DN1p Circadian Neurons Coordinate Acute Light and PDF Inputs to Produce Robust Daily Behavior in Drosophila

Luoying Zhang, Brian Y. Chung, Bridget C Lear, Valerie Kilman, Yixiao Liu, Guruswamy Mahesh, Rose Anne Meissner, Paul E. Hardin, Ravi Allada*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

136 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Daily behaviors in animals are determined by the interplay between internal timing signals from circadian clocks and environmental stimuli such as light. How these signals are integrated to produce timely and adaptive behavior is unclear. The fruit fly Drosophila exhibits clock-driven activity increases that anticipate dawn and dusk and free-running rhythms under constant conditions. Flies also respond to the onset of light and dark with acute increases in activity. Results: Mutants of a novel ion channel, narrow abdomen (na), lack a robust increase in activity in response to light and show reduced anticipatory behavior and free-running rhythms, providing a genetic link between photic responses and circadian clock function. We used tissue-specific rescue of na to demonstrate a role for ∼16-20 circadian pacemaker neurons, a subset of the posterior dorsal neurons 1 (DN1ps), in mediating the acute response to the onset of light as well as morning anticipatory behavior. Circadian pacemaker neurons expressing the neuropeptide PIGMENT-DISPERSING FACTOR (PDF) are especially important for morning anticipation and free-running rhythms and send projections to the DN1ps. We also demonstrate that DN1p Pdfr expression is sufficient to rescue, at least partially, Pdfr morning anticipation defects as well as defects in free-running rhythms, including those in DN1 molecular clocks. Additionally, these DN1 clocks in wild-type flies are more strongly reset to timing changes in PDF clocks than other pacemaker neurons, suggesting that they are direct targets. Conclusions: Taking these results together, we demonstrate that the DN1ps lie at the nexus of PDF and photic signaling to produce appropriate daily behavior.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)591-599
Number of pages9
JournalCurrent Biology
Volume20
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 13 2010

Funding

We thank P. Emery for communicating results prior to publication, M. Rosbash for providing the PER antibody, and A. Seluzicki for assistance with larval brain dissections. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants R01NS059042 and R01NS052903 to R.A. and R01NS51280 to P.E.H., National Research Service Award F31NS062551 to B.Y.C. from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and NIH Pathway to Independence Award K99GM080107 to B.C.L. from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Keywords

  • MOLNEURO

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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