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Zhao Q, Li X, Wen J, He Y, Zheng N, Li W, Cardona A, Gong Z. A two-layer neural circuit controls fast forward locomotion in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3439-3453.e5. [PMID: 39053465 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Fast forward locomotion is critical for animal hunting and escaping behaviors. However, how the underlying neural circuit is wired at synaptic resolution to decide locomotion direction and speed remains poorly understood. Here, we identified in the ventral nerve cord (VNC) a set of ascending cholinergic neurons (AcNs) to be command neurons capable of initiating fast forward peristaltic locomotion in Drosophila larvae. Targeted manipulations revealed that AcNs are necessary and sufficient for fast forward locomotion. AcNs can activate their postsynaptic partners, A01j and A02j; both are interneurons with locomotory rhythmicity. Activated A01j neurons form a posterior-anteriorly descendent gradient in output activity along the VNC to launch forward locomotion from the tail. Activated A02j neurons exhibit quicker intersegmental transmission in activity that enables fast propagation of motor waves. Our work revealed a global neural mechanism that coordinately controls the launch direction and propagation speed of Drosophila locomotion, furthering the understanding of the strategy for locomotion control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianhui Zhao
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Xinhang Li
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Jun Wen
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Yinhui He
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Nenggan Zheng
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Wenchang Li
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Albert Cardona
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.
| | - Zhefeng Gong
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China.
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Guo X, Ma Z, Kang L. Two dopamine receptors play different roles in phase change of the migratory locust. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:80. [PMID: 25873872 PMCID: PMC4379914 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Accepted: 03/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, shows remarkable phenotypic plasticity at behavioral, physiological, and morphological levels in response to fluctuation in population density. Our previous studies demonstrated that dopamine (DA) and the genes in the dopamine metabolic pathway mediate phase change in Locusta. However, the functions of different dopamine receptors in modulating locust phase change have not been fully explored. In the present study, DA concentration in the brain increased during crowding and decreased during isolation. The expression level of dopamine receptor 1 (Dop1) increased from 1 to 4 h of crowding, but remained unchanged during isolation. Injection of Dop1 agonist SKF38393 into the brains of solitary locusts promoted gregarization, induced conspecific attraction-response and increased locomotion. RNAi knockdown of Dop1 and injection of antagonist SCH23390 in gregarious locusts induced solitary behavior, promoted the shift to repulsion-response and reduced locomotion. By contrast, the expression level of dopamine receptor 2 (Dop2) gradually increased during isolation, but remained stable during crowding. During the isolation of gregarious locusts, injection of Dop2 antagonist S(–)-sulpiride or RNAi knockdown of Dop2 inhibited solitarization, maintained conspecific attraction-response and increased locomotion; by comparison, the isolated controls displayed conspecific repulsion-response and weaker motility. Activation of Dop2 in solitary locusts through injection of agonist, R(-)-TNPA, did not affect their behavioral state. Thus, DA-Dop1 signaling in the brain of Locusta induced the gregariousness, whereas DA-Dop2 signaling mediated the solitariness. Our study demonstrated that Dop1 and Dop2 modulated locust phase change in two different directions. Further investigation of Locusta Dop1 and Dop2 functions in modulating phase change will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying phenotypic plasticity in locusts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojiao Guo
- Beijing Institutes of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China ; State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Zongyuan Ma
- Beijing Institutes of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China ; State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Le Kang
- Beijing Institutes of Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China ; State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
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Weinersmith K, Faulkes Z. Parasitic manipulation of hosts' phenotype, or how to make a zombie--an introduction to the symposium. Integr Comp Biol 2014; 54:93-100. [PMID: 24771088 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icu028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Nearly all animals in nature are infected by at least one parasite, and many of those parasites can significantly change the phenotype of their hosts, often in ways that increase the parasite's likelihood of transmission. Hosts' phenotypic changes are multidimensional, and manipulated traits include behavior, neurotransmission, coloration, morphology, and hormone levels. The field of parasitic manipulation of hosts' phenotype has now accrued many examples of systems where parasites manipulate the phenotypes of their hosts and focus has shifted to answering three main questions. First, through what mechanisms do parasites manipulate the hosts' phenotype? Parasites often induce changes in the hosts' phenotypes that neuroscientists are unable to recreate under laboratory conditions, suggesting that parasites may have much to teach us about links between the brain, immune system, and the expression of phenotype. Second, what are the ecological implications of phenotypic manipulation? Manipulated hosts are often abundant, and changes in their phenotype may have important population, community, and ecosystem-level implications. Finally, how did parasitic manipulation of hosts' phenotype evolve? The selective pressures faced by parasites are extremely complex, often with multiple hosts that are actively resisting infection, both in physiological and evolutionary time-scales. Here, we provide an overview of how the work presented in this special issue contributes to tackling these three main questions. Studies on parasites' manipulation of their hosts' phenotype are undertaken largely by parasitologists, and a major goal of this symposium is to recruit researchers from other fields to the study of these phenomena. Our ability to answer the three questions outlined above would be greatly enhanced by participation from individuals trained in the fields of, for example, neurobiology, physiology, immunology, ecology, evolutionary biology, and invertebrate biology. Conversely, because parasites that alter their hosts' phenotype are widespread, these fields will benefit from such study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Weinersmith
- *Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California Davis, 1005 Wickson Hall, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Biology, The University of Texas-Pan American, 1201 W. University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
| | - Zen Faulkes
- *Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California Davis, 1005 Wickson Hall, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Biology, The University of Texas-Pan American, 1201 W. University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
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Serotonin receptors expressed in Drosophila mushroom bodies differentially modulate larval locomotion. PLoS One 2014; 9:e89641. [PMID: 24586928 PMCID: PMC3934909 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 01/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster has been successfully used as a simple model to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying behaviors, including the generation of motor programs. Thus, it has been shown that, as in vertebrates, CNS biogenic amines (BA) including serotonin (5HT) participate in motor control in Drosophila. Several evidence show that BA systems innervate an important association area in the insect brain previously associated to the planning and/or execution of motor programs, the Mushroom Bodies (MB). The main objective of this work is to evaluate the contribution of 5HT and its receptors expressed in MB to motor behavior in fly larva. Locomotion was evaluated using an automated tracking system, in Drosophila larvae (3rd-instar) exposed to drugs that affect the serotonergic neuronal transmission: alpha-methyl-L-dopa, MDMA and fluoxetine. In addition, animals expressing mutations in the 5HT biosynthetic enzymes or in any of the previously identified receptors for this amine (5HT1AR, 5HT1BR, 5HT2R and 5HT7R) were evaluated in their locomotion. Finally, RNAi directed to the Drosophila 5HT receptor transcripts were expressed in MB and the effect of this manipulation on motor behavior was assessed. Data obtained in the mutants and in animals exposed to the serotonergic drugs, suggest that 5HT systems are important regulators of motor programs in fly larvae. Studies carried out in animals pan-neuronally expressing the RNAi for each of the serotonergic receptors, support this idea and further suggest that CNS 5HT pathways play a role in motor control. Moreover, animals expressing an RNAi for 5HT1BR, 5HT2R and 5HT7R in MB show increased motor behavior, while no effect is observed when the RNAi for 5HT1AR is expressed in this region. Thus, our data suggest that CNS 5HT systems are involved in motor control, and that 5HT receptors expressed in MB differentially modulate motor programs in fly larvae.
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Guo X, Ma Z, Kang L. Serotonin enhances solitariness in phase transition of the migratory locust. Front Behav Neurosci 2013; 7:129. [PMID: 24109441 PMCID: PMC3791384 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2013] [Accepted: 09/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The behavioral plasticity of locusts is a striking trait presented during the reversible phase transition between solitary and gregarious individuals. However, the results of serotonin as a neurotransmitter from the migratory locust Locusta migratoria in phase transition showed an alternative profile compared to the results from the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. In this study, we investigated the roles of serotonin in the brain during the phase change of the migratory locust. During the isolation of gregarious nymphs, the concentration of serotonin in the brain increased significantly, whereas serotonin receptors (i.e., 5-HT1, 5-HT2, and 5-HT7) we identified here showed invariable expression patterns. Pharmacological intervention showed that serotonin injection in the brain of gregarious nymphs did not induced the behavioral change toward solitariness, but injection of this chemical in isolated gregarious nymphs accelerated the behavioral change from gregarious to solitary phase. During the crowding of solitary nymphs, the concentration of serotonin in the brain remained unchanged, whereas 5-HT2 increased after 1 h of crowding and maintained stable expression level thereafter. Activation of serotonin-5-HT2 signaling with a pharmaceutical agonist inhibited the gregariousness of solitary nymphs in crowding treatment. These results indicate that the fluctuations of serotonin content and 5-HT2 expression are results of locust phase change. Overall, this study demonstrates that serotonin enhances the solitariness of the gregarious locusts. Serotonin may regulate the withdrawal-like behavioral pattern displayed during locust phase change and this mechanism is conserved in different locust species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojiao Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
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