and Wang (2026) Microproteins Simba1 and Simba2 activate Wingless signaling during the reactivation of neural stem cells in Drosophila. Nat. Comm. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-66727-3. PMID: 41298547
27.11.2025 13:16 β
π 6
π 1
π¬ 0
π 0
Mameli, Samantsidis, Viswanatha, Kwon, Hall, Butnaru, Hu., Y., Mohr, Perrimon and Smith (2025) A genome-wide CRISPR screen in Anopheles mosquito cells identifies fitness and immune cell function-related genes. 16(1):10323. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-65304-y. PMID: 41285753
25.11.2025 12:44 β
π 4
π 1
π¬ 1
π 0
Huang, K. and Perrimon, N. (2025) Metabolic command centers in Drosophila: How the fat body and oenocytes orchestrate immunity, reproduction, and aging. Current Opinion in Insect Science. 101459. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2025.101459. PMID: 41218693
12.11.2025 12:46 β
π 1
π 1
π¬ 0
π 0
Phage display-mediated immuno-PCR to detect low-abundance secreted proteins in Drosophila
Circulating hormones, that mediate communications across organs to maintain physiological balance, are commonly detected and quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). However, whil...
New paper: Phage display-mediated immuno-PCR to detect low-abundance secreted proteins in Drosophila
Han, Xia, Ah-Ram Kim, Filine, Stoneburner, Miao, Liu, Zirin, Perrimon
bioRxiv 2025.10.31.685841; doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
01.11.2025 12:26 β
π 2
π 0
π¬ 0
π 0
A family of lethal exotoxins defined by cell entry via the Attractin receptor
Although bacterial genomes encode numerous potential toxins, it is unclear how evolution drives the specificity of these important virulence factors. Using an insect CRISPR screen, we identified the t...
New paper: A family of lethal exotoxins defined by cell entry via the Attractin receptor
Viswanatha, Lee, Robins, Mameli, Hu, Kim, Hashmi, Hiroshi , Prakash, Butnaru, Churchman, Mohr, Mekalanos, Perrimon
doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
09.10.2025 13:33 β
π 3
π 0
π¬ 0
π 0
Hepatic ceramide synthesis links systemic inflammation to organelle dysfunction in cancer
Paraneoplastic syndromes arise when tumor-derived cytokines reprogram distant organs. Although mediators such as Interleukin-6 have been implicated, how these signals impair host organ function remain...
New paper: Hepatic ceramide synthesis links systemic inflammation to organelle dysfunction in cancer
Liu, Miao, Wang, Ezequiel, Kim, Zhang, Sun, Binari, Asara, Yanhui Hu, Goncalves, Janowitz, Perrimon
doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
04.10.2025 13:13 β
π 5
π 3
π¬ 0
π 0
Renal Coenzyme A (CoA) Production Fuels Stem Cell Proliferation and Tumor Growth
Coenzyme A (CoA), derived from Vitamin B5 (VB5), is essential for lipid metabolism, energy production, and cell proliferation. While the intracellular functions of CoA are well characterized, its tiss...
Renal Coenzyme A (CoA) Production Fuels Stem Cell Proliferation and Tumor Growth
Ting Miao, Ying Liu, Mujeeb Qadiri, John M. Asara, Yanhui Hu, Xiaomei Sun, Christian Dibble, Norbert Perrimon
bioRxiv 2025.08.08.669325; doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
12.08.2025 10:57 β
π 3
π 1
π¬ 0
π 0
Cheng, C., Liu, Y., Chen, Y., Li, J., Xu, W., Perrimon, N. and Song, W. (2025) The power of Drosophila in modeling cancer cachexia. Adv Exp Med Biol. 482:83-100. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-97035-1_5. PMID: 40745137
01.08.2025 10:29 β
π 0
π 0
π¬ 0
π 0
Intersecting experimental evolution and CRISPR screens to identify novel insecticide resistance loci
Understanding the evolution of insect resistance to natural and artificial poisons is important both to appreciate the adaptation of species to toxic ecological niches and manage pest insects. While r...
Intersecting experimental evolution and CRISPR screens to identify novel insecticide resistance loci
Marconcini, Cruchet, Goswami, Viswanatha, Butnaru, De, Roselli, Hadjieconomou, Perrimon, Mohr, Benton
bioRxiv 2025.07.23.666417; doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
28.07.2025 16:47 β
π 4
π 1
π¬ 1
π 0
ScGOclust: leveraging gene ontology to find functionally analogous cell types between distant species.
Song Y, Hu Y, Dow J, Perrimon N, Papatheodorou I. Bioinformatics. 2025 Jul 1;41(Supplement_1):i571-i579. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btaf195. PMID: 40662793
16.07.2025 04:39 β
π 3
π 0
π¬ 0
π 0
Cholinergic Signaling Modulates Intestinal Pathophysiology in a Drosophila Model of Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a monogenic genetic disease caused by mutations in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator (CFTR) chloride/bicarbonate channel, which is expressed in certain epithelia cells. Current therapies focus on restoring CFTR function but many gut-related pathologies persist, highlighting the need for complementary treatments to improve the quality of life of patients living with CF. In this study, we use Drosophila melanogaster as a model to investigate the gut-specific effects of Cftr loss. We demonstrate that enterocyte-specific knockdown of Cftr in flies recapitulates several CF pathologies, including reduced intestinal motility, nutrient malabsorption, and decreased energy stores. Using single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), we identify significant transcriptional changes in the CF model gut, including the upregulation of acetylcholine esterase (Ace, human AChE), which leads to reduced cholinergic signaling. Cholinergic signaling has been shown to affect CFTR function but this is the first time CFTR loss of function has been shown to alter cholinergic signaling. Functional assays confirm that cholinergic sensitivity is diminished in CF guts and restoring cholinergic signaling via Ace knockdown rescues multiple CF-associated phenotypes. Furthermore, we identify the transcription factor Forkhead (Fkh), the Drosophila homolog of human FOXA1/FOXA2, which is known to be a positive regulator of Cftr in the intestine, as a positive regulator of Ace expression in CF guts. This study establishes the Drosophila gut as a powerful model to investigate CF pathogenesis, genetic modifiers, and identifies Ace and Fkh as genetic modifiers. This work also suggests that enhancing cholinergic signaling may represent a viable therapeutic strategy for gastrointestinal manifestations of CF. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. NIDDK, 5F32DK130290-03 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, https://ror.org/00ax59295, LANE21F0-00816F221
New paper: Cholinergic Signaling Modulates Intestinal Pathophysiology in a Drosophila Model of Cystic Fibrosis
Elizabeth Lane, Afroditi Petsakou, Ying Liu, Weihang Chen, Mujeeb Qadiri, Yanhui Hu, Norbert Perrimon
doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
06.07.2025 11:04 β
π 2
π 1
π¬ 0
π 0
Kang et al. (2025) NF-ΞΊB-mediated developmental delay extends lifespan in Drosophila PNAS. 122(19):e2420811122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2420811122.
10.05.2025 11:47 β
π 2
π 0
π¬ 0
π 0
Xiao, G. et al. (2025). Intratumor HIF-1a modulates production of a cachectic ligand to cause host wasting. Cell Insight. doi: 10.1016/j.cellin.2025.100247. PMID: 40336592
09.05.2025 10:20 β
π 2
π 1
π¬ 0
π 0
TF2TG: an online resource mining the potential gene targets of transcription factors in Drosophila.
Hu Y, Rodiger J, Liu Y, Gao C, Liu Y, Qadiri M, Veal A, Bulyk ML, Perrimon N. Genetics. 2025 May 2:iyaf082. doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyaf082. Online ahead of print. PMID: 40314147
02.05.2025 11:00 β
π 9
π 6
π¬ 0
π 0
Hepatic gluconeogenesis and PDK3 upregulation drive cancer cachexia in flies and mice. Liu, Dantas, Ferrer, Miao T, Qadiri, Liu, Comjean , Davidson, Perrier, Ahmed, Hu, Goncalves, Janowitz, Perrimon. Nat Metab. 2025 doi: 10.1038/s42255-025-01265-2. PMID: 40275022
25.04.2025 11:22 β
π 1
π 1
π¬ 0
π 0
New publication!
Sex and Depot Specific Adipocyte Proteome Profiling In Vivo via Intracellular Proximity Labeling.
Simonian TL, Meyer AS, Guo J, Sha J, Wohlschlegel JA, Droujinine IA, Perrimon N, McMahon AP. Compr Physiol. 2025 Apr;15(2):e70007. doi: 10.1002/cph4.70007. PMID: 40181252
14.04.2025 14:24 β
π 4
π 0
π¬ 0
π 0