The cell autonomous and non-autonomous functions of Rab27 in longevity and neuroprotection in Drosophila

Autophagic decline accompanies age and causes a deterioration in proteostasis, rendering neuronal demise. Rab27 functions as a vesicle regulator for macroautophagic/autophagic degradation and exocytosis. Loss of Drosophila Rab27 in αβp brain neurons enhances longevity, underscoring its neuronal role and systemic effect. To understand the underlying mechanisms, we characterized the cell autonomous and non-autonomous functions of Rab27. Rab27 expression increased in midlife, providing a temporal manipulation window. Depleting Rab27 at that timepoint activated autophagy and sustained neuronal maintenance. At the organismic level, Egfr (Epidermal growth factor receptor) ligand was reduced and Akt kinase underphosphorylated in the Rab27 KO fly body, indicating a widespread signaling cascade. Finally, Rab27 KO ameliorates the neurotoxicity in a fly α-synucleinopathy model. Altogether, our results highlight a neuronal autophagy regulator exerting systemic effects that are crucial for neuronal maintenance and improving longevity.Abbreviation: Atg autophagy-related genes;EGF: epidermal growth factor; Egfr: Epidermal growth factor receptor;EGFR: epidermal growth factor receptor; foxo: forkhead box, sub-groupO; mTor: mechanistic target of rapamycin; MTOR: mechanistic target ofrapamycin; spi: spitz.