A promoterless period gene mediates behavioral rhythmicity and cyclical per expression in a restricted subset of the Drosophila nervous system

Nocturnal male sex drive in Drosophila

Many behaviors and physiological processes including locomotor activity, feeding, sleep, mating, and migration are dependent on daily or seasonally reoccurring, external stimuli. In D. melanogaster, one of the best-studied circadian behaviors is locomotion. The fruit fly is considered a diurnal (day active/night inactive) insect, based on locomotor-activity recordings of single, socially naive flies. We developed a new circadian paradigm that can simultaneously monitor two flies in simple social contexts. We find that heterosexual couples exhibit a drastically different locomotor-activity pattern than individual males, females, or homosexual couples. Specifically, male-female couples exhibit a brief rest phase around dusk but are highly active throughout the night and early morning. This distinct locomotor-activity rhythm is dependent on the clock genes and synchronized with close-proximity encounters, which reflect courtship, between the male and female. The close-proximity rhythm is dependent on the male and not the female and requires circadian oscillators in the brain and the antenna. Taken together, our data show that constant exposure to stimuli emanating from the female and received by the male olfactory and other sensory systems is responsible for the significant shift in intrinsic locomotor output of socially interacting flies.

Development and morphology of the clock-gene-expressing lateral neurons of Drosophila melanogaster

The clock-gene-expressing lateral neurons are essential for the locomotor activity rhythm of Drosophila melanogaster. Traditionally, these neurons are divided into three groups: the dorsal lateral neurons (LN(d)), the large ventral lateral neurons (l-LN(v)), and the small ventral lateral neurons (s-LN(v)), whereby the latter group consists of four neurons that express the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) and a fifth PDF-negative neuron. So far, only the l-LN(v) and the PDF-positive s-LN(v) have been shown to project into the accessory medulla, a small neuropil that contains the circadian pacemaker center in several insects. We show here that the other lateral neurons also arborize in the accessory medulla, predominantly forming postsynaptic sites. Both the l-LN(v) and LN(d) are anatomically well suited to connect the accessory medullae. Whereas the l-LN(v) may receive ipsilateral photic input from the Hofbauer-Buchner eyelet, the LN(d) invade mainly the contralateral accessory medulla and thus may receive photic input from the contralateral side. Both the LN(d) and the l-LN(v) differentiate during midmetamorphosis. They do so in close proximity to one another and the fifth PDF-negative s-LN(v), suggesting that these cell groups may derive from common precursors.

Mechanisms of clock output in the Drosophila circadian pacemaker system

Molecular oscillations that underlie the circadian clock are coupled to different output signals by which daily rhythms in downstream events are evoked and/or synchronized. Here the authors review the literature that describes circadian output mechanisms in Drosophila. They begin at the most proximal level, within oscillator cells themselves, by surveying studies of rhythmic gene expression within Drosophila heads. Next the authors describe the several neuron groups that compose the circadian pacemaker network underlying rhythmic locomotor activity, and they detail current models of how that network is organized and coordinated. The authors outline the body of evidence that describes a role for the neuropeptide pigment dispersing factor (PDF) as a circadian transmitter in the fly brain. Finally, in the context of PDF, they consider studies that address mechanisms of signaling from the circadian pacemaker network to downstream neurons and nonneuronal cells that directly control rhythmic outputs.

Principles and problems revolving around rhythm-related genetic variants

Much of what is known about the regulation of circadian rhythms has stemmed from the induction, recognition, or manufacture of genetic variants. Such investigations have been especially salient in chronobiological analyses of Drosophila. Many starting points for elucidation of rhythmic processes operating in this insect entailed the isolation of mutants or the design of engineered gene modifications. Various features of the principles and practices associated with the genetic approach toward understanding clock functions, and chronobiologically related ones, are discussed from perspectives that are largely genetic as such, although intertwined with certain neurogenetic and molecular-genetic concerns when appropriate. Key themes in this treatment connect with the power and problems associated with multiply mutant forms of rhythm-related genes, with the opportunistic or problematical aspects of multigenic variants that are in play (sometimes surprisingly), and with a question as to how forceful chronogenetic inferences have been in terms of elucidating the mechanisms of circadian pacemaking.

Posttranscriptional regulation of mammalian circadian clock output

Circadian clocks are present in many different cell types/tissues and control many aspects of physiology. This broad control is exerted, at least in part, by the circadian regulation of many genes, resulting in rhythmic expression patterns of 5-10% of the mRNAs in a given tissue. Although transcriptional regulation is certainly involved in this process, it is becoming clear that posttranscriptional mechanisms also have important roles in producing the appropriate rhythmic expression profiles. In this chapter, we review the available data about posttranscriptional regulation of circadian gene expression and highlight the potential role of Nocturnin (Noc) in such processes. NOC is a deadenylase-a ribonuclease that specifically removes poly(A) tails from mRNAs-that is expressed widely in the mouse with high-amplitude rhythmicity. Deadenylation affects the stability and translational properties of mRNAs. Mice lacking the Noc gene have metabolic defects including a resistance to diet-induced obesity, decreased fat storage, changes in lipid-related gene expression profiles in the liver, and altered glucose and insulin sensitivities. These findings suggest that NOC has a pivotal role downstream from the circadian clockwork in the post-transcriptional regulation genes involved in the circadian control of metabolism.

The lateral and dorsal neurons of Drosophila melanogaster: new insights about their morphology and function

This chapter summarizes our present knowledge about the master clock of the fruit fly at the neuronal level. The clock is organized in distinct groups of interconnected pacemaker neurons with different functions. All of these neurons appear to communicate with one another in order to produce the species-specific activity rhythm, which is organized in morning (M) and evening (E) activity bouts. These two activity components are differentially influenced by distinct groups of pacemaker neurons reminiscent of the Pittendrigh-Daan dual oscillator model. In the original work (Grima et al. 2004; Stoleru et al. 2004), the ventrolateral (LN(v)) and dorsolateral (LN(d)) plus some dorsal groups (DN) of clock neurons have been defined as M and E cells, respectively. We further specify that the clock neurons belong to the M and E oscillators and define a more complex picture of the Drosophila brain clock.

Manipulating the light/dark cycle: effects on dopamine levels in optic lobes of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) brain

This study examines the relationship between cyclical variations in optic-lobe dopamine levels and the circadian behavioural rhythmicity exhibited by forager bees. Our results show that changing the light-dark regimen to which bees are exposed has a significant impact not only on forager behaviour, but also on the levels of dopamine that can be detected in the optic lobes of the brain. Consistent with earlier reports, we show that foraging behaviour exhibits properties characteristic of a circadian rhythm. Foraging activity is entrained by daily light cycles to periods close to 24 h, it changes predictably in response to phase shifts in light, and it is able to free-run under constant conditions. Dopamine levels in the optic lobes also undergo cyclical variations, and fluctuations in endogenous dopamine levels are influenced significantly by alterations to the light/dark cycle. However, the time course of these changes is markedly different from changes observed at a behavioural level. No direct correlation could be identified between levels of dopamine in the optic lobes and circadian rhythmic activity of the honey bee.

Protein phosphatase 1 regulates the stability of the circadian protein PER2

The circadian clock is regulated by a transcription/translation negative feedback loop. A key negative regulator of circadian rhythm in mammals is the PER2 (mammalian PERIOD 2) protein. Its daily degradation at the end of the night accompanies de-repression of transcription. CKI (casein kinase I ) has been identified as the kinase that phosphorylates PER2, targeting it for ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation. We now report that PER2 degradation is also negatively regulated by PP1 (protein phosphatase 1)-mediated dephosphorylation. In Xenopus egg extract, PP1 inhibition by Inhibitor-2 accelerated mPER2 degradation. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that PER2 bound to PP1c in transfected HEK-293 cells. PP1 immunoprecipitated from HEK-293 cells, mouse liver and mouse brain, dephosphorylated CKI-phosphorylated PER2, showing that PER2 is a substrate for mammalian endogenous PP1. Moreover, over-expression of the dominant negative form of PP1c, the D95N mutant, accelerated ubiquitin and proteasome-mediated degradation of PER2, and shortened the PER2 half-life in HEK-293 cells. Over-expression of the PP1 inhibitors, protein phosphatase 1 holoenzyme inhibitor-1 and Inhibitor-2, confirmed these results. Thus PP1 regulates PER2 stability and is therefore a candidate to regulate mammalian circadian rhythms.

Reevaluation of Drosophila melanogaster's neuronal circadian pacemakers reveals new neuronal classes

In the brain of the fly Drosophila melanogaster, approximately 150 clock-neurons are organized to synchronize and maintain behavioral rhythms, but the physiological and neurochemical bases of their interactions are largely unknown. Here we reevaluate the cellular properties of these pacemakers by application of a novel genetic reporter and several phenotypic markers. First, we describe an enhancer trap marker called R32 that specifically reveals several previously undescribed aspects of the fly's central neuronal pacemakers. We find evidence for a previously unappreciated class of neuronal pacemakers, the lateral posterior neurons (LPNs), and establish anatomical, molecular, and developmental criteria to establish a subclass within the dorsal neuron 1 (DN1) group of pacemakers. Furthermore, we show that the neuropeptide IPNamide is specifically expressed by this DN1 subclass. These observations implicate IPNamide as a second candidate circadian transmitter in the Drosophila brain. Finally, we present molecular and anatomical evidence for unrecognized phenotypic diversity within each of four established classes of clock neurons.

Essential Role of 3′-Untranslated Region-mediated mRNA Decay in Circadian Oscillations of Mouse Period3 mRNA

Daily oscillations in mRNA levels are a general feature of most clock genes. Although mRNA oscillations largely depend on transcriptional regulation, it has been suggested that post-transcriptional controls also contribute to mRNA oscillations in Drosophila. Currently, however, there is no direct evidence for post-transcriptional regulation of mammalian clock genes. To investigate the roles of post-transcriptional regulations, we focused on the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of mouse Period3 (mPer3) mRNA, one of the clock genes. Insertion of the entire mPer3 3'-UTR downstream of a reporter gene resulted in a dramatic decrease in mRNA stability. Deletion and point mutation analyses led to the identification of critical sequences responsible for mRNA decay. To explore the effects of the mPer3 3'-UTR-mediated mRNA decay on circadian oscillations, we established NIH3T3 stable cell lines that express luciferase mRNA with wild-type or mutant mPer3 3'-UTR. Interestingly, a stabilizing mutation of 3'-UTR induced a significant alteration in the oscillation profile of luciferase mRNA. Above all, the peak time, during which the mRNAs reached their highest levels, was significantly delayed (for 12 h). In addition, the luciferase mRNA level with mutant 3'-UTR began to increase earlier than that in the presence of wild-type 3'-UTR. Consequently, luciferase mRNA with mutant 3'-UTR displayed oscillation patterns with a prolonged rising phase. Our results indicate that mPer3 3'-UTR-mediated mRNA decay plays an essential role in mRNA cycling and provide direct evidence for post-transcriptional control of circadian mRNA oscillations.

Transcriptional feedback oscillators: maybe, maybe not

The molecular mechanism of circadian rhythmicity is usually modeled by a transcription/translation feedback oscillator in which clock proteins negatively feed back on their own transcription to produce rhythmic levels of clock protein mRNAs, which in turn cause the production of rhythmic levels of clock proteins. This mechanism has been applied to all model organisms for which molecular data are available. This review summarizes the increasing number of anomalous observations that do not fit the standard molecular mechanism for the model organisms Acetabularia, Synechococcus, Drosophila, Neurospora, and mouse. The anomalies fall into 2 classes: observations of rhythmicity in the organism when transcription of clock genes is held constant, and rhythmicity in the organism when clock gene function is missing in knockout mutants. It is concluded that the weight of anomalies is now so large that the standard transcription/translation mechanism is no longer an adequate model for circadian oscillators. Rhythmic transcription may have other functions in the circadian system, such as participating in input and output pathways and providing robustness to the oscillations. It may be most useful to think in terms of a circadian system that uses a noncircadian oscillator consisting of metabolic feedback loops, which acquires its circadian properties from additional regulatory molecules such as the products of canonical clock genes.

The circadian system of Drosophila melanogaster and its light input pathways

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been a grateful object for circadian rhythm researchers over several decades. Behavioral, genetic, and molecular studies in the little fly have aided in understanding the bases of circadian time keeping and rhythmic behaviors not only in Drosophila, but also in other organisms, including mammals. This review summarizes our present knowledge about the fruit fly's circadian system at the molecular and neurobiological level, with special emphasis on its entrainment by environmental light-dark cycles. The results obtained for Drosophila are discussed with respect to parallel findings in mammals.

Drosophila GPCR Han is a receptor for the circadian clock neuropeptide PDF

The pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) is a neuropeptide controlling circadian behavioral rhythms in Drosophila, but its receptor is not yet known. From a large-scale temperature preference behavior screen in Drosophila, we isolated a P insertion mutant that preferred different temperatures during the day and night. This mutation, which we named han, reduced the transcript level of CG13758. We found that Han was expressed specifically in 13 pairs of circadian clock neurons in the adult brain. han null flies showed arrhythmic circadian behavior in constant darkness. The behavioral characteristics of han null mutants were similar to those of pdf null mutants. We also found that PDF binds specifically to S2 cells expressing Han, which results in the elevation of cAMP synthesis. Therefore, we herein propose that Han is a PDF receptor regulating circadian behavioral rhythm through coordination of activities of clock neurons.

Expression of ubiquitin-related enzymes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus with special reference to ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase UchL1

There is growing evidence that ubiquitin-proteasome system plays an important role for the generation of circadian rhythms in mice as in Drosophila. Here we examined the expression of ubiquitin-related enzymes (Ubce5, UbcM4, Ube2v, Ube2d2, UchL1, UchL3, Ubp41, UfdlL, beta-TrCP) in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). At mRNA level, the-expression of these enzymes were faint to moderate except ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UchL1), a dominant deubiquitinating salvaging enzyme. Although strongly expressed in the SCN, UchL1 mRNA did not show the rhythm in the SCN in both light-dark and constant dark conditions.

Circadian control of messenger RNA stability. Association with a sequence-specific messenger RNA decay pathway

Transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation are well-established mechanisms for circadian gene expression. Among the latter, differential messenger RNA (mRNA) stability has been hypothesized to control gene expression in response to the clock. However, direct proof that the rate of mRNA turnover can be regulated by the clock is lacking. Previous microarray expression data for unstable mRNAs in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) revealed that mRNA instability is associated with a group of genes controlled by the circadian clock. Here, we show that CCR-LIKE (CCL) and SENESCENCE ASSOCIATED GENE 1 transcripts are differentially regulated at the level of mRNA stability at different times of day. In addition, the changes in CCL mRNA stability continue under free-running conditions, indicating that it is controlled by the Arabidopsis circadian clock. Furthermore, we show that these mRNAs are targets of the mRNA degradation pathway mediated by the downstream (DST) instability determinant. Disruption of the DST-mediated decay pathway in the dst1 mutant leads to aberrant circadian mRNA oscillations that correlate with alterations of the half-life of CCL mRNA relative to parental plants in the morning and afternoon. That this is due to an effect on the circadian control is evidenced by mRNA decay experiments carried out in continuous light. Finally, we show that the defects exhibited by dst mutants are reflected by an impact on circadian regulation at the whole plant level. Together, these results demonstrate that regulation of mRNA stability is important for clock-controlled expression of specific genes in Arabidopsis. Moreover, these data uncover a connection between circadian rhythms and a sequence-specific mRNA decay pathway.

Circadian rhythms from multiple oscillators: lessons from diverse organisms

The organization of biological activities into daily cycles is universal in organisms as diverse as cyanobacteria, fungi, algae, plants, flies, birds and man. Comparisons of circadian clocks in unicellular and multicellular organisms using molecular genetics and genomics have provided new insights into the mechanisms and complexity of clock systems. Whereas unicellular organisms require stand-alone clocks that can generate 24-hour rhythms for diverse processes, organisms with differentiated tissues can partition clock function to generate and coordinate different rhythms. In both cases, the temporal coordination of a multi-oscillator system is essential for producing robust circadian rhythms of gene expression and biological activity.

The neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor coordinates pacemaker interactions in the Drosophila circadian system

In Drosophila, the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) is required to maintain behavioral rhythms under constant conditions. To understand how PDF exerts its influence, we performed time-series immunostainings for the PERIOD protein in normal and pdf mutant flies over 9 d of constant conditions. Without pdf, pacemaker neurons that normally express PDF maintained two markers of rhythms: that of PERIOD nuclear translocation and its protein staining intensity. As a group, however, they displayed a gradual dispersion in their phasing of nuclear translocation. A separate group of non-PDF circadian pacemakers also maintained PERIOD nuclear translocation rhythms without pdf but exhibited altered phase and amplitude of PERIOD staining intensity. Therefore, pdf is not required to maintain circadian protein oscillations under constant conditions; however, it is required to coordinate the phase and amplitude of such rhythms among the diverse pacemakers. These observations begin to outline the hierarchy of circadian pacemaker circuitry in the Drosophila brain.

Role of cyclic mPer2 expression in the mammalian cellular clock

To explore the role of mPer2 in the circadian oscillation in the mammalian cellular clock, we established fibroblast cell lines in which expression of mPer2 is controlled through a tetracycline-regulatable promoter. We revealed that constitutive expression and overexpression of mPer2 mRNA severely impair serum shock-induced cyclic circadian clock gene expression. Moreover, under conditions of lower mPer2 mRNA expression, mPER2 protein accumulation in these cells showed clear circadian oscillation even in constitutive mPer2 mRNA expression, suggesting that the protein cycling of mPER2 was required for oscillation of the circadian feedback loop. Since the rhythms of gene expression driven by the intrinsic clock oscillation system dampen rapidly in the absence of cyclic expression of mPer2, the transcriptional rhythm helps to sustain the clock oscillation.

Circadian pacemaker neurons transmit and modulate visual information to control a rapid behavioral response

Circadian pacemaker neurons contain a molecular clock that oscillates with a period of approximately 24 hr, controlling circadian rhythms of behavior. Pacemaker neurons respond to visual system inputs for clock resetting, but, unlike other neurons, have not been reported to transmit rapid signals to their targets. Here we show that pacemaker neurons are required to mediate a rapid behavior. The Drosophila larval visual system, Bolwig's organ (BO), projects to larval pacemaker neurons to entrain their clock. BO also mediates larval photophobic behavior. We found that ablation or electrical silencing of larval pacemaker neurons abolished light avoidance. Thus, circadian pacemaker neurons receive input from BO not only to reset the clock but also to transmit rapid photophobic signals. Furthermore, as clock gene mutations also affect photophobicity, the pacemaker neurons modulate the sensitivity of larvae to light, generating a circadian rhythm in visual sensitivity.

Posttranscriptional and posttranslational regulation of clock genes

Circadian rhythms have been observed in diverse organisms, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. In such organisms, the circadian clock is primarily composed of a cell-autonomous transcriptional feedback loop. In addition to transcriptional regulation, the modification of core clock transcripts and proteins can dramatically affect the circadian clock. In this review, the authors discuss some of the posttranscriptional and posttranslational modifications and their effects on the circadian clock. The combined outcome of these modifications is to adjust the timing of the clock to produce a circadian oscillator that takes approximately 24 h.

Techniques that Revealed the Network of the Circadian Clock of Drosophila

The techniques are reviewed that revealed the neuronal network of the circadian clock in the brain of the fruit fly as well as the function and localization of peripheral oscillators. Three principal techniques helped characterize the circadian clock network of Drosophila consisting of pacemaker centers in the brain and oscillators in peripheral tissues: (1) Immunolabeling with antibodies raised against specific clock proteins detected the tissues and cells that express the clock proteins, revealed the subcellular localization of clock molecules, and illuminated their abundance at different time points during the day; (2) reporter genes unraveled the network of clock neurons and reported the circadian cycling of the clock genes in vivo; and (3) genetic manipulations of clock gene expression elucidated the function of specific clock genes and clock cells. These techniques and the results gained by them are reviewed briefly.

Systems approaches to biological rhythms in Drosophila

The chronobiological system of Drosophila is considered from the perspective of rhythm-regulated genes. These factors are enumerated and discussed not so much in terms of how the gene products are thought to act on behalf of circadian-clock mechanisms, but with special emphasis on where these molecules are manufactured within the organism. Therefore, with respect to several such cell and tissue types in the fly head, what is the "systems meaning" of a given structure's function insofar as regulation of rest-activity cycles is concerned? (Systematic oscillation of daily behavior is the principal overt phenotype analyzed in studies of Drosophila chronobiology). In turn, how do the several separate sets of clock-gene-expressing cells interact--or in some cases act in parallel--such that intricacies of the fly's sleep-wake cycles are mediated? Studying Drosophila chrono-genetics as a system-based endeavor also encompasses the fact that rhythm-related genes generate their products in many tissues beyond neural ones and during all stages of the life cycle. What, then, is the meaning of these widespread gene-expression patterns? This question is addressed with regard to circadian rhythms outside the behavioral arena, by considering other kinds of temporally based behaviors, and by contemplating how broadly systemic expression of rhythm-related genes connects with even more pleiotropic features of Drosophila biology. Thus, chronobiologically connected factors functioning within this insect comprise an increasingly salient example of gene versatility--multi-faceted usages of, and complex interactions among, entities that set up an organism's overall wherewithal to form and function. A corollary is that studying Drosophila development and adult-fly actions, even when limited to analysis of rhythm-systems phenomena, involves many of the animal's tissues and phenotypic capacities. It follows that such chronobiological experiments are technically demanding, including the necessity for investigators to possess wide-ranging expertise. Therefore, this chapter includes several different kinds of Methods set-asides. These techniques primers necessarily lack comprehensiveness, but they include certain discursive passages about why a given method can or should be applied and concerning real-world applicability of the pertinent rhythm-related technologies.

Membranes, Ions, and Clocks: Testing the Njus–Sulzman–Hastings Model of the Circadian Oscillator

Current circadian clock models based on interlocking autoregulatory transcriptional?translational negative feedback loops have arisen out of an explosion of molecular genetic data obtained over the last decade (for review, see Stanewsky, 2003; Young and Kay, 2001). An earlier model of circadian oscillation was based on feedback interactions between membrane ion transport systems and ion concentration gradients (Njus et al., 1974, 1976). This membrane model was posited as a more plausible alternative at the time to the even earlier "chronon" model, which was based on autoregulatory genetic feedback loops (Ehret and Trucco, 1967). The membrane model has been tested in a number of experimental systems by pharmacologically manipulating either ionic gradients across the plasma membrane or ion transport systems, but with inconsistent results. In the meantime, the scope and explanatory power of the genetic models overshadowed inquiries into the role of membrane ion fluxes in clock function. However, several recently developed techniques described in this article have provided a new glimpse into the essential role that membrane ion fluxes play in the mechanism of the core circadian oscillator and indicate that a complete understanding of the clock must include both genetic and membrane-based feedback loops.

Regulation of copulation duration by period and timeless in Drosophila melanogaster

The circadian clock involves several clock genes encoding interacting transcriptional regulators. Mutations in clock genes in Drosophila melanogaster, period (per), timeless (tim), Clock (Clk), and cycle (cyc), produce multiple phenotypes associated with physiology, behavior, development, and morphology. It is not clear whether these genes always work as clock components or may also act in some unknown pleiotropic fashion. We report here that per and tim are involved in a novel, male-specific phenotype that affects behavioral timing on the order of minutes. Males lacking per or tim copulate significantly longer than males with normal per or tim function, while females do not show this effect. No correlation between fertility and extended copulation duration was found. Several lines of evidence suggest that the time in copula (TIC) is not regulated by the known clock mechanism. First, the period of free-running clock oscillations does not appear to affect this phenotype. Second, constant light, which abolishes the clock function, does not alter TIC. Finally, mutations in the positively acting clock transcription factors, Clk and cyc, do not affect TIC. Our study extends the repertoire of behavioral functions involving per and tim genes and uncovers another time scale over which these genes may act.

The novel Drosophila tim(blind) mutation affects behavioral rhythms but not periodic eclosion

Circadian clock function depends on the tightly regulated exclusion or presence of clock proteins within the nucleus. A newly induced long-period timeless mutant, tim(blind), encodes a constitutively hypophosphorylated TIM protein. The mutant protein is not properly degraded by light, and tim(blind) flies show abnormal behavioral responses to light pulses. This is probably caused by impaired nuclear accumulation of TIM(BLIND) protein, which we observed in brain pacemaker neurons and photoreceptor cells of the compound eye. tim(blind) encodes two closely spaced amino acid changes compared to the wild-type TIM protein; one of them is within a putative nuclear export signal of TIM. Under constant conditions, tim(blind) flies exhibit 26-hr free-running locomotor rhythms, which are not correlated with a period lengthening of eclosion rhythms and period-luciferase reporter-gene oscillations. Therefore it seems possible that TIM--in addition to its well-established role as core clock factor--functions as a clock output factor, involved in determining the period length of adult locomotor rhythms.

Morning and evening peaks of activity rely on different clock neurons of the Drosophila brain

In Drosophila, a 'clock' situated in the brain controls circadian rhythms of locomotor activity. This clock relies on several groups of neurons that express the Period (PER) protein, including the ventral lateral neurons (LN(v)s), which express the Pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) neuropeptide, and the PDF-negative dorsal lateral neurons (LN(d)s). In normal cycles of day and night, adult flies exhibit morning and evening peaks of activity; however, the contribution of the different clock neurons to the rest-activity pattern remains unknown. Here, we have used targeted expression of PER to restore the clock function of specific subsets of lateral neurons in arrhythmic per(0) mutant flies. We show that PER expression restricted to the LN(v)s only restores the morning activity, whereas expression of PER in both the LN(v)s and LN(d)s also restores the evening activity. This provides the first neuronal bases for 'morning' and 'evening' oscillators in the Drosophila brain. Furthermore, we show that the LN(v)s alone can generate 24 h activity rhythms in constant darkness, indicating that the morning oscillator is sufficient to drive the circadian system.

Neurobiology of the fruit fly's circadian clock

Studying the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has revealed mechanisms underlying circadian clock function. Rhythmic behavior could be assessed to the function of several clock genes that generate circadian oscillations in certain brain neurons, which finally modulate behavior in a circadian manner. This review outlines how individual circadian pacemaker neurons in the fruit fly's brain control rhythm in locomotor activity and eclosion.

Noncircadian regulation and function of clock genes period and timeless in oogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster

Circadian clock genes are ubiquitously expressed in the nervous system and peripheral tissues of complex animals. While clock genes in the brain are essential for behavioral rhythms, the physiological roles of these genes in the periphery are not well understood. Constitutive expression of the clock gene period was reported in the ovaries of Drosophila melanogaster; however, its molecular interactions and functional significance remained unknown. This study demonstrates that period (per) and timeless (tim) are involved in a novel noncircadian function in the ovary. PER and TIM are constantly expressed in the follicle cells enveloping young oocytes. Genetic evidence suggests that PER and TIM interact in these cells, yet they do not translocate to the nucleus. The levels of TIM and PER in the ovary are affected neither by light nor by the lack of clock-positive elements Clock (Clk) and cycle (cyc). Taken together, these data suggest that per and tim are regulated differently in follicle cells than in clock cells. Experimental evidence suggests that a novel fitness-related phenotype may be linked to noncircadian expression of clock genes in the ovaries. Mated females lacking either per or tim show nearly a 50% decline in progeny, and virgin females show a similar decline in the production of mature oocytes. Disruption of circadian mechanism by either the depletion of TIM via constant light treatment or continuous expression of PER via GAL4/UAS expression system has no adverse effect on the production of mature oocytes.

Circadian clocks in antennal neurons are necessary and sufficient for olfaction rhythms in Drosophila

BACKGROUND

The Drosophila circadian clock is controlled by interlocked transcriptional feedback loops that operate in many neuronal and nonneuronal tissues. These clocks are roughly divided into a central clock, which resides in the brain and is known to control rhythms in locomotor activity, and peripheral clocks, which comprise all other clock tissues and are thought to control other rhythmic outputs. We previously showed that peripheral oscillators are required to mediate rhythmic olfactory responses in the antenna, but the identity and relative autonomy of these peripheral oscillators has not been defined.

RESULTS

Targeted ablation of lateral neurons by using apoptosis-promoting factors and targeted clock disruption in antennal neurons with newly developed dominant-negative versions of CLOCK and CYCLE show that antennal neurons, but not central clock cells, are necessary for olfactory rhythms. Targeted rescue of antennal neuron oscillators in cyc(01) flies through wild-type CYCLE shows that these neurons are also sufficient for olfaction rhythms.

CONCLUSIONS

Antennal neurons are both necessary and sufficient for olfaction rhythms, which demonstrates for the first time that a peripheral tissue can function as an autonomous pacemaker in Drosophila. These results reveal fundamental differences in the function and organization of circadian oscillators in Drosophila and mammals and suggest that components of the olfactory signal transduction cascade could be targets of circadian regulation.

The circadian clock in the brain: a structural and functional comparison between mammals and insects

The circadian master clocks in the brains of mammals and insects are compared in respect to location, organization and function. They show astonishing similarities. Both clocks are anatomically and functionally connected to the optic system and possess multiple output pathways allowing synchronization with the environmental light-dark cycles as well as the control of diverse endocrine, autonomic and behavioral functions. Both circadian master clocks are composed of multiple neurons, which are organized in populations with different morphology, physiology and neurotransmitter content and appear to subserve different functions. In the hamster and in the cockroach, the master clock consists of a core region that gets input from the eyes, and a shell region from which the majority of output projections originate. Communication between core and shell, between all other populations of clock neurons as well as between the master clocks of both brain hemispheres is a prerequisite of normal rhythmic function. Phenomena like rhythm splitting and internal desynchronization can be observed under constant light conditions and are caused by the "uncoupling" of the master clocks of both brain hemispheres.

Posttranslational regulation of Drosophila PERIOD protein by protein phosphatase 2A

The posttranscriptional mechanisms that control the cycling of circadian clock protein levels are not known. Here we demonstrate a role for protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in the cyclic expression of the PER protein. PP2A regulatory subunits TWS and WDB target PER and stabilize it in S2 cells. In adult fly heads, expression of tws cycles robustly under control of the circadian clock. Hypomorphic tws mutants show delayed accumulation of PER, while overexpression of tws in clock neurons produces shorter, weaker rhythms. Reduction of PP2A activity reduces PER expression in central clock neurons and results in long periods and arrhythmia. In addition, overexpression of the PP2A catalytic subunit results in loss of behavioral rhythms and constitutive nuclear expression of PER. PP2A also affects PER phosphorylation in vitro and in vivo. We propose that the posttranslational mechanisms that drive cycling of PER require the rhythmic expression of PP2A.

Sharing time on the fly

The investigation of circadian clock function in Drosophila has progressed from the identification of clock genes to the analysis of timing mechanisms in the cells and tissues where these genes are expressed. As the biological context for investigating circadian clock systems is expanded, new features of molecular timing mechanisms are becoming apparent. Examples come first from studies on peripheral clocks, which perform local, tissue-specific functions as well as global functions that relate to the control of individual behavior, and second from the evaluation of social influences on circadian rhythms. The identification of inter-organismal components of the circadian system in Drosophila suggests new perspectives as the progression continues from the systems level to the social level and onwards to the level of ecosystems.

A self-sustaining, light-entrainable circadian oscillator in the Drosophila brain

BACKGROUND

The circadian clock of Drosophila is able to drive behavioral rhythms for many weeks in continuous darkness (DD). The endogenous rhythm generator is thought to be generated by interlocked molecular feedback loops involving circadian transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of several clock genes, including period. However, all attempts to demonstrate sustained rhythms of clock gene expression in DD have failed, making it difficult to link the molecular clock models with the circadian behavioral rhythms. Here we restricted expression of a novel period-luciferase transgene to certain clock neurons in the Drosophila brain, permitting us to monitor reporter gene activity in these cells in real-time.

RESULTS

We show that only a subset of the previously described pacemaker neurons is able to sustain PERIOD protein oscillations after 5 days in constant darkness. In addition, we identified a sustained and autonomous molecular oscillator in a group of clock neurons in the dorsal brain with heretofore unknown function. We found that these "dorsal neurons" (DNs) can synchronize behavioral rhythms and that light input into these cells involves the blue-light photoreceptor cryptochrome.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the DNs play a prominent role in controlling locomotor behavior when flies are exposed to natural light-dark cycles. Analysis of similar "stable mosaic" transgenes should help to reveal the function of the other clock neuronal clusters within the fly brain.

The neuroarchitecture of the circadian clock in the brain of Drosophila melanogaster

Neuroethologists try to assign behavioral functions to certain brain centers, if possible down to individual neurons and to the expression of specific genes. This approach has been successfully applied for the control of circadian rhythmic behavior in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Several so-called "clock genes" are expressed in specific neurons in the lateral and dorsal brain where they generate cell-autonomous molecular circadian oscillations. These clusters are connected with each other and contribute differentially to the control of behavioral rhythmicity. This report reviews the latest work on characterizing individual circadian pacemaker neurons in the fruit fly's brain that control activity and pupal eclosion, leading to the questions by which neuronal pathways they are synchronized to the external light-dark cycle, and how they impose periodicity on behavior.

The regulation of circadian rhythms in the fly's visual system: involvement of FMRFamide-like neuropeptides and their relationship to pigment dispersing factor in Musca domestica and Drosophila melanogaster

The cross-sectional area of axon profiles in two classes of interneuron, L1 and L2, in the fly's lamina, exhibits a circadian rhythm of swelling and shrinking; axon caliber also changes after microinjecting putative lamina neurotransmitters. Among these, the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor, PDF, is proposed to transmit circadian information from the housefly's (Musca domestica) clock to L1 and L2, increasing axon caliber during the day. Testing whether other neurotransmitters may modulate this effect we have: (1) examined optic lobe cell immunoreactivity to FMRFamide peptides and its co-immunolocalization to PDF in M. domestica and Drosophila melanogaster, and to the product of the circadian clock gene PER in D. melanogaster; and (2) made microinjections of FMRFamide and related neuropeptides into the second neuropil, or medulla. In M. domestica, nine groups of optic lobe cells, several cells in the lateral and dorsal protocerebrum, and in the subesophageal ganglion, together contribute dense FMRFamide immunoreactive arborizations in almost all central brain and optic lobe neuropils. In D. melanogaster a similar pattern of labeling arises from fewer cells. Daytime microinjections show that another neuropeptide, similar to molluscan FMRFamide, shrinks M. domestica's L1 and L2 axons, thus opposing the action of PDF. We discuss evidence for a medulla site of action for a released FMRFamide-like peptide, either from: MeRF2 cells, acting directly on L1 and L2's medulla terminals; or MeRF1 cells, acting indirectly via medulla centrifugal cells C2 and C3.

Developmental changes in expression patterns of two dopamine receptor genes in mushroom bodies of the honeybee,Apis mellifera

The expression patterns of two dopamine receptor genes, Amdop1 and Amdop2, in the developing mushroom bodies of the honeybee brain were determined by using in situ hybridisation. Both genes were expressed throughout pupal development, but their patterns of expression in the three major divisions of mushroom body intrinsic neurons (outer compact cells, noncompact cells, and inner compact cells) were quite distinct. Amdop1 expression could be detected in all three mushroom body cell groups throughout development. Staining for Amdop1 mRNA was particularly intense in newly born Kenyon cells, suggesting that levels of Amdop1 expression are higher in newborn cells than in more mature mushroom body neurons. This was not the case for Amdop2. Amdop2 expression in the mushroom bodies was restricted to inner and outer compact cells during most of pupal development, appearing in noncompact cells only late in metamorphosis or at adult eclosion. In contrast to the case with Amdop1, staining for Amdop2 mRNA was observed in glial cells. Expression of Amdop2 in glial cells was detected only at early stages of glial cell development, when the cells are reported to be actively dividing. This study not only implicates dopamine in the development of honeybee mushroom bodies but also suggests different roles for the two dopamine receptors investigated.

Circadian rhythms of locomotor activity in Drosophila

Drosophila is by far the most advanced model to understand the complex biochemical interactions upon which circadian clocks rely. Most of the genes that have been characterized so far were isolated through genetic screens using the locomotor activity rhythms of the adults as a circadian output. In addition, new techniques are available to deregulate gene expression in specific cells, allowing to analyze the growing number of developmental genes that also play a role as clock genes. However, one of the major challenges in circadian biology remains to properly interpret complex behavioral data and use them to fuel molecular models. This review tries to describe the problems that clockwatchers have to face when using Drosophila activity rhythms to understand the multiple facets of circadian function.

A recessive mutant of Drosophila Clock reveals a role in circadian rhythm amplitude

The transcription factor Clock (Clk) plays a critical role in animal circadian rhythms. Genetic studies defining its function have relied on two dominant negative alleles, one in Drosophila and one in mice. Here we describe a novel recessive allele of Drosophila Clock, Clk(ar). Homozygous Clk(ar) flies are viable and behaviorally arrhythmic. The Clk(ar) phenotype is caused by a splice site mutation that severely disrupts splicing and reduces Clk activity. Despite the behavioral arrhythmicity, molecular oscillations are still detectable in Clk(ar) flies. Transcription analysis indicates potent effects of Clk(ar) on levels and amplitude of transcriptional oscillations. Taken together with other data, we propose that Clk makes a major contribution to the strength and amplitude of circadian rhythms.

A fly's eye view of circadian entrainment

The Drosophila circadian clock is an ideal model system for teasing out the molecular mechanisms of circadian behavior and the means by which animals synchronize to day-night cycles. The clock that drives behavioral rhythms, located in the lateral neurons in the central brain, consists of a feedback loop of the circadian genes period (per) and timeless (tim). The molecular cycle, roughly 24 h long, is constantly reset by the environment. This review focuses on the main input pathways of the dominant circadian zeitgeber, light. Light acts directly on the clock primarily through cryptochrome (cry), a deep brain blue-light photoreceptor. CRY activation causes rapid TIM degradation, which is a predicted means of resetting the clock both on a daily basis at dawn and on an acute basis following an entraining light pulse during the night hours. In the absence of cry, the clock can still be driven by photic input through the visual system, though the mechanisms underlying this entrainment are unclear. Temperature can also entrain the clock, although the mechanisms by which this occurs are also unclear.

Ectopic transplantation of the accessory medulla restores circadian locomotor rhythms in arrhythmic cockroaches (Leucophaea maderae)

The presence of an endogenous circadian clock in the brain of an animal was first demonstrated in the cockroach Leucophaea maderae. However, the clock's cellular basis remained elusive until pigment-dispersing hormone-immunoreactive neurons, which express the clock genes period and timeless in Drosophila, were proposed as pacemaker candidates. In several insect species, pigment-dispersing hormone-immunoreactive neurons are closely associated with the accessory medulla, a small neuropil in the optic lobe, which was suggested to be a circadian clock neuropil. Here, we demonstrate that ectopic transplantation of adult accessory medulla into optic lobe-less cockroaches restores circadian locomotor activity rhythms in L. maderae. All histologically examined cockroaches that regained circadian activity regenerated pigment-dispersing hormone-immunoreactive fibres from the grafts to original targets in the protocerebrum. The data show that the accessory medulla is the circadian pacemaker controlling locomotor activity rhythms in the cockroach. Whether pigment-dispersing hormone-immunoreactive neurons are the only circadian pacemaker cells controlling locomotor activity rhythms remains to be examined.

Genetics and molecular biology of rhythms in Drosophila and other insects

Application of generic variants (Sections II-IV, VI, and IX) and molecular manipulations of rhythm-related genes (Sections V-X) have been used extensively to investigate features of insect chronobiology that might not have been experimentally accessible otherwise. Most such tests of mutants and molecular-genetic xperiments have been performed in Drosophila melanogaster. Results from applying visual-system variants have revealed that environmental inputs to the circadian clock in adult flies are mediated by external photoreceptive structures (Section II) and also by direct light reception chat occurs in certain brain neurons (Section IX). The relevant light-absorbing molecuLes are rhodopsins and "blue-receptive" cryptochrome (Sections II and IX). Variations in temperature are another clock input (Section IV), as has been analyzed in part by use of molecular techniques and transgenes involving factors functioning near the heart of the circadian clock (Section VIII). At that location within the fly's chronobiological system, approximately a half-dozen-perhaps up to as many as 10-clock genes encode functions that act and interact to form the circadian pacemaker (Sections III and V). This entity functions in part by transcriptional control of certain clock genes' expressions, which result in the production of key proteins that feed back negatively to regulate their own mRNA production. This occurs in part by interactions of such proteins with others that function as transcriptional activators (Section V). The implied feedback loop operates such that there are daily variations in the abundances of products put out by about one-half of the core clock genes. Thus, the normal expression of these genes defines circadian rhythms of their own, paralleling the effects of mutations at the corresponding genetic loci (Section III), which are to disrupt or apparently eliminate clock functioning. The fluctuations in the abundance of gene products are controlled transciptionally and posttranscriptionally. These clock mechanisms are being analyzed in ways that are increasingly complex and occasionally obscure; not all panels of this picture are comprehensive or clear, including problems revolving round the biological meaning or a given features of all this molecular cycling (Section V). Among the complexities and puzzles that have recently arisen, phenomena that stand out are posttranslational modifications of certain proteins that are circadianly regulated and regulating; these biochemical events form an ancillary component of the clock mechanism, as revealed in part by genetic identification of Factors (Section III) that turned out to encode protein kinases whose substrates include other pacemaking polypeptides (Section V). Outputs from insect circadian clocks have been long defined on formalistic and in some cases concrete criteria, related to revealed rhythms such as periodic eclosion and daily fluctuations of locomotion (Sections II and III). Based on the reasoning that if clock genes can regulate circadian cyclings of their own products, they can do the same for genes that function along output pathways; thus clock-regulated genes have been identified in part by virtue of their products' oscillations (Section X). Those studied most intensively have their expression influenced by circadian-pacemaker mutations. The clock-regulated genes discovered on molecular criteria have in some instances been analyzed further in their mutant forms and found to affect certain features of overt whole-organismal rhythmicity (Sections IV and X). Insect chronogenetics touches in part on naturally occurring gene variations that affect biological rhythmicity or (in some cases) have otherwise informed investigators about certain features of the organism's rhythm system (Section VII). Such animals include at least a dozen insect species other than D. melanogaster in which rhythm variants have been encountered (although usually not looked for systematically). The chronobiological "system" in the fruit fly might better be graced with a plural appellation because there is a myriad of temporally related phenomena that have come under the sway of one kind of putative rhythm variant or the other (Section IV). These phenotypes, which range well beyond the bedrock eclosion and locomotor circadian rhythms, unfortunately lead to the creation of a laundry list of underanalyzed or occult phenomena that may or may not be inherently real, whether or not they might be meaningfully defective under the influence of a given chronogenetic variant. However, such mutants seem to lend themselves to the interrogation of a wide variety of time-based attributes-those that fall within the experimental confines of conventionally appreciated circadian rhythms (Sections II, III, VI, and X); and others that consist of 24-hr or nondaily cycles defined by many kinds of biological, physiological, or biochemical parameters (Section IV).

Invited review: Sleeping flies don't lie: the use of Drosophila melanogaster to study sleep and circadian rhythms

During the past century, flies thoroughly proved their value as an animal model for the study of the genetics of development and basic cell processes. During the past three decades, they have also been extensively used to study the genetics of behavior. For both circadian rhythms and for sleep, flies are helping us to understand the genetic mechanisms that underlie these complex behaviors. Since 1971, discoveries in the fly have led the way to a number of significant discoveries, establishing a mechanistic framework that is now known to be conserved in the mammalian clock. The highlights of this history are described. For sleep, the use of the fly as a model is relatively new, that is, only within the past 2 yr. Nonetheless, studies have already established that two transcription factors alter rest and rest homeostasis. The implications of these advances for the future of sleep research are summarized.

Circadian control of eclosion: interaction between a central and peripheral clock in Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster display overt circadian rhythms in rest:activity behavior and eclosion. These rhythms have an endogenous period of approximately 24 hr and can adjust or "entrain" to environmental inputs such as light. Circadian rhythms depend upon a functioning molecular clock that includes the core clock genes period and timeless (reviewed in and ). Although we know that a clock in the lateral neurons (LNs) of the brain controls rest:activity rhythms, the cellular basis of eclosion rhythms is less well understood. We show that the LN clock is insufficient to drive eclosion rhythms. We establish that the prothoracic gland (PG), a tissue required for fly development, contains a functional clock at the time of eclosion. This clock is required for normal eclosion rhythms. However, both the PG clock function and eclosion rhythms require the presence of LNs. In addition, we demonstrate that pigment-dispersing factor (PDF), a neuropeptide secreted from LNs, is necessary for the PG clock and eclosion rhythms. Unlike other clocks in the fly periphery, the PG is similar to mammalian peripheral oscillators because it depends upon input, including PDF, from central pacemaker cells. This is the first report of a peripheral clock necessary for a circadian event.

Nocturnin, a deadenylase in Xenopus laevis retina: a mechanism for posttranscriptional control of circadian-related mRNA

BACKGROUND

Different types of regulation are utilized to produce a robust circadian clock, including regulation at the transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and translational levels. A screen for rhythmic messages that may be involved in such circadian control identified nocturnin, a novel gene that displays high-amplitude circadian expression in the Xenopus laevis retina, with peak mRNA levels in the early night. Expression of nocturnin mRNA is confined to the clock-containing photoreceptor cell layer within the retina.

RESULTS

In these studies, we show that nocturnin removes the poly(A) tail from a synthetic RNA substrate in a process known as deadenylation. Nocturnin nuclease activity is magnesium dependent, as the addition of EDTA or mutation of the residue predicted to bind magnesium disrupts deadenylation. Substrate preference studies show that nocturnin is an exonuclease that specifically degrades the 3' poly(A) tail. While nocturnin is rhythmically expressed in the cytoplasm of the retinal photoreceptor cells, the only other described vertebrate deadenylase, PARN, is constitutively present in most retinal cells, including the photoreceptors.

CONCLUSIONS

The distinct spatial and temporal expression of nocturnin and PARN suggests that there may be specific mRNA targets of each deadenylase. Since deadenylation regulates mRNA decay and/or translational silencing, we propose that nocturnin deadenylates clock-related transcripts in a novel mechanism for posttranscriptional regulation in the circadian clock or its outputs.

Resetting the circadian clock by social experience in Drosophila melanogaster

Circadian clocks are influenced by social interactions in a variety of species, but little is known about the sensory mechanisms underlying these effects. We investigated whether social cues could reset circadian rhythms in Drosophila melanogaster by addressing two questions: Is there a social influence on circadian timing? If so, then how is that influence communicated? The experiments show that in a social context Drosophila transmit and receive cues that influence circadian time and that these cues are likely olfactory.

Targeted expression of tetanus toxin: a new tool to study the neurobiology of behavior

Over the past few decades, the explosion of molecular genetic knowledge, particularly in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, has led to the identification of a large number of genes, which, when mutated, directly or indirectly affect fly behavior. Beyond the genetic and molecular characterization of genes and their associated molecular pathways, recent advances in molecular genetics also have allowed the development of new tools dedicated more directly to the dissection of the neural bases for various behaviors. In particular, the conjunction of the development of two techniques--the enhancer-trap detection system and the targeted gene expression system, based on the yeast GAL4 transcription factor--has led to the development of the binary enhancer-trap P[GAL4] expression system, which allows the selective activation of any cloned gene in a wide variety of tissue- and cell-specific patterns. Thus, this development, in addition to allowing the anatomical characterization of neuronal circuitry, also allows, via the expression of tetanus toxin light chain (known to specifically block synaptic transmission), an investigation of the role of specific neurons in certain behaviors. Using this system of "toxigenetics," several forms of behavior--from those mediated by sensory systems, such as olfaction, mechanoreception, and vision, to those mediated by higher brain function, such as learning, memory and locomotion--have been studied. These studies aim to map neuronal circuitry underlying specific behaviors and thereby unravel relevant neurophysiological mechanisms. The advantage of this approach is that it is noninvasive and permits the investigation of behavior in the free moving animal. We review a number of behavioral studies that have successfully employed this toxigenetic approach, and we hope to persuade the reader that transgenic tetanus toxin light chain is a useful and appropriate tool for the armory of neuroethologists.

Downloading central clock information in Drosophila

Pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) neuropeptide is an important neurochemical that carries circadian timing information originating from the central oscillator in Drosophila. Several core-clock factors function as upstream pdf regulators; the dClock and cycle genes control pdf transcription, whereas the period and timeless genes regulate post-translational processes of PDF via unknown mechanisms. For a downstream neural path, PDF most likely acts as a local modulator, which binds to its receptors that are possibly linked to Ras/MAPK signaling pathways. PDF receptor-containing cells seem to localize in the vicinity of nerve terminals from pace-making neurons. Although PDF is likely to be a principal clock-output factor, our recent evidence predicts the presence of other neuropeptides with rhythm-relevant functions. Furthermore, recent microarray screens have identified numerous potential clock-controlled genes, suggesting that diverse physiological processes might be affected by the biological clock system.

Central and peripheral circadian oscillator mechanisms in flies and mammals

Circadian oscillators are cell-autonomous time-keeping mechanisms that reside in diverse tissues in many organisms. In flies and mice, the core molecular components that sustain these oscillators are highly conserved, but the functions of some of these components appear to have diverged significantly. One possible reason for these differences is that previous comparisons have focused primarily on the central oscillator of the mouse and peripheral oscillators in flies. Recent research on mouse and Drosophila peripheral oscillators shows that the function of the core components between these organisms may be more highly conserved than was first believed, indicating the following: (1) that central and peripheral oscillators in flies do not necessarily have the same molecular mechanisms; (2) that mammalian central oscillators are regulated differently from peripheral oscillators; and (3) that different peripheral oscillators within and across species show striking similarities. The core feedback loop in peripheral oscillators might therefore be functionally well conserved, and central oscillators could be specialized versions of a basic oscillator design.

Sequential nuclear accumulation of the clock proteins period and timeless in the pacemaker neurons of Drosophila melanogaster

Antisera against the circadian clock proteins Period (PER) and Timeless (TIM) were used to construct a detailed time course of PER and TIM expression and subcellular localization in a subset of the ventrolateral neurons (vLNs) in the Drosophila accessory medulla (AMe). These neurons, which express pigment-dispersing factor, play a central role in the control of behavioral rhythms. The data revealed several unexpected features of the circadian clock in Drosophila. First, TIM but not PER was restricted to the cytoplasm of vLNs throughout most of the early night. Second, the timing of TIM and PER nuclear accumulation was substantially different. Third, the two subsets of vLNs, the large and small vLNs, had a similar timing of PER nuclear accumulation but differed by 3-4 hr in the phase of TIM nuclear accumulation. These aspects of PER and TIM expression were not predicted by the current mechanistic model of the circadian clock in Drosophila and are inconsistent with the hypothesis that PER and TIM function as obligate heterodimers. The differing profiles of TIM and PER nuclear accumulation suggest that PER and TIM have distinct functions in the nuclei of vLNs.