Contribution of non-circadian neurons to the temporal organization of locomotor activity

In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, the daily cycle of rest and activity is a rhythmic behavior that relies on the activity of a small number of neurons. The small ventral lateral neurons (sLNvs) are considered key in the control of locomotor rhythmicity. Previous work from our laboratory has...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Pírez, Nicolas, Bernabei Cornejo, Sofia Gala, Fernández Acosta, Magdalena, Duhart, José Manuel, Ceriani, Maria Fernanda
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/123448
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/123448
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:CONNECTIVITY
DROSOPHILA
LOCOMOTOR RHYTHMS
NON-CIRCADIAN NEURONS
SLNVS
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario:In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, the daily cycle of rest and activity is a rhythmic behavior that relies on the activity of a small number of neurons. The small ventral lateral neurons (sLNvs) are considered key in the control of locomotor rhythmicity. Previous work from our laboratory has showed that these neurons undergo structural remodeling on their axonal projections on a daily basis. Such remodeling endows sLNvs with the possibility to make synaptic contacts with different partners at different times throughout the day, as has been previously described. By using different genetic tools to alter membrane excitability of the sLNv putative postsynaptic partners, we tested their functional role in the control of locomotor activity. We also used optical imaging to test the functionality of these contacts. We found that these different neuronal groups affect the consolidation of rhythmic activity, suggesting that non-circadian cells are part of the circuit that controls locomotor activity. Our results suggest that new neuronal groups, in addition to the well-characterized clock neurons, contribute to the operations of the circadian network that controls locomotor activity in D. melanogaster.