Disruption of synaptic transmission or clock-gene-product oscillations in circadian pacemaker cells of Drosophila cause abnormal behavioral rhythms

The time dimension to stroke: Circadian effects on stroke outcomes and mechanisms

The circadian system is widely involved in the various pathological outcomes affected by time dimension changes. In the brain, the master circadian clock, also known as the "pacemaker," is present in the hypothalamus's suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN consists of molecular circadian clocks that operate in each neuron and other brain cells. These circadian mechanisms are controlled by the transcription and translation of specific genes such as the clock circadian regulator (Clock) and brain and muscle ARNT-Like 1 (Bmal1). Period (Per1-3) and cryptochrome (Cry1 and 2) negatively feedback and regulate the clock genes. Variations in the circadian cycle and these clock genes can affect stroke outcomes. Studies suggest that the peak stroke occurs in the morning after patients awaken from sleep, while stroke severity and poor outcomes worsen at midnight. The main risk factor associated with stroke is high blood pressure (hypertension). Blood pressure usually dips by 15-20% during sleep, but many hypertensives do not display this normal dipping pattern and are non-dippers. A sleep blood pressure is the primary determinant of stroke risk. This article discusses the possible mechanism associated with circadian rhythm and stroke outcomes.

Circadian autophagy drives iTRF-mediated longevity

Time-restricted feeding (TRF) has recently gained interest as a potential anti-ageing treatment for organisms from Drosophila to humans^1-5. TRF restricts food intake to specific hours of the day. Because TRF controls the timing of feeding, rather than nutrient or caloric content, TRF has been hypothesized to depend on circadian-regulated functions; the underlying molecular mechanisms of its effects remain unclear. Here, to exploit the genetic tools and well-characterized ageing markers of Drosophila, we developed an intermittent TRF (iTRF) dietary regimen that robustly extended fly lifespan and delayed the onset of ageing markers in the muscles and gut. We found that iTRF enhanced circadian-regulated transcription and that iTRF-mediated lifespan extension required both circadian regulation and autophagy, a conserved longevity pathway. Night-specific induction of autophagy was both necessary and sufficient to extend lifespan on an ad libitum diet and also prevented further iTRF-mediated lifespan extension. By contrast, day-specific induction of autophagy did not extend lifespan. Thus, these results identify circadian-regulated autophagy as a critical contributor to iTRF-mediated health benefits in Drosophila. Because both circadian regulation and autophagy are highly conserved processes in human ageing, this work highlights the possibility that behavioural or pharmaceutical interventions that stimulate circadian-regulated autophagy might provide people with similar health benefits, such as delayed ageing and lifespan extension.

Empowering Melatonin Therapeutics with Drosophila Models

Melatonin functions as a central regulator of cell and organismal function as well as a neurohormone involved in several processes, e.g., the regulation of the circadian rhythm, sleep, aging, oxidative response, and more. As such, it holds immense pharmacological potential. Receptor-mediated melatonin function mainly occurs through MT1 and MT2, conserved amongst mammals. Other melatonin-binding proteins exist. Non-receptor-mediated activities involve regulating the mitochondrial function and antioxidant cascade, which are frequently affected by normal aging as well as disease. Several pathologies display diseased or dysfunctional mitochondria, suggesting melatonin may be used therapeutically. Drosophila models have extensively been employed to study disease pathogenesis and discover new drugs. Here, we review the multiple functions of melatonin through the lens of functional conservation and model organism research to empower potential melatonin therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative and renal diseases.

Integration of Circadian Clock Information in the Drosophila Circadian Neuronal Network

Circadian clocks are biochemical time-keeping machines that synchronize animal behavior and physiology with planetary rhythms. In Drosophila, the core components of the clock comprise a transcription/translation feedback loop and are expressed in seven neuronal clusters in the brain. Although it is increasingly evident that the clocks in each of the neuronal clusters are regulated differently, how these clocks communicate with each other across the circadian neuronal network is less clear. Here, we review the latest evidence that describes the physical connectivity of the circadian neuronal network . Using small ventral lateral neurons as a starting point, we summarize how one clock may communicate with another, highlighting the signaling pathways that are both upstream and downstream of these clocks. We propose that additional efforts are required to understand how temporal information generated in each circadian neuron is integrated across a neuronal circuit to regulate rhythmic behavior.

Uncovering the Roles of Clocks and Neural Transmission in the Resilience of Drosophila Circadian Network

Studies of circadian locomotor rhythms in Drosophila melanogaster gave evidence to the preceding theoretical predictions on circadian rhythms. The molecular oscillator in flies, as in virtually all organisms, operates using transcriptional-translational feedback loops together with intricate post-transcriptional processes. Approximately150 pacemaker neurons, each equipped with a molecular oscillator, form a circuit that functions as the central pacemaker for locomotor rhythms. Input and output pathways to and from the pacemaker circuit are dissected to the level of individual neurons. Pacemaker neurons consist of functionally diverse subclasses, including those designated as the Morning/Master (M)-oscillator essential for driving free-running locomotor rhythms in constant darkness and the Evening (E)-oscillator that drives evening activity. However, accumulating evidence challenges this dual-oscillator model for the circadian circuit organization and propose the view that multiple oscillators are coordinated through network interactions. Here we attempt to provide further evidence to the revised model of the circadian network. We demonstrate that the disruption of molecular clocks or neural output of the M-oscillator during adulthood dampens free-running behavior surprisingly slowly, whereas the disruption of both functions results in an immediate arrhythmia. Therefore, clocks and neural communication of the M-oscillator act additively to sustain rhythmic locomotor output. This phenomenon also suggests that M-oscillator can be a pacemaker or a downstream path that passively receives rhythmic inputs from another pacemaker and convey output signals. Our results support the distributed network model and highlight the remarkable resilience of the Drosophila circadian pacemaker circuit, which can alter its topology to maintain locomotor rhythms.

The Drosophila ortholog of the schizophrenia-associated CACNA1A and CACNA1B voltage-gated calcium channels regulate memory, sleep and circadian rhythms

Schizophrenia exhibits up to 80% heritability. A number of genome wide association studies (GWAS) have repeatedly shown common variants in voltage-gated calcium (Ca_v) channel genes CACNA1C, CACNA1I and CACNA1G have a major contribution to the risk of the disease. More recently, studies using whole exome sequencing have also found that CACNA1B (Ca_v2.2 N-type) deletions and rare disruptive variants in CACNA1A (Ca_v2.1 P/Q-type) are associated with schizophrenia. The negative symptoms of schizophrenia include behavioural defects such as impaired memory, sleep and circadian rhythms. It is not known how variants in schizophrenia-associated genes contribute to cognitive and behavioural symptoms, thus hampering the development of treatment for schizophrenia symptoms. In order to address this knowledge gap, we studied behavioural phenotypes in a number of loss of function mutants for the Drosophila ortholog of the Ca_v2 gene family called cacophony (cac). cac mutants showed several behavioural features including decreased night-time sleep and hyperactivity similar to those reported in human patients. The change in timing of sleep-wake cycles suggested disrupted circadian rhythms, with the loss of night-time sleep being caused by loss of cac just in the circadian clock neurons. These animals also showed a reduction in rhythmic circadian behaviour a phenotype that also could be mapped to the central clock. Furthermore, reduction of cac just in the clock resulted in a lengthening of the 24 h period. In order to understand how loss of Ca_v2 function may lead to cognitive deficits and underlying cellular pathophysiology we targeted loss of function of cac to the memory centre of the fly, called the mushroom bodies (MB). This manipulation was sufficient to cause reduction in both short- and intermediate-term associative memory. Memory impairment was accompanied by a decrease in Ca²⁺ transients in response to a depolarizing stimulus, imaged in the MB presynaptic terminals. This work shows loss of cac Ca_v2 channel function alone causes a number of cognitive and behavioural deficits and underlying reduced neuronal Ca²⁺ transients, establishing Drosophila as a high-throughput in vivo genetic model to study the Ca_v channel pathophysiology related to schizophrenia.

Assessing olfactory, memory, social and circadian phenotypes associated with schizophrenia in a genetic model based on Rim

Schizophrenia shows high heritability and several of the genes associated with this disorder are involved in calcium (Ca2+) signalling and synaptic function. One of these is the Rab-3 interacting molecule-1 (RIM1), which has recently been associated with schizophrenia by Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). However, its contribution to the pathophysiology of this disorder remains unexplored. In this work, we use Drosophila mutants of the orthologue of RIM1, Rim, to model some aspects of the classical and non-classical symptoms of schizophrenia. Rim mutants showed several behavioural features relevant to schizophrenia including social distancing and altered olfactory processing. These defects were accompanied by reduced evoked Ca2+ influx and structural changes in the presynaptic terminals sent by the primary olfactory neurons to higher processing centres. In contrast, expression of Rim-RNAi in the mushroom bodies (MBs), the main memory centre in flies, spared learning and memory suggesting a differential role of Rim in different synapses. Circadian deficits have been reported in schizophrenia. We observed circadian locomotor activity deficits in Rim mutants, revealing a role of Rim in the pacemaker ventral lateral clock neurons (LNvs). These changes were accompanied by impaired day/night remodelling of dorsal terminal synapses from a subpopulation of LNvs and impaired day/night release of the circadian neuropeptide pigment dispersing factor (PDF) from these terminals. Lastly, treatment with the commonly used antipsychotic haloperidol rescued Rim locomotor deficits to wildtype. This work characterises the role of Rim in synaptic functions underlying behaviours disrupted in schizophrenia.

Temporally and spatially partitioned neuropeptide release from individual clock neurons

Neuropeptides control rhythmic behaviors, but the timing and location of their release within circuits is unknown. Here, imaging in the brain shows that synaptic neuropeptide release by Drosophila clock neurons is diurnal, peaking at times of day that were not anticipated by prior electrical and Ca²⁺ data. Furthermore, hours before peak synaptic neuropeptide release, neuropeptide release occurs at the soma, a neuronal compartment that has not been implicated in peptidergic transmission. The timing disparity between release at the soma and terminals results from independent and compartmentalized mechanisms for daily rhythmic release: consistent with conventional electrical activity-triggered synaptic transmission, terminals require Ca²⁺ influx, while somatic neuropeptide release is triggered by the biochemical signal IP₃ Upon disrupting the somatic mechanism, the rhythm of terminal release and locomotor activity period are unaffected, but the number of flies with rhythmic behavior and sleep-wake balance are reduced. These results support the conclusion that somatic neuropeptide release controls specific features of clock neuron-dependent behaviors. Thus, compartment-specific mechanisms within individual clock neurons produce temporally and spatially partitioned neuropeptide release to expand the peptidergic connectome underlying daily rhythmic behaviors.

Peripheral Sensory Organs Contribute to Temperature Synchronization of the Circadian Clock in Drosophila melanogaster

Circadian clocks are cell-autonomous endogenous oscillators, generated and maintained by self-sustained 24-h rhythms of clock gene expression. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, these daily rhythms of gene expression regulate the activity of approximately 150 clock neurons in the fly brain, which are responsible for driving the daily rest/activity cycles of these insects. Despite their endogenous character, circadian clocks communicate with the environment in order to synchronize their self-sustained molecular oscillations and neuronal activity rhythms (internal time) with the daily changes of light and temperature dictated by the Earth's rotation around its axis (external time). Light and temperature changes are reliable time cues (Zeitgeber) used by many organisms to synchronize their circadian clock to the external time. In Drosophila, both light and temperature fluctuations robustly synchronize the circadian clock in the absence of the other Zeitgeber. The complex mechanisms for synchronization to the daily light-dark cycles are understood with impressive detail. In contrast, our knowledge about how the daily temperature fluctuations synchronize the fly clock is rather limited. Whereas light synchronization relies on peripheral and clock-cell autonomous photoreceptors, temperature input to the clock appears to rely mainly on sensory cells located in the peripheral nervous system of the fly. Recent studies suggest that sensory structures located in body and head appendages are able to detect temperature fluctuations and to signal this information to the brain clock. This review will summarize these studies and their implications about the mechanisms underlying temperature synchronization.

Melatonin and curcumin reestablish disturbed circadian gene expressions and restore locomotion ability and eclosion behavior in Drosophila model of Huntington's disease

Deficit in locomotion (motor) ability and disturbance of the circadian behavior and sleep-wake pattern characterize Huntington's disease (HD). Here, we examined the disturbance of circadian timing with the progression of HD pathogenesis, and tested the efficacy of melatonin and curcumin in preventing the motor deficit and disturbed eclosion behavior in the Drosophila model of HD. To examine circadian timing, we assayed mRNA expression of genes of the transcriptional feedback (TF) loop that generates the near 24-h rhythmicity. We performed qPCR of the Period, Timeless, Clock, Cycle, Clockwork, and Cryptochrome genes in transgenic fly heads from elav-Gal4 (pan neuronal) and PDF-Gal4 (PDF-specific neurons) driver lines through the progression of HD disease post-eclosion, from day 1 to its terminal stage on day 13. Cycle was arrhythmic from day 1, but Period and Timeless became arrhythmic on day 13 of the HD pathogenesis in elav, but not PDF, neurons. Twenty-four-hour mRNA rhythms showed alteration in the waveform properties (mesor and amplitude, not acrophase), but not in the persistence, in both elav-Gal4 and PDF-Gal4 HD flies; however, disturbance of the clock gene rhythm was delayed in PDF-Gal4 flies. To assess the preventive effects on HD pathogenesis, flies of both driver lines were provided with melatonin (50, 100, or 150 μg) or curcumin (10 μM) in the diet commencing from the larval stage. Both melatonin (100 μg) and curcumin reestablished the 24-h pattern in mRNA expression of Period and Timeless to normal (control) levels, and significantly improved both locomotion ability and eclosion behavior of HD flies. We suggest that the disturbance of circadian timekeeping progressively accelerated HD pathogenesis, possibly via modulation of the transcriptional state that resulted in the modification of the Huntington gene. These findings suggest melatonin and curcumin might be potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of HD in humans, although this needs specific investigation.

The role of clockwork orange in the circadian clock of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

The circadian clock generates rhythms of approximately 24 h through periodic expression of the clock genes. In insects, the major clock genes period (per) and timeless (tim) are rhythmically expressed upon their transactivation by CLOCK/CYCLE, with peak levels in the early night. In Drosophila, clockwork orange (cwo) is known to inhibit the transcription of per and tim during the daytime to enhance the amplitude of the rhythm, but its function in other insects is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of cwo in the clock mechanism of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. The results of quantitative RT-PCR showed that under a light/dark (LD) cycle, cwo is rhythmically expressed in the optic lobe (lamina-medulla complex) and peaks during the night. When cwo was knocked down via RNA interference (RNAi), some crickets lost their locomotor rhythm, while others maintained a rhythm but exhibited a longer free-running period under constant darkness (DD). In cwo^RNAi crickets, all clock genes except for cryptochrome 2 (cry2) showed arrhythmic expression under DD; under LD, some of the clock genes showed higher mRNA levels, and tim showed rhythmic expression with a delayed phase. Based on these results, we propose that cwo plays an important role in the cricket circadian clock.

Drosophila PSI controls circadian period and the phase of circadian behavior under temperature cycle via tim splicing

The Drosophila circadian pacemaker consists of transcriptional feedback loops subjected to post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation. While post-translational regulatory mechanisms have been studied in detail, much less is known about circadian post-transcriptional control. Thus, we targeted 364 RNA binding and RNA associated proteins with RNA interference. Among the 43 hits we identified was the alternative splicing regulator P-element somatic inhibitor (PSI). PSI regulates the thermosensitive alternative splicing of timeless (tim), promoting splicing events favored at warm temperature over those increased at cold temperature. Psi downregulation shortens the period of circadian rhythms and advances the phase of circadian behavior under temperature cycle. Interestingly, both phenotypes were suppressed in flies that could produce TIM proteins only from a transgene that cannot form the thermosensitive splicing isoforms. Therefore, we conclude that PSI regulates the period of Drosophila circadian rhythms and circadian behavior phase during temperature cycling through its modulation of the tim splicing pattern.

Dissection of central clock function in Drosophila through cell-specific CRISPR-mediated clock gene disruption

In Drosophila, ~150 neurons expressing molecular clock proteins regulate circadian behavior. Sixteen of these neurons secrete the neuropeptide Pdf and have been called ‘master pacemakers’ because they are essential for circadian rhythms. A subset of Pdf⁺ neurons (the morning oscillator) regulates morning activity and communicates with other non-Pdf⁺ neurons, including a subset called the evening oscillator. It has been assumed that the molecular clock in Pdf⁺ neurons is required for these functions. To test this, we developed and validated Gal4-UAS based CRISPR tools for cell-specific disruption of key molecular clock components, period and timeless. While loss of the molecular clock in both the morning and evening oscillators eliminates circadian locomotor activity, the molecular clock in either oscillator alone is sufficient to rescue circadian locomotor activity in the absence of the other. This suggests that clock neurons do not act in a hierarchy but as a distributed network to regulate circadian activity.

miR-210 controls the evening phase of circadian locomotor rhythms through repression of Fasciclin 2

Circadian clocks control the timing of animal behavioral and physiological rhythms. Fruit flies anticipate daily environmental changes and exhibit two peaks of locomotor activity around dawn and dusk. microRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that play important roles in post-transcriptional regulation. Here we identify Drosophila miR-210 as a critical regulator of circadian rhythms. Under light-dark conditions, flies lacking miR-210 (miR-210^KO) exhibit a dramatic 2 hrs phase advance of evening anticipatory behavior. However, circadian rhythms and molecular pacemaker function are intact in miR-210^KO flies under constant darkness. Furthermore, we identify that miR-210 determines the evening phase of activity through repression of the cell adhesion molecule Fasciclin 2 (Fas2). Ablation of the miR-210 binding site within the 3’ UTR of Fas2 (Fas2^ΔmiR-210) by CRISPR-Cas9 advances the evening phase as in miR-210^KO. Indeed, miR-210 genetically interacts with Fas2. Moreover, Fas2 abundance is significantly increased in the optic lobe of miR-210^KO. In addition, overexpression of Fas2 in the miR-210 expressing cells recapitulates the phase advance behavior phenotype of miR-210^KO. Together, these results reveal a novel mechanism by which miR-210 regulates circadian locomotor behavior.

Circadian clocks control the timing of animal physiology. Drosophila has been a powerful model in understanding the mechanisms of circadian regulation. Fruit flies anticipate daily environmental changes and exhibit two peaks of locomotor activity around dawn and dusk. Here we identify miR-210 as a critical regulator of evening anticipatory behavior. Depletion of miR-210 in flies advances evening anticipation. Furthermore, we identify the cell adhesion molecule Fas2 as miR-210’s target in circadian regulation. Fas2 abundance is increased in fly brain lacking of miR-210. Using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing method, we deleted the miR-210 binding site on the 3’ untranslated region of Fas2 and observed similar phenotype as miR-210 mutants. Altogether, our results indicate a novel mechanism of miR-210 in regulation of circadian anticipatory behavior through inhibition of Fas2.

Temperature synchronization of the Drosophila circadian clock protein PERIOD is controlled by the TRPA channel PYREXIA

Circadian clocks are endogenous molecular oscillators that temporally organize behavioral activity thereby contributing to the fitness of organisms. To synchronize the fly circadian clock with the daily fluctuations of light and temperature, these environmental cues are sensed both via brain clock neurons, and by light and temperature sensors located in the peripheral nervous system. Here we demonstrate that the TRPA channel PYREXIA (PYX) is required for temperature synchronization of the key circadian clock protein PERIOD. We observe a molecular synchronization defect explaining the previously reported defects of pyx mutants in behavioral temperature synchronization. Surprisingly, surgical ablation of pyx-mutant antennae partially rescues behavioral synchronization, indicating that antennal temperature signals are modulated by PYX function to synchronize clock neurons in the brain. Our results suggest that PYX protects antennal neurons from faulty signaling that would otherwise interfere with temperature synchronization of the circadian clock neurons in the brain.

Analysing the evolutional and functional differentiation of four types of Daphnia magna cryptochrome in Drosophila circadian clock

Cryptochrome (CRY) plays an important role in the input of circadian clocks in various species, but gene copies in each species are evolutionarily divergent. Type I CRYs function as a photoreceptor molecule in the central clock, whereas type II CRYs directly regulate the transcriptional activity of clock proteins. Functions of other types of animal CRYs in the molecular clock remain unknown. The water flea Daphnia magna contains four Cry genes. However, it is still difficult to analyse these four genes. In this study, we took advantage of powerful genetic resources available from Drosophila to investigate evolutionary and functional differentiation of CRY proteins between the two species. We report differences in subcellular localisation of each D. magna CRY protein when expressed in the Drosophila clock neuron. Circadian rhythm behavioural experiments revealed that D. magna CRYs are not functionally conserved in the Drosophila molecular clock. These findings provide a new perspective on the evolutionary conservation of CRY, as functions of the four D. magna CRY proteins have diverse subcellular localisation levels. Furthermore, molecular clocks of D. magna have been evolutionarily differentiated from those of Drosophila. This study highlights the extensive functional diversity existing among species in their complement of Cry genes.

A potassium channel β-subunit couples mitochondrial electron transport to sleep

The essential but enigmatic functions of sleep^1,2 must be reflected in molecular changes sensed by the brain's sleep-control systems. In the fruitfly Drosophila, about two dozen sleep-inducing neurons³ with projections to the dorsal fan-shaped body (dFB) adjust their electrical output to sleep need⁴, via the antagonistic regulation of two potassium conductances: the leak channel Sandman imposes silence during waking, whereas increased A-type currents through Shaker support tonic firing during sleep⁵. Here we show that oxidative byproducts of mitochondrial electron transport^6,7 regulate the activity of dFB neurons through a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) cofactor bound to the oxidoreductase domain^8,9 of Shaker's K_Vβ subunit, Hyperkinetic^10,11. Sleep loss elevates mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in dFB neurons, which register this rise by converting Hyperkinetic to the NADP⁺-bound form. The oxidation of the cofactor slows the inactivation of the A-type current and boosts the frequency of action potentials, thereby promoting sleep. Energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and sleep-three processes implicated independently in lifespan, ageing, and degenerative disease^6,12-14-are thus mechanistically connected. K_Vβ substrates^8,15,16 or inhibitors that alter the ratio of bound NADPH to NADP⁺ (and hence the record of sleep debt or waking time) represent prototypes of potential sleep-regulatory drugs.

Neuropeptides PDF and DH31 hierarchically regulate free-running rhythmicity in Drosophila circadian locomotor activity

Neuropeptides play pivotal roles in modulating circadian rhythms. Pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) is critical to the circadian rhythms in Drosophila locomotor activity. Here, we demonstrate that diuretic hormone 31 (DH31) complements PDF function in regulating free-running rhythmicity using male flies. We determined that Dh31 loss-of-function mutants (Dh31^#51) showed normal rhythmicity, whereas Dh31^#51;Pdf⁰¹ double mutants exhibited a severe arrhythmic phenotype compared to Pdf-null mutants (Pdf⁰¹). The expression of tethered-PDF or tethered-DH31 in clock cells, posterior dorsal neurons 1 (DN1ps), overcomes the severe arrhythmicity of Dh31^#51;Pdf⁰¹ double mutants, suggesting that DH31 and PDF may act on DN1ps to regulate free-running rhythmicity in a hierarchical manner. Unexpectedly, the molecular oscillations in Dh31^#51;Pdf⁰¹ mutants were similar to those in Pdf⁰¹ mutants in DN1ps, indicating that DH31 does not contribute to molecular oscillations. Furthermore, a reduction in Dh31 receptor (Dh31r) expression resulted in normal locomotor activity and did not enhance the arrhythmic phenotype caused by the Pdf receptor (Pdfr) mutation, suggesting that PDFR, but not DH31R, in DN1ps mainly regulates free-running rhythmicity. Taken together, we identify a novel role of DH31, in which DH31 and PDF hierarchically regulate free-running rhythmicity through DN1ps.

A novel photic entrainment mechanism for the circadian clock in an insect: involvement of c-fos and cryptochromes

BACKGROUND

Entrainment to the environmental light cycle is an essential property of the circadian clock. Although the compound eye is known to be the major photoreceptor necessary for entrainment in many insects, the molecular mechanisms of photic entrainment remain to be explored.

RESULTS

We found  that cryptochromes (crys) and c-fos mediate photic entrainment of the circadian clock in a hemimetabolous insect, the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. We examined the effects of RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of the cry genes, Gb'cry1 and Gb'cry2, on photic entrainment, and light-induced resetting of the circadian locomotor rhythm. Gb'cry2 RNAi accelerated entrainment for delay shifts, while Gb'cry1/ Gb'cry2 double RNAi resulted in significant lengthening of transient cycles in both advance and delay shifts, and even in entrainment failure in some crickets. Double RNAi also strongly suppressed light induced resetting. The Gb'cry-mediated phase shift or resetting of the rhythm was preceded by light-induced Gb'c-fosB expression. We also found that Gb'c-fosB, Gb'cry2 and Gb'period (Gb'per) were likely co-expressed in some optic lobe neurons.

CONCLUSION

Based on these results, we propose a novel model for photic entrainment of the insect circadian clock, which relies on the light information perceived by the compound eye.

NonA and CPX Link the Circadian Clockwork to Locomotor Activity in Drosophila

Drosophila NonA and its mammalian ortholog NONO are members of the Drosophila behavior and human splicing (DBHS) family. NONO also has a strong circadian connection: it associates with the circadian repressor protein PERIOD (PER) and contributes to circadian timekeeping. Here, we investigate NonA, which is required for proper levels of evening locomotor activity as well as a normal free-running period in Drosophila. NonA is associated with the positive transcription factor CLOCK/CYCLE (CLK/CYC), interacts directly with complexin (cpx) pre-mRNA, and upregulates gene expression, including the gene cpx. Downregulation of cpx expression in circadian neurons phenocopies NonA downregulation, whereas cpx overexpression rescues the nonA RNAi phenotypes, indicating that cpx is an important NonA target gene. As the cpx protein contributes to proper neurotransmitter and neuropeptide release in response to calcium, these results and others indicate that this control is important for the normal circadian regulation of locomotor activity.

The Underlying Genetics of Drosophila Circadian Behaviors

Life is shaped by circadian clocks. This review focuses on how behavioral genetics in the fruit fly unveiled what is known today about circadian physiology. We will briefly summarize basic properties of the clock and focus on some clock-controlled behaviors to highlight how communication between central and peripheral oscillators defines their properties.

Circadian Plasticity in the Brain of Insects and Rodents

In both vertebrate and invertebrate brains, neurons, glial cells and synapses are plastic, which means that the physiology and structure of these components are modified in response to internal and external stimuli during development and in mature brains. The term plasticity has been introduced in the last century to describe experience-dependent changes in synapse strength and number. These changes result from local functional and morphological synapse modifications; however, these modifications also occur more commonly in pre- and postsynaptic neurons. As a result, neuron morphology and neuronal networks are constantly modified during the life of animals and humans in response to different stimuli. Nevertheless, it has been discovered in flies and mammals that the number of synapses and size and shape of neurons also oscillate during the day. In most cases, these rhythms are circadian since they are generated by endogenous circadian clocks; however, some rhythmic changes in neuron morphology and synapse number and structure are controlled directly by environmental cues or by both external cues and circadian clocks. When the circadian clock is involved in generating cyclic changes in the nervous system, this type of plasticity is called circadian plasticity. It seems to be important in processing sensory information, in learning and in memory. Disruption of the clock may affect major brain functions.

timeless2 plays an important role in reproduction and circadian rhythms in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

The timeless2 (tim2) gene is an insect orthologue of the mammalian clock gene Timeless (mTim). Although its functional role has been extensively studied in mammals, little is known regarding its role in insects. In the present study, we obtained tim2 cDNA (Gb'tim2) from the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus and characterized its functional role in embryonic development, egg production, and circadian rhythms. Gb'tim2 gave rise to a 1432 amino acid protein, and showed approximately 65% homology to that of Drosophila melanogaster. When treated with parental Gb'tim2^RNAi, less than 2% of the treated eggs hatched. On the other hand, control eggs treated with DsRed2^RNAi demonstrated a hatching rate of 70%. In most of the Gb'tim2^RNAi treated embryos, development was arrested in early stages. Egg production in ovaries of adult virgin females treated with Gb'tim2^RNAi was significantly reduced. In addition, while Gb'tim2^RNAi crickets exhibited clear locomotor rhythm synchronized with light cycles, their light-on peak was weaker than that of control crickets. Under constant darkness, the activity rhythm of Gb'tim2^RNAi crickets was often split into two components running with different periods. Molecular analysis revealed that Gb'tim2^RNAi treatment downregulated mRNA levels of Gb'per and Gb'Clk, and enhanced Gb'cyc expression rhythm; no distinct effect was found on Gb'tim expression levels. The change in Gb'per, Gb'Clk and Gb'cyc levels may underlie the altered behavioral rhythms in Gb'tim2^RNAi crickets. Both Gb'Clk^RNAi and Gb'cyc^RNAi downregulated Gb'tim2 expression, which suggested that transcription of Gb'tim2 is mediated by Gb'CLK and Gb'CYC through E-box. These results suggested that Gb'tim2 may be involved in both reproduction and circadian rhythm regulation in crickets.

Fluorescence circadian imaging reveals a PDF-dependent transcriptional regulation of the Drosophila molecular clock

Circadian locomotor behaviour is controlled by a pacemaker circuit composed of clock-containing neurons. To interrogate the mechanistic relationship between the molecular clockwork and network communication critical to the operation of the Drosophila circadian pacemaker circuit, we established new fluorescent circadian reporters that permit single-cell recording of transcriptional and post-transcriptional rhythms in brain explants and cultured neurons. Live-imaging experiments combined with pharmacological and genetic manipulations demonstrate that the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) amplifies the molecular rhythms via time-of-day- and activity-dependent upregulation of transcription from E-box-containing clock gene promoters within key pacemaker neurons. The effect of PDF on clock gene transcription and the known role of PDF in enhancing PER/TIM stability occur via independent pathways downstream of the PDF receptor, the former through a cAMP-independent mechanism and the latter through a cAMP-PKA dependent mechanism. These results confirm and extend the mechanistic understanding of the role of PDF in controlling the synchrony of the pacemaker neurons. More broadly, our results establish the utility of the new live-imaging tools for the study of molecular-neural interactions important for the operation of the circadian pacemaker circuit.

A Conserved Bicycle Model for Circadian Clock Control of Membrane Excitability

Circadian clocks regulate membrane excitability in master pacemaker neurons to control daily rhythms of sleep and wake. Here, we find that two distinctly timed electrical drives collaborate to impose rhythmicity on Drosophila clock neurons. In the morning, a voltage-independent sodium conductance via the NA/NALCN ion channel depolarizes these neurons. This current is driven by the rhythmic expression of NCA localization factor-1, linking the molecular clock to ion channel function. In the evening, basal potassium currents peak to silence clock neurons. Remarkably, daily antiphase cycles of sodium and potassium currents also drive mouse clock neuron rhythms. Thus, we reveal an evolutionarily ancient strategy for the neural mechanisms that govern daily sleep and wake.

Temperature-dependent resetting of the molecular circadian oscillator in Drosophila

Circadian clocks responsible for daily time keeping in a wide range of organisms synchronize to daily temperature cycles via pathways that remain poorly understood. To address this problem from the perspective of the molecular oscillator, we monitored temperature-dependent resetting of four of its core components in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster: the transcripts and proteins for the clock genes period (per) and timeless (tim). The molecular circadian cycle in adult heads exhibited parallel responses to temperature-mediated resetting at the levels of per transcript, tim transcript and TIM protein. Early phase adjustment specific to per transcript rhythms was explained by clock-independent temperature-driven transcription of per. The cold-induced expression of Drosophila per contrasts with the previously reported heat-induced regulation of mammalian Period 2. An altered and more readily re-entrainable temperature-synchronized circadian oscillator that featured temperature-driven per transcript rhythms and phase-shifted TIM and PER protein rhythms was found for flies of the 'Tim 4' genotype, which lacked daily tim transcript oscillations but maintained post-transcriptional temperature entrainment of tim expression. The accelerated molecular and behavioural temperature entrainment observed for Tim 4 flies indicates that clock-controlled tim expression constrains the rate of temperature cycle-mediated circadian resetting.

Communication between circadian clusters: The key to a plastic network

Drosophila melanogaster is a model organism that has been instrumental in understanding the circadian clock at different levels. A range of studies on the anatomical and neurochemical properties of clock neurons in the fly led to a model of interacting neural circuits that control circadian behavior. Here we focus on recent research on the dynamics of the multiple communication pathways between clock neurons, and, particularly, on how the circadian timekeeping system responds to changes in environmental conditions. It is increasingly clear that the fly clock employs multiple signalling cues, such as neuropeptides, fast neurotransmitters, and other signalling molecules, in the dynamic interplay between neuronal clusters. These neuronal groups seem to interact in a plastic fashion, e.g., rearranging their hierarchy in response to changing environmental conditions. A picture is emerging supporting that these dynamic mechanisms are in place to provide an optimal balance between flexibility and an extraordinary accuracy.

Rhythmic control of activity and sleep by class B1 GPCRs

Members of the class B1 family of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) whose ligands are neuropeptides have been implicated in regulation of circadian rhythms and sleep in diverse metazoan clades. This review discusses the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which class B1 GPCRs, especially the mammalian VPAC2 receptor and its functional homologue PDFR in Drosophila and C. elegans, regulate arousal and daily rhythms of sleep and wake. There are remarkable parallels in the cellular and molecular roles played by class B1 intercellular signaling pathways in coordinating arousal and circadian timekeeping across multiple cells and tissues in these very different genetic model organisms.

From neurogenetic studies in the fly brain to a concept in circadian biology

This paper is dedicated to Karl-Friedrich Fischbach, who has always shared with me the interest in the function of the fly brain, especially that of its optic lobes. He has accompanied me during my first steps in scientific research. The paper tells the story how our first common attempts to localize the circadian clock in the fly brain finally helped in phrasing the two-oscillator principle of circadian clocks that seems to be valid far beyond the fly circadian system. I hope that Karl-Friedrich will take this story as praise for his generosity in supporting younger scientists outside his own lab, even without the reward of a common paper.

Morning and evening oscillators cooperate to reset circadian behavior in response to light input

Light is a crucial input for circadian clocks. In Drosophila, short light exposure can robustly shift the phase of circadian behavior. The model for this resetting posits that circadian photoreception is cell autonomous: CRYPTOCHROME senses light, binds to TIMELESS (TIM), and promotes its degradation, which is mediated by JETLAG (JET). However, it was recently proposed that interactions between circadian neurons are also required for phase resetting. We identify two groups of neurons critical for circadian photoreception: the morning (M) and the evening (E) oscillators. These neurons work synergistically to reset rhythmic behavior. JET promotes acute TIM degradation cell autonomously in M and E oscillators but also nonautonomously in E oscillators when expressed in M oscillators. Thus, upon light exposure, the M oscillators communicate with the E oscillators. Because the M oscillators drive circadian behavior, they must also receive inputs from the E oscillators. Hence, although photic TIM degradation is largely cell autonomous, neural cooperation between M and E oscillators is critical for circadian behavioral photoresponses.

The central molecular clock is robust in the face of behavioural arrhythmia in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer's disease

Circadian behavioural deficits, including sleep irregularity and restlessness in the evening, are a distressing early feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We have investigated these phenomena by studying the circadian behaviour of transgenic Drosophila expressing the amyloid beta peptide (Aβ). We find that Aβ expression results in an age-related loss of circadian behavioural rhythms despite ongoing normal molecular oscillations in the central clock neurons. Even in the absence of any behavioural correlate, the synchronised activity of the central clock remains protective, prolonging lifespan, in Aβ flies just as it does in control flies. Confocal microscopy and bioluminescence measurements point to processes downstream of the molecular clock as the main site of Aβ toxicity. In addition, there seems to be significant non-cell-autonomous Aβ toxicity resulting in morphological and probably functional signalling deficits in central clock neurons.

Studying circadian rhythms in Drosophila melanogaster

Circadian rhythms have a profound influence on most bodily functions: from metabolism to complex behaviors. They ensure that all these biological processes are optimized with the time-of-day. They are generated by endogenous molecular oscillators that have a period that closely, but not exactly, matches day length. These molecular clocks are synchronized by environmental cycles such as light intensity and temperature. Drosophila melanogaster has been a model organism of choice to understand genetically, molecularly and at the level of neural circuits how circadian rhythms are generated, how they are synchronized by environmental cues, and how they drive behavioral cycles such as locomotor rhythms. This review will cover a wide range of techniques that have been instrumental to our understanding of Drosophila circadian rhythms, and that are essential for current and future research.

Accelerated degradation of perS protein provides insight into light-mediated phase shifting

Phase resetting by light is an important feature of circadian rhythms, and the current Drosophila model focuses on light-mediated degradation of the clock protein TIMELESS (TIM). PERIOD (PER) is the binding partner of TIM and a major repressor of the molecular clock, but direct evidence of PER in phase resetting is lacking. Because light sensitivity of the per(S) short period mutant strain is strongly enhanced compared with wild-type strains, we assayed the importance of PER degradation for light-induced phase shifting. The per(S) protein (PERS) is markedly less stable than wild-type PER, in tissue culture and in flies, and PERS as well as PER is stabilized by TIM in both systems. Consistent with this finding, light-induced TIM degradation appears to trigger PER degradation. Moreover, TIM degradation is similar in the clock neurons of both strains, suggesting that it is not strongly affected by PERS and does not dictate the difference in the light response. In contrast, there is a dramatic quantitative difference between PER and PERS degradation in these neurons, indicating that PER degradation dictates the enhanced amplitude of the light-induced phase response. The data indicate that TIM inhibits PER degradation and that PER degradation follows light-mediated TIM degradation within circadian neurons; PER degradation then dictates qualitative as well as quantitative features of light-mediated phase-resetting.

Circadian regulation of the Na+/K+-ATPase alpha subunit in the visual system is mediated by the pacemaker and by retina photoreceptors in Drosophila melanogaster

We investigated the diurnal oscillation in abundance of the catalytic α subunit of the sodium/potassium pump (ATPα) in the brain of Drosophila melanogaster. This rhythm is bimodal and is particularly robust in the glia cells of the lamina, the first optic neuropil. We observed loss of ATPα cycling in lamina glia in behaviourally arrhythmic per⁰¹ and tim⁰¹ mutants and in flies overexpressing the pro-apoptotic gene hid in the PDF-positive clock neurons. Moreover, the rhythm of ATPα abundance was altered in cry⁰¹ and Pdf⁰ mutants, in flies with a weakened clock mechanism in retina photoreceptor cells and in those subject to downregulation of the neuropeptide ITP by RNAi. This complex, rhythmic regulation of the α subunit suggests that the sodium/potassium pump may be a key target of the circadian pacemaker to impose daily control on brain activities, such as rhythmic changes in neuronal plasticity, which are best observed in the visual system.

The clock gene cycle plays an important role in the circadian clock of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

To dissect the molecular oscillatory mechanism of the circadian clock in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus, we have cloned a cDNA of the clock gene cycle (Gb'cyc) and analyzed its structure and function. Gb'cyc contains four functional domains, i.e. bHLH, PAS-A, PAS-B and BCTR domains, and is expressed rhythmically in light dark cycles, peaking at mid night. The RNA interference (RNAi) of Clock (Gb'Clk) and period (Gb'per) reduced the Gb'cyc mRNA levels and abolished the rhythmic expression, suggesting that the rhythmic expression of Gb'cyc is regulated by a mechanism including Gb'Clk and Gb'per. These features are more similar to those of mammalian orthologue of cyc (Bmal1) than those of Drosophila cyc. A single treatment with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) of Gb'cyc effectively knocked down the Gb'cyc mRNA level and abolished its rhythmic expression. The cyc RNAi failed to disrupt the locomotor rhythm, but lengthened its free-running period in constant darkness (DD). It is thus likely that Gb'cyc is involved in the circadian clock machinery of the cricket. The cyc RNAi crickets showed a rhythmic expression of Gb'per and timeless (Gb'tim) in the optic lobe in DD, explaining the persistence of the locomotor rhythm. Surprisingly, cyc RNAi revealed a rhythmic expression of Gb'Clk in DD which is otherwise rather constitutively expressed in the optic lobe. These facts suggest that the cricket might have a unique clock oscillatory mechanism in which both Gb'cyc and Gb'Clk are rhythmically controlled and that under abundant expression of Gb'cyc the rhythmic expression of Gb'Clk may be concealed.

GW182 controls Drosophila circadian behavior and PDF-receptor signaling

The neuropeptide PDF is crucial for Drosophila circadian behavior: it keeps circadian neurons synchronized. Here, we identify GW182 as a key regulator of PDF signaling. Indeed, GW182 downregulation results in phenotypes similar to those of Pdf and Pdf-receptor (Pdfr) mutants. gw182 genetically interacts with Pdfr and cAMP signaling, which is essential for PDFR function. GW182 mediates miRNA-dependent gene silencing through its interaction with AGO1. Consistently, GW182's AGO1 interaction domain is required for GW182's circadian function. Moreover, our results indicate that GW182 modulates PDFR signaling by silencing the expression of the cAMP phosphodiesterase DUNCE. Importantly, this repression is under photic control, and GW182 activity level--which is limiting in circadian neurons--influences the responses of the circadian neural network to light. We propose that GW182's gene silencing activity functions as a rheostat for PDFR signaling and thus profoundly impacts the circadian neural network and its response to environmental inputs.

The circadian system: plasticity at many levels

Over the years it has become crystal clear that a variety of processes encode time-of-day information, ranging from gene expression, protein stability, or subcellular localization of key proteins, to the fine tuning of network properties and modulation of input signals, ultimately ensuring that physiology and behavior are properly synchronized to a changing environment. The purpose of this review is to put forward examples (as opposed to generate a comprehensive revision of all the available literature) in which the circadian system displays a remarkable degree of plasticity, from cell autonomous to circuit-based levels. In the literature, the term circadian plasticity has been used to refer to different concepts. The obvious one, more literally, refers to any change that follows a circadian (circa=around, diem=day) pattern, i.e. a daily change of a given parameter. The discovery of daily remodeling of neuronal structures will be referred herein as structural circadian plasticity, and represents an additional and novel phenomenon modified daily. Finally, any plasticity that has to do with a circadian parameter would represent a type of circadian plasticity; as an example, adjustments that allow organisms to adapt their daily behavior to the annual changes in photoperiod is a form of circadian plasticity at a higher organizational level, which is an emergent property of the whole circadian system. Throughout this work we will revisit these types of changes by reviewing recent literature delving around circadian control of clock outputs, from the most immediate ones within pacemaker neurons to the circadian modulation of rest-activity cycles.

gb'clock is expressed in the optic lobe and is required for the circadian clock in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

Reverse genetic studies have revealed that common clock genes, such as period (per), timeless (tim), cycle (cyc), and Clock (Clk), are involved in the circadian clock mechanism among a wide variety of insects. However, to what degree the molecular oscillatory mechanism is conserved is still to be elucidated. In this study, cDNA of the clock gene Clk was cloned in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus, and its function was analyzed using RNA interference (RNAi). In adult optic lobes, the Clk mRNA level showed no significant rhythmic changes both under light-dark cycle (LD) and constant darkness (DD). A single injection of Clk double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) resulted in a knockdown of the mRNA level to about 25% of the peak level of control animals. The injected crickets lost their locomotor rhythms in DD. The arrhythmicity in locomotor activity persisted for up to 50 days after the Clk dsRNA injection. Control animals injected with DsRed2 dsRNA showed a clear locomotor rhythm like intact animals. Injection of Clk dsRNA not only suppressed the mRNA levels of both per and tim but also abolished their rhythmic expression. per RNAi down-regulates the Clk mRNA levels, suggesting that per is required for sufficient expression of Clk. These results suggest that Clk is an essential component and plays an important role in the cricket's circadian clock machinery like in Drosophila, but regulation of its expression is probably different from regulation in Drosophila.

A role for Drosophila ATX2 in activation of PER translation and circadian behavior

A negative transcriptional feedback loop generates circadian rhythms in Drosophila. PERIOD (PER) is a critical state-variable in this mechanism, and its abundance is tightly regulated. We found that the Drosophila homolog of ATAXIN-2 (ATX2)--an RNA-binding protein implicated in human neurodegenerative diseases--was required for circadian locomotor behavior. ATX2 was necessary for PER accumulation in circadian pacemaker neurons and thus determined period length of circadian behavior. ATX2 was required for the function of TWENTY-FOUR (TYF), a crucial activator of PER translation. ATX2 formed a complex with TYF and promoted its interaction with polyadenylate-binding protein (PABP). Our work uncovers a role for ATX2 in circadian timing and reveals that this protein functions as an activator of PER translation in circadian neurons.

KAYAK-α modulates circadian transcriptional feedback loops in Drosophila pacemaker neurons

Circadian rhythms are generated by well-conserved interlocked transcriptional feedback loops in animals. In Drosophila, the dimeric transcription factor CLOCK/CYCLE (CLK/CYC) promotes period (per), timeless (tim), vrille (vri), and PAR-domain protein 1 (Pdp1) transcription. PER and TIM negatively feed back on CLK/CYC transcriptional activity, whereas VRI and PDP1 negatively and positively regulate Clk transcription, respectively. Here, we show that the α isoform of the Drosophila FOS homolog KAYAK (KAY) is required for normal circadian behavior. KAY-α downregulation in circadian pacemaker neurons increases period length by 1.5 h. This behavioral phenotype is correlated with decreased expression of several circadian proteins. The strongest effects are on CLK and the neuropeptide PIGMENT DISPERSING FACTOR, which are both under VRI and PDP1 control. Consistently, KAY-α can bind to VRI and inhibit its interaction with the Clk promoter. Interestingly, KAY-α can also repress CLK activity. Hence, in flies with low KAY-α levels, CLK derepression would partially compensate for increased VRI repression, thus attenuating the consequences of KAY-α downregulation on CLK targets. We propose that the double role of KAY-α in the two transcriptional loops controlling Drosophila circadian behavior brings precision and stability to their oscillations.

CLOCK deubiquitylation by USP8 inhibits CLK/CYC transcription in Drosophila

A conserved transcriptional feedback loop underlies animal circadian rhythms. In Drosophila, the transcription factors CLOCK (CLK) and CYCLE (CYC) activate the transcription of direct target genes like period (per) and timeless (tim). They encode the proteins PER and TIM, respectively, which repress CLK/CYC activity. Previous work indicates that repression is due to a direct PER-CLK/CYC interaction as well as CLK/CYC phosphorylation. We describe here the role of ubiquitin-specific protease 8 (USP8) in circadian transcriptional repression as well as the importance of CLK ubiquitylation in CLK/CYC transcription activity. usp8 loss of function (RNAi) or expression of a dominant-negative form of the protein (USP8-DN) enhances CLK/CYC transcriptional activity and alters fly locomotor activity rhythms. Clock protein and mRNA molecular oscillations are virtually absent within circadian neurons of USP8-DN flies. Furthermore, CLK ubiquitylation cycles robustly in wild-type flies and peaks coincident with maximal CLK/CYC transcription. As USP8 interacts with CLK and expression of USP8-DN increases CLK ubiquitylation, the data indicate that USP8 deubiquitylates CLK, which down-regulates CLK/CYC transcriptional activity. Taken together with the facts that usp8 mRNA cycles and that its transcription is activated directly by CLK/CYC, USP8, like PER and TIM, contributes to the transcriptional feedback loop cycle that underlies circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythm of temperature preference and its neural control in Drosophila

A daily body temperature rhythm (BTR) is critical for the maintenance of homeostasis in mammals. Whereas mammals use internal energy to regulate body temperature, ectotherms typically regulate body temperature behaviorally [1]. Some ectotherms maintain homeostasis via a daily temperature preference rhythm (TPR) [2], but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we show that Drosophila exhibit a daily circadian clock-dependent TPR that resembles mammalian BTR. Pacemaker neurons critical for locomotor activity are not necessary for TPR; instead, the dorsal neuron 2 s (DN2s), whose function was previously unknown, is sufficient. This indicates that TPR, like BTR, is controlled independently from locomotor activity. Therefore, the mechanisms controlling temperature fluctuations in fly TPR and mammalian BTR may share parallel features. Taken together, our results reveal the existence of a novel DN2-based circadian neural circuit that specifically regulates TPR; thus, understanding the mechanisms of TPR will shed new light on the function and neural control of circadian rhythms.

Autoreceptor control of peptide/neurotransmitter corelease from PDF neurons determines allocation of circadian activity in drosophila

Drosophila melanogaster flies concentrate behavioral activity around dawn and dusk. This organization of daily activity is controlled by central circadian clock neurons, including the lateral-ventral pacemaker neurons (LN(v)s) that secrete the neuropeptide PDF (pigment dispersing factor). Previous studies have demonstrated the requirement for PDF signaling to PDF receptor (PDFR)-expressing dorsal clock neurons in organizing circadian activity. Although LN(v)s also express functional PDFR, the role of these autoreceptors has remained enigmatic. Here, we show that (1) PDFR activation in LN(v)s shifts the balance of circadian activity from evening to morning, similar to behavioral responses to summer-like environmental conditions, and (2) this shift is mediated by stimulation of the Gα,s-cAMP pathway and a consequent change in PDF/neurotransmitter corelease from the LN(v)s. These results suggest another mechanism for environmental control of the allocation of circadian activity and provide new general insight into the role of neuropeptide autoreceptors in behavioral control circuits.

Interaction between sleep and metabolism in Drosophila with altered octopamine signaling

Sleep length and metabolic dysfunction are correlated, but the causal relationship between these processes is unclear. Octopamine promotes wakefulness in the fly by acting through the insulin-producing cells (IPCs) in the fly brain. To determine if insulin signaling mediates the effects of octopamine on sleep:wake behavior, we assayed flies in which insulin signaling activity was genetically altered. We found that increasing insulin signaling does not promote wake, nor does insulin appear to mediate the wake-promoting effects of octopamine. Octopamine also affects metabolism in invertebrate species, including, as we show here, Drosophila melanogaster. Triglycerides are decreased in mutants with compromised octopamine signaling and elevated in flies with increased activity of octopaminergic neurons. Interestingly, this effect is mediated at least partially by insulin, suggesting that effects of octopamine on metabolism are independent of its effects on sleep. We further investigated the relative contribution of metabolic and sleep phenotypes to the starvation response of flies with altered octopamine signaling. Hyperactivity (indicative of foraging) induced by starvation was elevated in octopamine receptor mutants, despite their high propensity for sleep, indicating that their metabolic state dictates their behavioral response under these conditions. Moreover, flies with increased octopamine signaling do not suppress sleep in response to starvation, even though they are normally hyper-aroused, most likely because of their high triglyceride levels. Together, these data suggest that observed correlations between sleep and metabolic phenotypes can result from shared molecular pathways rather than causality, and environmental conditions can lead to the dominance of one phenotype over the other.

Deconstructing host-pathogen interactions in Drosophila

Many of the cellular mechanisms underlying host responses to pathogens have been well conserved during evolution. As a result, Drosophila can be used to deconstruct many of the key events in host-pathogen interactions by using a wealth of well-developed molecular and genetic tools. In this review, we aim to emphasize the great leverage provided by the suite of genomic and classical genetic approaches available in flies for decoding details of host-pathogen interactions; these findings can then be applied to studies in higher organisms. We first briefly summarize the general strategies by which Drosophila resists and responds to pathogens. We then focus on how recently developed genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screens conducted in cells and flies, combined with classical genetic methods, have provided molecular insight into host-pathogen interactions, covering examples of bacteria, fungi and viruses. Finally, we discuss novel strategies for how flies can be used as a tool to examine how specific isolated virulence factors act on an intact host.

Blocking synaptic transmission with tetanus toxin light chain reveals modes of neurotransmission in the PDF-positive circadian clock neurons of Drosophila melanogaster

Circadian locomotor rhythms of Drosophila melanogaster are controlled by a neuronal circuit composed of approximately 150 clock neurons that are roughly classified into seven groups. In the circuit, a group of neurons expressing pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) play an important role in organizing the pacemaking system. Recent studies imply that unknown chemical neurotransmitter(s) (UNT) other than PDF is also expressed in the PDF-positive neurons. To explore its role in the circadian pacemaker, we examined the circadian locomotor rhythms of pdf-Gal4/UAS-TNT transgenic flies in which chemical synaptic transmission in PDF-positive neurons was blocked by expressed tetanus toxin light chain (TNT). In constant darkness (DD), the flies showed a free-running rhythm, which was similar to that of wild-type flies but significantly different from pdf null mutants. Under constant light conditions (LL), however, they often showed complex rhythms with a short period and a long period component. The UNT is thus likely involved in the synaptic transmission in the clock network and its release caused by LL leads to arrhythmicity. Immunocytochemistry revealed that LL induced phase separation in TIMELESS (TIM) cycling among some of the PDF-positive and PDF-negative clock neurons in the transgenic flies. These results suggest that both PDF and UNT play important roles in the Drosophila circadian clock, and activation of PDF pathway alone by LL leads to the complex locomotor rhythm through desynchronized oscillation among some of the clock neurons.

Synchronized bilateral synaptic inputs to Drosophila melanogaster neuropeptidergic rest/arousal neurons

Neuropeptide PDF (pigment-dispersing factor)-secreting large ventrolateral neurons (lLN(v)s) in the Drosophila brain regulate daily patterns of rest and arousal. These bilateral wake-promoting neurons are light responsive and integrate information from the circadian system, sleep circuits, and light environment. To begin to dissect the synaptic circuitry of the circadian neural network, we performed simultaneous dual whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of pairs of lLN(v)s. Both ipsilateral and contralateral pairs of lLN(v)s exhibit synchronous rhythmic membrane activity with a periodicity of ∼ 5-10 s. This rhythmic lLN(v) activity is blocked by TTX, voltage-gated sodium blocker, or α-bungarotoxin, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, indicating that action potential-dependent cholinergic synaptic connections are required for rhythmic lLN(v) activity. Since injecting current into one neuron of the pair had no effect on the membrane activity of the other neuron of the pair, this suggests that the synchrony is attributable to bilateral inputs and not coupling between the pairs of lLN(v)s. To further elucidate the nature of these synaptic inputs to lLN(v)s, we blocked or activated a variety of neurotransmitter receptors and measured effects on network activity and ionic conductances. These measurements indicate the lLN(v)s possess excitatory nicotinic ACh receptors, inhibitory ionotropic GABA(A) receptors, and inhibitory ionotropic GluCl (glutamate-gated chloride) receptors. We demonstrate that cholinergic input, but not GABAergic input, is required for synchronous membrane activity, whereas GABA can modulate firing patterns. We conclude that neuropeptidergic lLN(v)s that control rest and arousal receive synchronous synaptic inputs mediated by ACh.

Adult circadian behavior in Drosophila requires developmental expression of cycle, but not period

Circadian clocks have evolved as internal time keeping mechanisms that allow anticipation of daily environmental changes and organization of a daily program of physiological and behavioral rhythms. To better examine the mechanisms underlying circadian clocks in animals and to ask whether clock gene expression and function during development affected subsequent daily time keeping in the adult, we used the genetic tools available in Drosophila to conditionally manipulate the function of the CYCLE component of the positive regulator CLOCK/CYCLE (CLK/CYC) or its negative feedback inhibitor PERIOD (PER). Differential manipulation of clock function during development and in adulthood indicated that there is no developmental requirement for either a running clock mechanism or expression of per. However, conditional suppression of CLK/CYC activity either via per over-expression or cyc depletion during metamorphosis resulted in persistent arrhythmic behavior in the adult. Two distinct mechanisms were identified that may contribute to this developmental function of CLK/CYC and both involve the ventral lateral clock neurons (LN_vs) that are crucial to circadian control of locomotor behavior: (1) selective depletion of cyc expression in the LN_vs resulted in abnormal peptidergic small-LN_v dorsal projections, and (2) PER expression rhythms in the adult LN_vs appeared to be affected by developmental inhibition of CLK/CYC activity. Given the conservation of clock genes and circuits among animals, this study provides a rationale for investigating a possible similar developmental role of the homologous mammalian CLOCK/BMAL1 complex.

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model system for studying the internal circadian clocks that animals use for daily time keeping. Since clocks exist and function in animals not only in adults, but also during prior development, the question arises if and how adult circadian rhythms depend on developmental clock circuits and components. To address this question we created transgenic flies in which the essential clock components CLOCK/CYCLE (CLK/CYC) and PERIOD (PER) can be manipulated via environmental temperature. Stopping the clock during development by depleting the negative regulator PER did not prevent restoration of circadian time keeping in the adult. However, a developmental arrest of the clock due to either depletion of the positive regulator CYC or overproduction of PER resulted in a persistent loss of clock-controlled behavior function in adults. Taken together, these observations indicate that adult clock function developmentally requires activity of the CLK/CYC transcription complex rather than a ticking clock. Based on the behavioral, molecular, and anatomical consequences of inhibiting CLK/CYC in circadian pacemaker neurons, we propose that the developmental requirement maps to these cells. It will be interesting to determine whether there is a comparable developmental requirement for the equivalent clock genes in humans.