אודות
Multicellular organisms constantly remove unneeded cells through phagocytosis. Proper and efficient cell clearance is crucial for normal development and maintenance of a stable body. To understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of this evolutionarily conserved process, we employ the fruit fly Drosophila Melanogaster as a powerful genetic model, which permits comprehensive mechanistic in vivo studies and provides a complement to more medical approaches in the field. We study the molecular basis of cell clearance with a particular interest in the role of glial phagocytosis in the establishment and function of the central nervous system (CNS). We anticipate our research to move forward the current knowledge about neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.
פרסומים
- The secreted Nimrod protein NimB1 negatively regulates early steps of apoptotic cell phagocytosis in Drosophila, Dolgikh, A., Rommelaere, S., Ghanem, A., Petrignani, B., Poidevin, M., Kurant, E. & Lemaitre, B., Aug 2025, In: Development (Cambridge). 152, 16, dev204919.
- Santa-maria is a glial phagocytic receptor that acts with SIMU to recognize and engulf apoptotic neurons, Hilu-Dadia, R., Ghanem, A., Vogelesang, S., Ayoub, M., Hakim-Mishnaevski, K. & Kurant, E., 28 Jan 2025, In: Cell Reports. 44, 1, 115201.
- Drosophila FGFR/Htl signaling shapes embryonic glia to phagocytose apoptotic neurons, Ayoub, M., David, L. M., Shklyar, B., Hakim-Mishnaevski, K. & Kurant, E., Dec 2023, In: Cell Death Discovery. 9, 1, 90.
- The phagocytic cyst cells in Drosophila testis eliminate germ cell progenitors via phagoptosis, Zohar-Fux, M., Ben-Hamo-Arad, A., Arad, T., Volin, M., Shklyar, B., Hakim-Mishnaevski, K., Porat-Kuperstein, L., Kurant, E. & Toledano, H., Jun 2022, In: Science Advances. 8, 24, eabm4937.
- A secreted factor NimrodB4 promotes the elimination of apoptotic corpses by phagocytes in Drosophila, Petrignani, B., Rommelaere, S., Hakim-Mishnaevski, K., Masson, F., Ramond, E., Hilu-Dadia, R., Poidevin, M., Kondo, S., Kurant, E. & Lemaitre, B., 6 Sep 2021, In: EMBO Reports. 22, 9, p. e52262 e52262.
- Drosophila Skp1 Homologue SkpA Plays a Neuroprotective Role in Adult Brain, Dabool, L., Hakim-Mishnaevski, K., Juravlev, L., Flint-Brodsly, N., Mandel, S. & Kurant, E., 21 Aug 2020, In: iScience. 23, 8, 101375.
- Glial phagocytosis in developing and mature Drosophila CNS: tight regulation for a healthy brain, Hilu-Dadia, R. & Kurant, E., Feb 2020, In: Current Opinion in Immunology. 62, p. 62-68 7 p.
- Glial Phagocytic Receptors Promote Neuronal Loss in Adult Drosophila Brain, Hakim-Mishnaevski, K., Flint-Brodsly, N., Shklyar, B., Levy-Adam, F. & Kurant, E., 5 Nov 2019, In: Cell Reports. 29, 6, p. 1438-1448.e3
- Phagocytosis in Drosophila: From molecules and cellular machinery to physiology, Melcarne, C., Lemaitre, B. & Kurant, E., Jun 2019, In: Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 109, p. 1-12 12 p.
- Modeling Parkinson's disease in adult Drosophila, Dabool, L., Juravlev, L., Hakim-Mishnaevski, K. & Kurant, E., 1 Jan 2019, In: Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 311, p. 89-94 6 p.
- Editorial: Apoptotic cell clearance in health and disease, Kurant, E., Ariel, A. & Lauber, K., 2 Oct 2018, In: Frontiers in Immunology. 9, OCT, 2154.
- Drosophila huwe1 ubiquitin ligase regulates endoreplication and antagonizes jnk signaling during salivary gland development, Yanku, Y., Bitman-Lotan, E., Zohar, Y., Kurant, E., Zilke, N., Eilers, M. & Orian, A., Oct 2018, In: Cells. 7, 10, 242.
- Draper-mediated JNK signaling is required for glial phagocytosis of apoptotic neurons during Drosophila metamorphosis, Hilu-Dadia, R., Hakim-Mishnaevski, K., Levy-Adam, F. & Kurant, E., Jul 2018, In: GLIA. 66, 7, p. 1520-1532 13 p.
- Drosophila GATA factor serpent establishes phagocytic ability of embryonic macrophages, Shlyakhover, E., Shklyar, B., Hakim-Mishnaevski, K., Levy-Adam, F. & Kurant, E., 8 Mar 2018, In: Frontiers in Immunology. 9, MAR, 266.
- The role of Drosophila TNF Eiger in developmental and damage-induced neuronal apoptosis, Shklover, J., Levy-Adam, F. & Kurant, E., 2 Apr 2015, In: FEBS Letters. 589, 8, p. 871-879 9 p.
- JNK pathway activation is able to synchronize neuronal death and glial phagocytosis in Drosophila, Shklover, J., Mishnaevski, K., Levy-Adam, F. & Kurant, E., 1 Jan 2015, In: Cell Death and Disease. 6, 2, e1649.
- Drosophila model for studying phagocytosis following neuronal cell death, Shklyar, B., Levy-Adam, F. & Kurant, E., 2015, In: Methods in Molecular Biology. 1254, p. 359-368 10 p.
- Apoptotic Cell Clearance in Development, Shklover, J., Levy-Adam, F. & Kurant, E., 2015, Current Topics in Developmental Biology: Apoptosis and Development, 2015. Steller, H. (ed.). Academic Press Inc., p. 297-334 38 p. (Current Topics in Developmental Biology; vol. 114).
- Developmental regulation of glial cell phagocytic function during Drosophila embryogenesis, Shklyar, B., Sellman, Y., Shklover, J., Mishnaevski, K., Levy-Adam, F. & Kurant, E., 2014, In: Developmental Biology. 393, 2, p. 255-269 15 p.
- Caspase activity is required for engulfment of apoptotic cells, Shklyar, B., Levy-Adam, F., Mishnaevski, K. & Kurant, E., 2013, In: Molecular and Cellular Biology. 33, 16, p. 3191-3201 11 p.
- Live imaging of apoptotic cell learance during Drosophila embryogenesis, Shklyar, B., Shklover, J. & Kurant, E., 2013, In: Journal of Visualized Experiments. 78
- Keeping the CNS clear: Glial phagocytic functions in Drosophila, Kurant, E., Sep 2011, In: GLIA. 59, 9, p. 1304-1311 8 p.
- Six-Microns-Under Acts Upstream of Draper in the Glial Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Neurons, Kurant, E., Axelrod, S., Leaman, D. & Gaul, U., 2 May 2008, In: Cell. 133, 3, p. 498-509 12 p.
- Mutational analysis of the Drosophila homothorax gene, Kurant, E., Eytan, D. & Salzberg, A., 2001, In: Genetics. 157, 2, p. 689-698 10 p.
- The homothorax homeoprotein activates the nuclear localization of another homeoprotein, Extradenticle, and suppresses eye development in Drosophila, Pai, C. Y., Kuo, T. S., Jaw, T. J., Kurant, E., Chen, C. T., Bessarab, D. A., Salzberg, A. & Sun, Y. H., 1 Feb 1998, In: Genes and Development. 12, 3, p. 435-446 12 p.
- Dorsotonals/homothorax, the Drosophila homologue of meis1 interacts with extradenticle in patterning of the embryonic PNS, Kurant, E., Pai, C. Y., Sharf, R., Halachmi, N., Sun, Y. H. & Salzberg, A., 1998, In: Development (Cambridge). 125, 6, p. 1037-1048 12 p.