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Eckstein N, Bates AS, Champion A, Du M, Yin Y, Schlegel P, Lu AKY, Rymer T, Finley-May S, Paterson T, Parekh R, Dorkenwald S, Matsliah A, Yu SC, McKellar C, Sterling A, Eichler K, Costa M, Seung S, Murthy M, Hartenstein V, Jefferis GSXE, Funke J. Neurotransmitter classification from electron microscopy images at synaptic sites in Drosophila melanogaster. Cell 2024; 187:2574-2594.e23. [PMID: 38729112 PMCID: PMC11106717 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
High-resolution electron microscopy of nervous systems has enabled the reconstruction of synaptic connectomes. However, we do not know the synaptic sign for each connection (i.e., whether a connection is excitatory or inhibitory), which is implied by the released transmitter. We demonstrate that artificial neural networks can predict transmitter types for presynapses from electron micrographs: a network trained to predict six transmitters (acetylcholine, glutamate, GABA, serotonin, dopamine, octopamine) achieves an accuracy of 87% for individual synapses, 94% for neurons, and 91% for known cell types across a D. melanogaster whole brain. We visualize the ultrastructural features used for prediction, discovering subtle but significant differences between transmitter phenotypes. We also analyze transmitter distributions across the brain and find that neurons that develop together largely express only one fast-acting transmitter (acetylcholine, glutamate, or GABA). We hope that our publicly available predictions act as an accelerant for neuroscientific hypothesis generation for the fly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Eckstein
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, USA; Institute of Neuroinformatics UZH/ETHZ, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Shakeel Bates
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK; Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, The University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK; Department of Neurobiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew Champion
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michelle Du
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Yijie Yin
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Philipp Schlegel
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK; Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Sven Dorkenwald
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Arie Matsliah
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Szi-Chieh Yu
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Claire McKellar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Amy Sterling
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Katharina Eichler
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marta Costa
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sebastian Seung
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Volker Hartenstein
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Gregory S X E Jefferis
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK; Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Jan Funke
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, USA.
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2
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Qu S, Zhou X, Wang Z, Wei Y, Zhou H, Zhang X, Zhu Q, Wang Y, Yang Q, Jiang L, Ma Y, Gao Y, Kong L, Zhang L. The effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine on Drosophila brain at single-cell resolution and potential drug repurposing for ADHD treatment. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:165-185. [PMID: 37957291 PMCID: PMC11078728 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02314-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The stimulant methylphenidate (MPH) and the non-stimulant atomoxetine (ATX) are frequently used for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); however, the function of these drugs in different types of brain cells and their effects on related genes remain largely unknown. To address these questions, we built a pipeline for the simultaneous examination of the activity behavior and transcriptional responses of Drosophila melanogaster at single-cell resolution following drug treatment. We selected the Drosophila with significantly increased locomotor activities (hyperactivity-like behavior) following the administration of each drug in comparison with the control (same food as the drug-treated groups with 5% sucrose, yeast, and blue food dye solution) using EasyFlyTracker. Subsequently, single cell RNA sequencing (scRNASEQ) was used to capture the transcriptome of 82,917 cells, unsupervised clustering analysis of which yielded 28 primary cell clusters representing the major cell types in adult Drosophila brain. Indeed, both neuronal and glial cells responded to MPH and ATX. Further analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed distinct transcriptional changes associated with these two drugs, such as two well-studied dopamine receptor genes (Dop2R and DopEcR) were responsive to MPH but not to ATX at their optimal doses, in addition to genes involved in dopamine metabolism pathways such as Syt1, Sytalpha, Syt7, and Ih in different cell types. More importantly, MPH also suppressed the expression of genes encoding other neurotransmitter receptors and synaptic signaling molecules in many cell types, especially those for Glu and GABA, while the responsive effects of ATX were much weaker. In addition to monoaminergic neuronal transmitters, other neurotransmitters have also shown a similar pattern with respect to a stronger effect associated with MPH than with ATX. Moreover, we identified four distinct glial cell subtypes responsive to the two drugs and detected a greater number of differentially expressed genes associated with ensheathing and astrocyte-like glia. Furthermore, our study provides a rich resource of candidate target genes, supported by drug set enrichment analysis (P = 2.10E-4; hypergeometric test), for the further exploration of drug repurposing. The whole list of candidates can be found at ADHDrug ( http://adhdrug.cibr.ac.cn/ ). In conclusion, we propose a fast and cost-efficient pipeline to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of ADHD drug treatment in Drosophila brain at single-cell resolution, which may further facilitate drug repurposing applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susu Qu
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiangyu Zhou
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Zhicheng Wang
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Wei
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Han Zhou
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | | | - Qingjie Zhu
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Yanmin Wang
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Quanjun Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Likun Jiang
- Department of Computer Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yuan Ma
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Kong
- Center for Bioinformatics, State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
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3
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Li H, Wang L, Wen J. Observations on neurophysiological pattern and behavioural traits as death-feigning mechanism in Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245864. [PMID: 37736810 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245864] [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: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
In adaptation to surrounding environmental stimuli, most insects exhibit defense behaviour (death feigning) to improve survival rates in the wild. However, the underlying mechanism of death feigning remains largely unknown. Here, we tested the neurophysiological pattern and behavioural traits of the death-feigning mechanism in the forestry pest Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus. Using neuroanatomy, LC-MS/MS target metabolomics detection technology and qRT-PCR, we investigated the effects of neurochemicals and metabolic pathways in experimental weevils. Excision and drug tests were conducted to verify the key regulatory body parts involved in regulating the central nervous system in death feigning. Our results reconstructed the death-feigning mechanism of E. scrobiculatus: when the effective stimuli point of arousal weevils received mechanical stimulation, the thoracoabdominal ganglion transmitted signals into the brain through the ventral nerve cord, and then the brain regulated dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) metabolic pathways, reducing the expression of dopamine (dar2) and octopamine (oar1, oab2) receptor genes, finally inducing death feigning. Our study suggests that the variation of neurotransmitters in the brain is an important indicator of the physiological response of death feigning, and the results provide ecological and theoretical information for future investigations to reveal key behaviour and target genes for pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huijuan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources, Beijing Forestry University College of Forestry, Beijing 100083, China
- 2035 Future Laboratory, PIESAT Information Technology Co Ltd, Beijing 100089, China
| | - Lu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources, Beijing Forestry University College of Forestry, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Junbao Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources, Beijing Forestry University College of Forestry, Beijing 100083, China
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4
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Buck SA, Rubin SA, Kunkhyen T, Treiber CD, Xue X, Fenno LE, Mabry SJ, Sundar VR, Yang Z, Shah D, Ketchesin KD, Becker-Krail DD, Vasylieva I, Smith MC, Weisel FJ, Wang W, Erickson-Oberg MQ, O’Leary EI, Aravind E, Ramakrishnan C, Kim YS, Wu Y, Quick M, Coleman JA, MacDonald WA, Elbakri R, De Miranda BR, Palladino MJ, McCabe BD, Fish KN, Seney ML, Rayport S, Mingote S, Deisseroth K, Hnasko TS, Awatramani R, Watson AM, Waddell S, Cheetham CEJ, Logan RW, Freyberg Z. Sexually dimorphic mechanisms of VGLUT-mediated protection from dopaminergic neurodegeneration. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.02.560584. [PMID: 37873436 PMCID: PMC10592912 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.02.560584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) targets some dopamine (DA) neurons more than others. Sex differences offer insights, with females more protected from DA neurodegeneration. The mammalian vesicular glutamate transporter VGLUT2 and Drosophila ortholog dVGLUT have been implicated as modulators of DA neuron resilience. However, the mechanisms by which VGLUT2/dVGLUT protects DA neurons remain unknown. We discovered DA neuron dVGLUT knockdown increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in a sexually dimorphic manner in response to depolarization or paraquat-induced stress, males being especially affected. DA neuron dVGLUT also reduced ATP biosynthetic burden during depolarization. RNA sequencing of VGLUT+ DA neurons in mice and flies identified candidate genes that we functionally screened to further dissect VGLUT-mediated DA neuron resilience across PD models. We discovered transcription factors modulating dVGLUT-dependent DA neuroprotection and identified dj-1β as a regulator of sex-specific DA neuron dVGLUT expression. Overall, VGLUT protects DA neurons from PD-associated degeneration by maintaining mitochondrial health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silas A. Buck
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Sophie A. Rubin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Tenzin Kunkhyen
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Christoph D. Treiber
- Centre for Neural Circuits & Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Xiangning Xue
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Lief E. Fenno
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Samuel J. Mabry
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Varun R. Sundar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Zilu Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Divia Shah
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Kyle D. Ketchesin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Darius D. Becker-Krail
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Iaroslavna Vasylieva
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Megan C. Smith
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Florian J. Weisel
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Wenjia Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - M. Quincy Erickson-Oberg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Emma I. O’Leary
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Eshan Aravind
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Charu Ramakrishnan
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yoon Seok Kim
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yanying Wu
- Centre for Neural Circuits & Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Matthias Quick
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Jonathan A. Coleman
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | | | - Rania Elbakri
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Briana R. De Miranda
- Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Michael J. Palladino
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Pittsburgh Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Brian D. McCabe
- Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kenneth N. Fish
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Marianne L. Seney
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Stephen Rayport
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Susana Mingote
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Neuroscience Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, Graduate Center of The City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Thomas S. Hnasko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
| | | | - Alan M. Watson
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Scott Waddell
- Centre for Neural Circuits & Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | | | - Ryan W. Logan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Zachary Freyberg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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5
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Metaxakis A, Pavlidis M, Tavernarakis N. Neuronal atg1 Coordinates Autophagy Induction and Physiological Adaptations to Balance mTORC1 Signalling. Cells 2023; 12:2024. [PMID: 37626835 PMCID: PMC10453232 DOI: 10.3390/cells12162024] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The mTORC1 nutrient-sensing pathway integrates metabolic and endocrine signals into the brain to evoke physiological responses to food deprivation, such as autophagy. Nevertheless, the impact of neuronal mTORC1 activity on neuronal circuits and organismal metabolism remains obscure. Here, we show that mTORC1 inhibition acutely perturbs serotonergic neurotransmission via proteostatic alterations evoked by the autophagy inducer atg1. Neuronal ATG1 alters the intracellular localization of the serotonin transporter, which increases the extracellular serotonin and stimulates the 5HTR7 postsynaptic receptor. 5HTR7 enhances food-searching behaviour and ecdysone-induced catabolism in Drosophila. Along similar lines, the pharmacological inhibition of mTORC1 in zebrafish also stimulates food-searching behaviour via serotonergic activity. These effects occur in parallel with neuronal autophagy induction, irrespective of the autophagic activity and the protein synthesis reduction. In addition, ectopic neuronal atg1 expression enhances catabolism via insulin pathway downregulation, impedes peptidergic secretion, and activates non-cell autonomous cAMP/PKA. The above exert diverse systemic effects on organismal metabolism, development, melanisation, and longevity. We conclude that neuronal atg1 aligns neuronal autophagy induction with distinct physiological modulations, to orchestrate a coordinated physiological response against reduced mTORC1 activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanasios Metaxakis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Nikolaou Plastira 100, 70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Michail Pavlidis
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, 71409 Heraklion, Crete, Greece;
| | - Nektarios Tavernarakis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Nikolaou Plastira 100, 70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 71110 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
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6
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Homberg U, Kirchner M, Kowalewski K, Pitz V, Kinoshita M, Kern M, Seyfarth J. Comparative morphology of serotonin-immunoreactive neurons innervating the central complex in the brain of dicondylian insects. J Comp Neurol 2023. [PMID: 37478205 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) acts as a widespread neuromodulator in the nervous system of vertebrates and invertebrates. In insects, it promotes feeding, enhances olfactory sensitivity, modulates aggressive behavior, and, in the central complex of Drosophila, serves a role in sleep homeostasis. In addition to a role in sleep-wake regulation, the central complex has a prominent role in spatial orientation, goal-directed locomotion, and navigation vector memory. To further understand the role of serotonergic signaling in this brain area, we analyzed the distribution and identity of serotonin-immunoreactive neurons across a wide range of insect species. While one bilateral pair of tangential neurons innervating the central body was present in all species studied, a second type was labeled in all neopterans but not in dragonflies and firebrats. Both cell types show conserved major fiber trajectories but taxon-specific differences in dendritic targets outside the central body and axonal terminals in the central body, noduli, and lateral accessory lobes. In addition, numerous tangential neurons of the protocerebral bridge were labeled in all studied polyneopteran species except for Phasmatodea, but not in Holometabola. Lepidoptera and Diptera showed additional labeling of two bilateral pairs of neurons of a third type. The presence of serotonin in systems of columnar neurons apparently evolved independently in dragonflies and desert locusts. The data suggest distinct evolutionary changes in the composition of serotonin-immunolabeled neurons of the central complex and provides a promising basis for a phylogenetic study in a wider range of arthropod species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uwe Homberg
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Michelle Kirchner
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Kevin Kowalewski
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Vanessa Pitz
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Michiyo Kinoshita
- Laboratory of Neuroethology, SOKENDAI, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Hayama, Japan
| | - Martina Kern
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jutta Seyfarth
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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7
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Hamid A, Gattuso H, Caglar AN, Pillai M, Steele T, Gonzalez A, Nagel K, Syed MH. The RNA-binding protein, Imp specifies olfactory navigation circuitry and behavior in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.26.542522. [PMID: 37398350 PMCID: PMC10312496 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.26.542522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Complex behaviors depend on the precise developmental specification of neuronal circuits, but the relationship between genetic prograssms for neural development, circuit structure, and behavioral output is often unclear. The central complex (CX) is a conserved sensory-motor integration center in insects that governs many higher order behaviors and largely derives from a small number of Type II neural stem cells. Here, we show that Imp, a conserved IGF-II mRNA-binding protein expressed in Type II neural stem cells, specifies components of CX olfactory navigation circuitry. We show: (1) that multiple components of olfactory navigation circuitry arise from Type II neural stem cells and manipulating Imp expression in Type II neural stem cells alters the number and morphology of many of these circuit elements, with the most potent effects on neurons targeting the ventral layers of the fan-shaped body. (2) Imp regulates the specification of Tachykinin expressing ventral fan-shaped body input neurons. (3) Imp in Type II neural stem cells alters the morphology of the CX neuropil structures. (4) Loss of Imp in Type II neural stem cells abolishes upwind orientation to attractive odor while leaving locomotion and odor-evoked regulation of movement intact. Taken together, our work establishes that a single temporally expressed gene can regulate the expression of a complex behavior through the developmental specification of multiple circuit components and provides a first step towards a developmental dissection of the CX and its roles in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aisha Hamid
- Department of Biology, 219 Yale Blvd NE, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Hannah Gattuso
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Medical Center, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Aysu Nora Caglar
- Current address: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 915 Camino De Salud NE, Albuquerque, NM 87132, USA
| | - Midhula Pillai
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Medical Center, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Theresa Steele
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Medical Center, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Alexa Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, 219 Yale Blvd NE, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Katherine Nagel
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Medical Center, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Mubarak Hussain Syed
- Department of Biology, 219 Yale Blvd NE, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
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8
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Gajardo I, Guerra S, Campusano JM. Navigating Like a Fly: Drosophila melanogaster as a Model to Explore the Contribution of Serotonergic Neurotransmission to Spatial Navigation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054407. [PMID: 36901836 PMCID: PMC10002024 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054407] [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: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Serotonin is a monoamine that acts in vertebrates and invertebrates as a modulator promoting changes in the structure and activity of brain areas relevant to animal behavior, ranging from sensory perception to learning and memory. Whether serotonin contributes in Drosophila to human-like cognitive abilities, including spatial navigation, is an issue little studied. Like in vertebrates, the serotonergic system in Drosophila is heterogeneous, meaning that distinct serotonergic neurons/circuits innervate specific fly brain regions to modulate precise behaviors. Here we review the literature that supports that serotonergic pathways modify different aspects underlying the formation of navigational memories in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Gajardo
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Departamento de Neurociencia, Instituto Milenio de Neurociencia Biomédica (BNI), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile
| | - Simón Guerra
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Jorge M. Campusano
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +56-2-2354-2133
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9
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Ho MCW, Tabuchi M, Xie X, Brown MP, Luu S, Wang S, Kolodkin AL, Liu S, Wu MN. Sleep need-dependent changes in functional connectivity facilitate transmission of homeostatic sleep drive. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4957-4966.e5. [PMID: 36240772 PMCID: PMC9691613 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.09.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
How the homeostatic drive for sleep accumulates over time and is released remains poorly understood. In Drosophila, we previously identified the R5 ellipsoid body (EB) neurons as putative sleep drive neurons1 and recently described a mechanism by which astrocytes signal to these cells to convey sleep need.2 Here, we examine the mechanisms acting downstream of the R5 neurons to promote sleep. EM connectome data demonstrate that R5 neurons project to EPG neurons.3 Broad thermogenetic activation of EPG neurons promotes sleep, whereas inhibiting these cells reduces homeostatic sleep rebound. Perforated patch-clamp recordings reveal that EPG neurons exhibit elevated spontaneous firing following sleep deprivation, which likely depends on an increase in extrinsic excitatory inputs. Our data suggest that cholinergic R5 neurons participate in the homeostatic regulation of sleep, and epistasis experiments indicate that the R5 neurons act upstream of EPG neurons to promote sleep. Finally, we show that the physical and functional connectivity between the R5 and EPG neurons increases with greater sleep need. Importantly, dual patch-clamp recordings demonstrate that activating R5 neurons induces cholinergic-dependent excitatory postsynaptic responses in EPG neurons. Moreover, sleep loss triggers an increase in the amplitude of these responses, as well as in the proportion of EPG neurons that respond. Together, our data support a model whereby sleep drive strengthens the functional connectivity between R5 and EPG neurons, triggering sleep when a sufficient number of EPG neurons are activated. This process could enable the proper timing of the accumulation and release of sleep drive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret C W Ho
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Masashi Tabuchi
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Xiaojun Xie
- The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Matthew P Brown
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Skylar Luu
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Serena Wang
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alex L Kolodkin
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Sha Liu
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research and Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Mark N Wu
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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10
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Li H, Huang X, Yang Y, Chen X, Yang Y, Wang J, Jiang H. The short neuropeptide F receptor regulates olfaction-mediated foraging behavior in the oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 140:103697. [PMID: 34843938 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2021.103697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The short neuropeptide F (sNPF) signaling system, consisting of sNPF and its receptor (sNPFR), influences many physiological processes in insects, including feeding, growth and olfactory memory. We previously showed that sNPF regulates olfactory sensitivity in the oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) during starvation. However, the functional analysis of sNPFR is constrained by the failure of RNA interference in this species. Here, we generated a null sNPFR mutant using the CRISPR/Cas9 system to investigate the physiological roles of this receptor in more detail. G0 adults were produced at a frequency of 60.8%, and sNPFR-/- mutants were obtained after several generations of backcrossing followed by self-crossing among heterozygous flies. We found that the mutants were significantly less successful at foraging for certain foods and showed increased foraging latency. Electroantennogram (EAG) assays indicated that the mutants had significantly lower electrophysiological responses to three tested odorants. Furthermore, qPCR data revealed the inhibition of several olfactory receptor genes, including Orco. Immunohistochemistry showed that BdsNPFR was localized in cells under the sensillum on the antennae. Based on their shape and size, the BdsNPFR+ cells differ from odorant receptor neurons (ORNs), which were labeled using a Drosophila melanogaster Orco antibody. Our data suggest that sNPFR regulates olfaction-mediated foraging behavior by mediating interactions between BdsNPFR+ cells and selected ORNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongfei Li
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China.
| | - Xingying Huang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China.
| | - Yahui Yang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China.
| | - Xiaofeng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China.
| | - Yang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China.
| | - Jinjun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China.
| | - Hongbo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China; Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China.
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11
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Karam CS, Williams BL, Jones SK, Javitch JA. The Role of the Dopamine Transporter in the Effects of Amphetamine on Sleep and Sleep Architecture in Drosophila. Neurochem Res 2022; 47:177-189. [PMID: 33630236 PMCID: PMC8384956 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-021-03275-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The dopamine transporter (DAT) mediates the inactivation of released dopamine (DA) through its reuptake, and thereby plays an important homeostatic role in dopaminergic neurotransmission. Amphetamines exert their stimulant effects by targeting DAT and inducing the reverse transport of DA, leading to a dramatic increase of extracellular DA. Animal models have proven critical to investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying transporter function and its modulation by psychostimulants such as amphetamine. Here we establish a behavioral model for amphetamine action using adult Drosophila melanogaster. We use it to characterize the effects of amphetamine on sleep and sleep architecture. Our data show that amphetamine induces hyperactivity and disrupts sleep in a DA-dependent manner. Flies that do not express a functional DAT (dDAT null mutants) have been shown to be hyperactive and to exhibit significantly reduced sleep at baseline. Our data show that, in contrast to its action in control flies, amphetamine decreases the locomotor activity of dDAT null mutants and restores their sleep by modulating distinct aspects of sleep structure. To begin to explore the circuitry involved in the actions of amphetamine on sleep, we also describe the localization of dDAT throughout the fly brain, particularly in neuropils known to regulate sleep. Together, our data establish Drosophila as a robust model for studying the regulatory mechanisms that govern DAT function and psychostimulant action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caline S Karam
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brenna L Williams
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sandra K Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan A Javitch
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, 1051 Riverside Dr, Unit 19, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
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12
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Musso PY, Junca P, Gordon MD. A neural circuit linking two sugar sensors regulates satiety-dependent fructose drive in Drosophila. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabj0186. [PMID: 34851668 PMCID: PMC8635442 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj0186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
In flies, neuronal sensors detect prandial changes in circulating fructose levels and either sustain or terminate feeding, depending on internal state. Here, we describe a three-part neural circuit that imparts satiety-dependent modulation of fructose sensing. We show that dorsal fan-shaped body neurons display oscillatory calcium activity when hemolymph glucose is high and that these oscillations require glutamatergic input from SLP-AB or “Janus” neurons projecting from the protocerebrum to the asymmetric body. Suppression of activity in this circuit, either by starvation or by genetic silencing, promotes specific drive for fructose ingestion. This is achieved through neuropeptidergic signaling by tachykinin, which is released from the fan-shaped body when glycemia is high. Tachykinin, in turn, signals to Gr43a-positive fructose sensors to modulate their response to fructose. Together, our results demonstrate how a three-layer neural circuit links the detection of two sugars to produce precise satiety-dependent control of feeding behavior.
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13
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Hulse BK, Haberkern H, Franconville R, Turner-Evans DB, Takemura SY, Wolff T, Noorman M, Dreher M, Dan C, Parekh R, Hermundstad AM, Rubin GM, Jayaraman V. A connectome of the Drosophila central complex reveals network motifs suitable for flexible navigation and context-dependent action selection. eLife 2021; 10:66039. [PMID: 34696823 PMCID: PMC9477501 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Flexible behaviors over long timescales are thought to engage recurrent neural networks in deep brain regions, which are experimentally challenging to study. In insects, recurrent circuit dynamics in a brain region called the central complex (CX) enable directed locomotion, sleep, and context- and experience-dependent spatial navigation. We describe the first complete electron-microscopy-based connectome of the Drosophila CX, including all its neurons and circuits at synaptic resolution. We identified new CX neuron types, novel sensory and motor pathways, and network motifs that likely enable the CX to extract the fly's head-direction, maintain it with attractor dynamics, and combine it with other sensorimotor information to perform vector-based navigational computations. We also identified numerous pathways that may facilitate the selection of CX-driven behavioral patterns by context and internal state. The CX connectome provides a comprehensive blueprint necessary for a detailed understanding of network dynamics underlying sleep, flexible navigation, and state-dependent action selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brad K Hulse
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Hannah Haberkern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Romain Franconville
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | | | | | - Tanya Wolff
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Marcella Noorman
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Marisa Dreher
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Chuntao Dan
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Ruchi Parekh
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | | | - Gerald M Rubin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Vivek Jayaraman
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
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14
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Scaplen KM, Talay M, Fisher JD, Cohn R, Sorkaç A, Aso Y, Barnea G, Kaun KR. Transsynaptic mapping of Drosophila mushroom body output neurons. eLife 2021; 10:e63379. [PMID: 33570489 PMCID: PMC7877909 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The mushroom body (MB) is a well-characterized associative memory structure within the Drosophila brain. Analyzing MB connectivity using multiple approaches is critical for understanding the functional implications of this structure. Using the genetic anterograde transsynaptic tracing tool, trans-Tango, we identified divergent projections across the brain and convergent downstream targets of the MB output neurons (MBONs). Our analysis revealed at least three separate targets that receive convergent input from MBONs: other MBONs, the fan-shaped body (FSB), and the lateral accessory lobe (LAL). We describe, both anatomically and functionally, a multilayer circuit in which inhibitory and excitatory MBONs converge on the same genetic subset of FSB and LAL neurons. This circuit architecture enables the brain to update and integrate information with previous experience before executing appropriate behavioral responses. Our use of trans-Tango provides a genetically accessible anatomical framework for investigating the functional relevance of components within these complex and interconnected circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M Scaplen
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown UniversityProvidenceUnited States
- Department of Psychology, Bryant UniversitySmithfieldUnited States
- Center for Health and Behavioral Sciences, Bryant UniversitySmithfieldUnited States
| | - Mustafa Talay
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown UniversityProvidenceUnited States
| | - John D Fisher
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown UniversityProvidenceUnited States
| | - Raphael Cohn
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Altar Sorkaç
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown UniversityProvidenceUnited States
| | - Yoshi Aso
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Gilad Barnea
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown UniversityProvidenceUnited States
| | - Karla R Kaun
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown UniversityProvidenceUnited States
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15
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Turner-Evans DB, Jensen KT, Ali S, Paterson T, Sheridan A, Ray RP, Wolff T, Lauritzen JS, Rubin GM, Bock DD, Jayaraman V. The Neuroanatomical Ultrastructure and Function of a Biological Ring Attractor. Neuron 2020; 108:145-163.e10. [PMID: 32916090 PMCID: PMC8356802 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Neural representations of head direction (HD) have been discovered in many species. Theoretical work has proposed that the dynamics associated with these representations are generated, maintained, and updated by recurrent network structures called ring attractors. We evaluated this theorized structure-function relationship by performing electron-microscopy-based circuit reconstruction and RNA profiling of identified cell types in the HD system of Drosophila melanogaster. We identified motifs that have been hypothesized to maintain the HD representation in darkness, update it when the animal turns, and tether it to visual cues. Functional studies provided support for the proposed roles of individual excitatory or inhibitory circuit elements in shaping activity. We also discovered recurrent connections between neuronal arbors with mixed pre- and postsynaptic specializations. Our results confirm that the Drosophila HD network contains the core components of a ring attractor while also revealing unpredicted structural features that might enhance the network's computational power.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristopher T Jensen
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Computational and Biological Learning Lab, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Saba Ali
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Tyler Paterson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Arlo Sheridan
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Robert P Ray
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Tanya Wolff
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - J Scott Lauritzen
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Gerald M Rubin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Davi D Bock
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Department of Neurological Sciences, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Vivek Jayaraman
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
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16
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Silva B, Hidalgo S, Campusano JM. Dop1R1, a type 1 dopaminergic receptor expressed in Mushroom Bodies, modulates Drosophila larval locomotion. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229671. [PMID: 32101569 PMCID: PMC7043742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
As in vertebrates, dopaminergic neural systems are key regulators of motor programs in insects, including the fly Drosophila melanogaster. Dopaminergic systems innervate the Mushroom Bodies (MB), an important association area in the insect brain primarily associated to olfactory learning and memory, but that has been also implicated with the execution of motor programs. The main objectives of this work is to assess the idea that dopaminergic systems contribute to the execution of motor programs in Drosophila larvae, and then, to evaluate the contribution of specific dopaminergic receptors expressed in MB to these programs. Our results show that animals bearing a mutation in the dopamine transporter show reduced locomotion, while mutants for the dopaminergic biosynthetic enzymes or the dopamine receptor Dop1R1 exhibit increased locomotion. Pan-neuronal expression of an RNAi for the Dop1R1 confirmed these results. Further studies show that animals expressing the RNAi for Dop1R1 in the entire MB neuronal population or only in the MB γ-lobe forming neurons, exhibit an increased motor output, as well. Interestingly, our results also suggest that other dopaminergic receptors do not contribute to larval motor behavior. Thus, our data support the proposition that CNS dopamine systems innervating MB neurons modulate larval locomotion and that Dop1R1 mediates this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryon Silva
- Laboratorio Neurogenética de la Conducta, Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Genes and Dynamics of Memory Systems, Brain Plasticity Unit, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Sergio Hidalgo
- Laboratorio Neurogenética de la Conducta, Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Life Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Jorge M. Campusano
- Laboratorio Neurogenética de la Conducta, Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- * E-mail:
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17
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Emanuel S, Kaiser M, Pflueger HJ, Libersat F. On the Role of the Head Ganglia in Posture and Walking in Insects. Front Physiol 2020; 11:135. [PMID: 32153430 PMCID: PMC7047666 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
In insects, locomotion is the result of rhythm generating thoracic circuits and their modulation by sensory reflexes and by inputs from the two head ganglia, the cerebral and the gnathal ganglia (GNG), which act as higher order neuronal centers playing different functions in the initiation, goal-direction, and maintenance of movement. Current knowledge on the various roles of major neuropiles of the cerebral ganglia (CRG), such as mushroom bodies (MB) and the central complex (CX), in particular, are discussed as well as the role of the GNG. Thoracic and head ganglia circuitries are connected by ascending and descending neurons. While less is known about the ascending neurons, recent studies in large insects and Drosophila have begun to unravel the identity of descending neurons and their appropriate roles in posture and locomotion. Descending inputs from the head ganglia are most important in initiating and modulating thoracic central pattern generating circuitries to achieve goal directed locomotion. In addition, the review will also deal with some known monoaminergic descending neurons which affect the motor circuits involved in posture and locomotion. In conclusion, we will present a few issues that have, until today, been little explored. For example, how and which descending neurons are selected to engage a specific motor behavior and how feedback from thoracic circuitry modulate the head ganglia circuitries. The review will discuss results from large insects, mainly locusts, crickets, and stick insects but will mostly focus on cockroaches and the fruit fly, Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stav Emanuel
- Department of Life Sciences and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Maayan Kaiser
- Department of Life Sciences and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Hans-Joachim Pflueger
- Fachbereich Biologie Chemie Pharmazie, Institut für Biologie, Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frederic Libersat
- Department of Life Sciences and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
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18
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A Feedforward Circuit Regulates Action Selection of Pre-mating Courtship Behavior in Female Drosophila. Curr Biol 2020; 30:396-407.e4. [PMID: 31902724 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In the early phase of courtship, female fruit flies exhibit an acute rejection response to avoid unfavorable mating. This pre-mating rejection response is evolutionarily paralleled across species, but the molecular and neuronal basis of that behavior is unclear. Here, we show that a putative incoherent feedforward circuit comprising ellipsoid body neurons, cholinergic R4d, and its repressor GABAergic R2/R4m neurons regulates the pre-mating rejection response in the virgin female Drosophila melanogaster. Both R4d and R2/R4m are positively regulated, via specific dopamine receptors, by a subset of neurons in the dopaminergic PPM3 cluster. Genetic deprivation of GABAergic signal via GABAA receptor RNA interference in this circuit induces a massive rejection response, whereas activation of GABAergic R2/R4m or suppression of cholinergic R4d increases receptivity. Moreover, glutamatergic signaling via N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors induces NO-mediated retrograde regulation potentially from R4d to R2/R4m, likely providing flexible control of the behavioral switching from rejection to acceptance. Our study elucidates the molecular and neural mechanisms regulating the behavioral selection process of the pre-mating female.
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19
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Nässel DR, Zandawala M. Recent advances in neuropeptide signaling in Drosophila, from genes to physiology and behavior. Prog Neurobiol 2019; 179:101607. [PMID: 30905728 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This review focuses on neuropeptides and peptide hormones, the largest and most diverse class of neuroactive substances, known in Drosophila and other animals to play roles in almost all aspects of daily life, as w;1;ell as in developmental processes. We provide an update on novel neuropeptides and receptors identified in the last decade, and highlight progress in analysis of neuropeptide signaling in Drosophila. Especially exciting is the huge amount of work published on novel functions of neuropeptides and peptide hormones in Drosophila, largely due to the rapid developments of powerful genetic methods, imaging techniques and innovative assays. We critically discuss the roles of peptides in olfaction, taste, foraging, feeding, clock function/sleep, aggression, mating/reproduction, learning and other behaviors, as well as in regulation of development, growth, metabolic and water homeostasis, stress responses, fecundity, and lifespan. We furthermore provide novel information on neuropeptide distribution and organization of peptidergic systems, as well as the phylogenetic relations between Drosophila neuropeptides and those of other phyla, including mammals. As will be shown, neuropeptide signaling is phylogenetically ancient, and not only are the structures of the peptides, precursors and receptors conserved over evolution, but also many functions of neuropeptide signaling in physiology and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dick R Nässel
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Meet Zandawala
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
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20
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Schatton A, Agoro J, Mardink J, Leboulle G, Scharff C. Identification of the neurotransmitter profile of AmFoxP expressing neurons in the honeybee brain using double-label in situ hybridization. BMC Neurosci 2018; 19:69. [PMID: 30400853 PMCID: PMC6219247 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-018-0469-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND FoxP transcription factors play crucial roles for the development and function of vertebrate brains. In humans the neurally expressed FOXPs, FOXP1, FOXP2, and FOXP4 are implicated in cognition, including language. Neural FoxP expression is specific to particular brain regions but FoxP1, FoxP2 and FoxP4 are not limited to a particular neuron or neurotransmitter type. Motor- or sensory activity can regulate FoxP2 expression, e.g. in the striatal nucleus Area X of songbirds and in the auditory thalamus of mice. The DNA-binding domain of FoxP proteins is highly conserved within metazoa, raising the possibility that cellular functions were preserved across deep evolutionary time. We have previously shown in bee brains that FoxP is expressed in eleven specific neuron populations, seven tightly packed clusters and four loosely arranged groups. RESULTS The present study examined the co-expression of honeybee FoxP (AmFoxP) with markers for glutamatergic, GABAergic, cholinergic and monoaminergic transmission. We found that AmFoxP could co-occur with any one of those markers. Interestingly, AmFoxP clusters and AmFoxP groups differed with respect to homogeneity of marker co-expression; within a cluster, all neurons co-expressed the same neurotransmitter marker, within a group co-expression varied. We also assessed qualitatively whether age or housing conditions providing different sensory and motor experiences affected the AmFoxP neuron populations, but found no differences. CONCLUSIONS Based on the neurotransmitter homogeneity we conclude that AmFoxP neurons within the clusters might have a common projection and function whereas the AmFoxP groups are more diverse and could be further sub-divided. The obtained information about the neurotransmitters co-expressed in the AmFoxP neuron populations facilitated the search of similar neurons described in the literature. These comparisons revealed e.g. a possible function of AmFoxP neurons in the central complex. Our findings provide opportunities to focus future functional studies on invertebrate FoxP expressing neurons. In a broader context, our data will contribute to the ongoing efforts to discern in which cases relationships between molecular and phenotypic signatures are linked evolutionary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Schatton
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Agoro
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Janis Mardink
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gérard Leboulle
- Department of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Constance Scharff
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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21
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Franconville R, Beron C, Jayaraman V. Building a functional connectome of the Drosophila central complex. eLife 2018; 7:e37017. [PMID: 30124430 PMCID: PMC6150698 DOI: 10.7554/elife.37017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The central complex is a highly conserved insect brain region composed of morphologically stereotyped neurons that arborize in distinctively shaped substructures. The region is implicated in a wide range of behaviors and several modeling studies have explored its circuit computations. Most studies have relied on assumptions about connectivity between neurons based on their overlap in light microscopy images. Here, we present an extensive functional connectome of Drosophila melanogaster's central complex at cell-type resolution. Using simultaneous optogenetic stimulation, calcium imaging and pharmacology, we tested the connectivity between 70 presynaptic-to-postsynaptic cell-type pairs. We identified numerous inputs to the central complex, but only a small number of output channels. Additionally, the connectivity of this highly recurrent circuit appears to be sparser than anticipated from light microscopy images. Finally, the connectivity matrix highlights the potentially critical role of a class of bottleneck interneurons. All data are provided for interactive exploration on a website.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Celia Beron
- Janelia Research CampusHoward Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Vivek Jayaraman
- Janelia Research CampusHoward Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
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22
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Croset V, Treiber CD, Waddell S. Cellular diversity in the Drosophila midbrain revealed by single-cell transcriptomics. eLife 2018; 7:34550. [PMID: 29671739 PMCID: PMC5927767 DOI: 10.7554/elife.34550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
To understand the brain, molecular details need to be overlaid onto neural wiring diagrams so that synaptic mode, neuromodulation and critical signaling operations can be considered. Single-cell transcriptomics provide a unique opportunity to collect this information. Here we present an initial analysis of thousands of individual cells from Drosophila midbrain, that were acquired using Drop-Seq. A number of approaches permitted the assignment of transcriptional profiles to several major brain regions and cell-types. Expression of biosynthetic enzymes and reuptake mechanisms allows all the neurons to be typed according to the neurotransmitter or neuromodulator that they produce and presumably release. Some neuropeptides are preferentially co-expressed in neurons using a particular fast-acting transmitter, or monoamine. Neuromodulatory and neurotransmitter receptor subunit expression illustrates the potential of these molecules in generating complexity in neural circuit function. This cell atlas dataset provides an important resource to link molecular operations to brain regions and complex neural processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Croset
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, The University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Christoph D Treiber
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, The University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Scott Waddell
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, The University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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23
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Donlea JM. Neuronal and molecular mechanisms of sleep homeostasis. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 24:51-57. [PMID: 29208223 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Sleep is necessary for survival, and prolonged waking causes a homeostatic increase in the need for recovery sleep. Homeostasis is a core component of sleep regulation and has been tightly conserved across evolution from invertebrates to man. Homeostatic sleep regulation was first identified among insects in cockroaches several decades ago, but the characterization of sleep rebound in Drosophila melanogaster opened the use of insect model species to understand homeostatic functions and regulation of sleep. This review describes circuits in two neuropil structures, the central complex and mushroom bodies, that influence sleep homeostasis and neuromodulatory systems that influence the accrual of homeostatic sleep need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Donlea
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1763, USA.
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24
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Huser A, Eschment M, Güllü N, Collins KAN, Böpple K, Pankevych L, Rolsing E, Thum AS. Anatomy and behavioral function of serotonin receptors in Drosophila melanogaster larvae. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181865. [PMID: 28777821 PMCID: PMC5544185 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The biogenic amine serotonin (5-HT) is an important neuroactive molecule in the central nervous system of the majority of animal phyla. 5-HT binds to specific G protein-coupled and ligand-gated ion receptors to regulate particular aspects of animal behavior. In Drosophila, as in many other insects this includes the regulation of locomotion and feeding. Due to its genetic amenability and neuronal simplicity the Drosophila larva has turned into a useful model for studying the anatomical and molecular basis of chemosensory behaviors. This is particularly true for the olfactory system, which is mostly described down to the synaptic level over the first three orders of neuronal information processing. Here we focus on the 5-HT receptor system of the Drosophila larva. In a bipartite approach consisting of anatomical and behavioral experiments we describe the distribution and the implications of individual 5-HT receptors on naïve and acquired chemosensory behaviors. Our data suggest that 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, and 5-HT7 are dispensable for larval naïve olfactory and gustatory choice behaviors as well as for appetitive and aversive associative olfactory learning and memory. In contrast, we show that 5-HT/5-HT2A signaling throughout development, but not as an acute neuronal function, affects associative olfactory learning and memory using high salt concentration as a negative unconditioned stimulus. These findings describe for the first time an involvement of 5-HT signaling in learning and memory in Drosophila larvae. In the longer run these results may uncover developmental, 5-HT dependent principles related to reinforcement processing possibly shared with adult Drosophila and other insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annina Huser
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Melanie Eschment
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Nazli Güllü
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Kathrin Böpple
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Lyubov Pankevych
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Emilia Rolsing
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Andreas S. Thum
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Zukunftskolleg, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Genetics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail:
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25
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Su TS, Lee WJ, Huang YC, Wang CT, Lo CC. Coupled symmetric and asymmetric circuits underlying spatial orientation in fruit flies. Nat Commun 2017; 8:139. [PMID: 28747622 PMCID: PMC5529380 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00191-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintaining spatial orientation when carrying out goal-directed movements requires an animal to perform angular path integration. Such functionality has been recently demonstrated in the ellipsoid body (EB) of fruit flies, though the precise circuitry and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We analyze recently published cellular-level connectomic data and identify the unique characteristics of the EB circuitry, which features coupled symmetric and asymmetric rings. By constructing a spiking neural circuit model based on the connectome, we reveal that the symmetric ring initiates a feedback circuit that sustains persistent neural activity to encode information regarding spatial orientation, while the asymmetric rings are capable of integrating the angular path when the body rotates in the dark. The present model reproduces several key features of EB activity and makes experimentally testable predictions, providing new insight into how spatial orientation is maintained and tracked at the cellular level. Ellipsoid body (EB) neurons in the fruit fly represent the animal heading through a bump-like activity dynamics. Here the authors report a connectome-driven spiking neural circuit model of the EB and the protocerebral bridge (PB) that can maintain and update an activity bump related to the spatial orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ta-Shun Su
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Ju Lee
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chi Huang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.,Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Te Wang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.,Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Chuan Lo
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan. .,Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan. .,Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
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26
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Xie X, Tabuchi M, Brown MP, Mitchell SP, Wu MN, Kolodkin AL. The laminar organization of the Drosophila ellipsoid body is semaphorin-dependent and prevents the formation of ectopic synaptic connections. eLife 2017. [PMID: 28632130 PMCID: PMC5511011 DOI: 10.7554/elife.25328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ellipsoid body (EB) in the Drosophila brain is a central complex (CX) substructure that harbors circumferentially laminated ring (R) neuron axons and mediates multifaceted sensory integration and motor coordination functions. However, what regulates R axon lamination and how lamination affects R neuron function remain unknown. We show here that the EB is sequentially innervated by small-field and large-field neurons and that early developing EB neurons play an important regulatory role in EB laminae formation. The transmembrane proteins semaphorin-1a (Sema-1a) and plexin A function together to regulate R axon lamination. R neurons recruit both GABA and GABA-A receptors to their axon terminals in the EB, and optogenetic stimulation coupled with electrophysiological recordings show that Sema-1a-dependent R axon lamination is required for preventing the spread of synaptic inhibition between adjacent EB lamina. These results provide direct evidence that EB lamination is critical for local pre-synaptic inhibitory circuit organization. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25328.001 The human brain contains around one hundred billion nerve cells, or neurons, which are interconnected and organized into distinct layers within different brain regions. Electrical impulses pass along a cable-like part of each neuron, known as the axon, to reach other neurons in different layers of various brain structures. The brain of a fruit fly contains fewer neurons – about 100 thousand in total – but it still establishes precise connections among neurons in different brain layers. In both flies and humans, axons grow along set paths to reach their targets by following guidance cues. Many of these cues are conserved between insects and mammals, including proteins belonging to the semaphorin family. These proteins work together to steer growing axons towards their proper targets and repel them away from the incorrect ones. However, how neurons establish connections in specific layers remains poorly understood. In the middle of the fruit fly brain lies a donut-shaped structure called the ellipsoid body, which the fly needs to navigate the world around it. The ellipsoid body contains a group of neurons that extend their axons to form multiple concentric rings. Xie et al. have now asked how the different “ring neurons” are organized in the ellipsoid body and how this sort of organization affects the connections between the neurons. Imaging techniques were used to visualize the layered organization of different ring neurons and to track their growing axons. Further work showed that this organization depends on semaphorin signaling, because when this pathway was disrupted, the layered pattern did not develop properly. This in turn, caused the axons of the ring neuron to wander out of their correct concentric ring and connect with the wrong targets in adjacent rings. Together these findings show that neurons rely on evolutionarily conserved semaphorins to correctly organize themselves into layers and connect with the appropriate targets. Further work is now needed to identify additional proteins that are critical for fly brains to form layered structures, and to understand how this layered organization influences how an animal behaves. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25328.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Xie
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Masashi Tabuchi
- Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Matthew P Brown
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Sarah P Mitchell
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Mark N Wu
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States.,Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Alex L Kolodkin
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
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27
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Goldschmidt D, Manoonpong P, Dasgupta S. A Neurocomputational Model of Goal-Directed Navigation in Insect-Inspired Artificial Agents. Front Neurorobot 2017; 11:20. [PMID: 28446872 PMCID: PMC5388780 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2017.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite their small size, insect brains are able to produce robust and efficient navigation in complex environments. Specifically in social insects, such as ants and bees, these navigational capabilities are guided by orientation directing vectors generated by a process called path integration. During this process, they integrate compass and odometric cues to estimate their current location as a vector, called the home vector for guiding them back home on a straight path. They further acquire and retrieve path integration-based vector memories globally to the nest or based on visual landmarks. Although existing computational models reproduced similar behaviors, a neurocomputational model of vector navigation including the acquisition of vector representations has not been described before. Here we present a model of neural mechanisms in a modular closed-loop control—enabling vector navigation in artificial agents. The model consists of a path integration mechanism, reward-modulated global learning, random search, and action selection. The path integration mechanism integrates compass and odometric cues to compute a vectorial representation of the agent's current location as neural activity patterns in circular arrays. A reward-modulated learning rule enables the acquisition of vector memories by associating the local food reward with the path integration state. A motor output is computed based on the combination of vector memories and random exploration. In simulation, we show that the neural mechanisms enable robust homing and localization, even in the presence of external sensory noise. The proposed learning rules lead to goal-directed navigation and route formation performed under realistic conditions. Consequently, we provide a novel approach for vector learning and navigation in a simulated, situated agent linking behavioral observations to their possible underlying neural substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Goldschmidt
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Third Institute of Physics - Biophysics, Georg-August UniversityGöttingen, Germany.,Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the UnknownLisbon, Portugal
| | - Poramate Manoonpong
- Embodied AI and Neurorobotics Lab, Centre of BioRobotics, The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute, University of Southern DenmarkOdense, Denmark
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28
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Kakaria KS, de Bivort BL. Ring Attractor Dynamics Emerge from a Spiking Model of the Entire Protocerebral Bridge. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:8. [PMID: 28261066 PMCID: PMC5306390 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal navigation is accomplished by a combination of landmark-following and dead reckoning based on estimates of self motion. Both of these approaches require the encoding of heading information, which can be represented as an allocentric or egocentric azimuthal angle. Recently, Ca2+ correlates of landmark position and heading direction, in egocentric coordinates, were observed in the ellipsoid body (EB), a ring-shaped processing unit in the fly central complex (CX; Seelig and Jayaraman, 2015). These correlates displayed key dynamics of so-called ring attractors, namely: (1) responsiveness to the position of external stimuli; (2) persistence in the absence of external stimuli; (3) locking onto a single external stimulus when presented with two competitors; (4) stochastically switching between competitors with low probability; and (5) sliding or jumping between positions when an external stimulus moves. We hypothesized that ring attractor-like activity in the EB arises from reciprocal neuronal connections to a related structure, the protocerebral bridge (PB). Using recent light-microscopy resolution catalogs of neuronal cell types in the PB (Lin et al., 2013; Wolff et al., 2015), we determined a connectivity matrix for the PB-EB circuit. When activity in this network was simulated using a leaky-integrate-and-fire model, we observed patterns of activity that closely resemble the reported Ca2+ phenomena. All qualitative ring attractor behaviors were recapitulated in our model, allowing us to predict failure modes of the putative PB-EB ring attractor and the circuit dynamics phenotypes of thermogenetic or optogenetic manipulations. Ring attractor dynamics emerged under a wide variety of parameter configurations, even including non-spiking leaky-integrator implementations. This suggests that the ring-attractor computation is a robust output of this circuit, apparently arising from its high-level network properties (topological configuration, local excitation and long-range inhibition) rather than fine-scale biological detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyobi S Kakaria
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin L de Bivort
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University Cambridge, MA, USA
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29
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Caers J, Peymen K, Van Hiel MB, Van Rompay L, Van Den Abbeele J, Schoofs L, Beets I. Molecular characterization of a short neuropeptide F signaling system in the tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans morsitans. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 235:142-149. [PMID: 27288635 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Revised: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Neuropeptides of the short neuropeptide F (sNPF) family are widespread among arthropods and found in every sequenced insect genome so far. Functional studies have mainly focused on the regulatory role of sNPF in feeding behavior, although this neuropeptide family has pleiotropic effects including in the control of locomotion, osmotic homeostasis, sleep, learning and memory. Here, we set out to characterize and determine possible roles of sNPF signaling in the haematophagous tsetse fly Glossina morsitans morsitans, a vector of African Trypanosoma parasites causing human and animal African trypanosomiasis. We cloned the G. m. morsitans cDNA sequences of an sNPF-like receptor (Glomo-sNPFR) and precursor protein encoding four Glomo-sNPF neuropeptides. All four Glomo-sNPF peptides concentration-dependently activated Glomo-sNPFR in a cell-based calcium mobilization assay, with EC50 values in the nanomolar range. Gene expression profiles in adult female tsetse flies indicate that the Glomo-sNPF system is mainly restricted to the nervous system. Glomo-snpfr transcripts were also detected in the hindgut of adult females. In contrast to the Drosophila sNPF system, tsetse larvae lack expression of Glomo-snpf and Glomo-snpfr genes. While Glomo-snpf transcript levels are upregulated in pupae, the onset of Glomo-snpfr expression is delayed to adulthood. Expression profiles in adult tissues are similar to those in other insects suggesting that the tsetse sNPF system may have similar functions such as a regulatory role in feeding behavior, together with a possible involvement of sNPFR signaling in osmotic homeostasis. Our molecular data will enable further investigations into the functions of sNPF signaling in tsetse flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelle Caers
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Katleen Peymen
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Matthias B Van Hiel
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Liesbeth Van Rompay
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Jan Van Den Abbeele
- Unit of Veterinary Protozoology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Laboratory of Zoophysiology, Department of Physiology, University of Ghent, Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Liliane Schoofs
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Isabel Beets
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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30
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The Drosophila insulin receptor independently modulates lifespan and locomotor senescence. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125312. [PMID: 26020640 PMCID: PMC4447345 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The Insulin/IGF-like signalling (IIS) pathway plays an evolutionarily conserved role in ageing. In model organisms reduced IIS extends lifespan and ameliorates some forms of functional senescence. However, little is known about IIS in nervous system ageing and behavioural senescence. To investigate this role in Drosophila melanogaster, we measured the effect of reduced IIS on senescence of two locomotor behaviours, negative geotaxis and exploratory walking. Two long-lived fly models with systemic IIS reductions (daGAL4/UAS-InRDN (ubiquitous expression of a dominant negative insulin receptor) and d2GAL/UAS-rpr (ablation of insulin-like peptide producing cells)) showed an amelioration of negative geotaxis senescence similar to that previously reported for the long-lived IIS mutant chico. In contrast, exploratory walking in daGAL4/UAS-InRDN and d2GAL/UAS-rpr flies declined with age similarly to controls. To determine the contribution of IIS in the nervous system to these altered senescence patterns and lifespan, the InRDN was targeted to neurons (elavGAL4/UAS-InRDN), which resulted in extension of lifespan in females, normal negative geotaxis senescence in males and females, and detrimental effects on age-specific exploratory walking behaviour in males and females. These data indicate that the Drosophila insulin receptor independently modulates lifespan and age-specific function of different types of locomotor behaviour. The data suggest that ameliorated negative geotaxis senescence of long-lived flies with systemic IIS reductions is due to ageing related effects of reduced IIS outside the nervous system. The lifespan extension and coincident detrimental or neutral effects on locomotor function with a neuron specific reduction (elavGAL4/UAS-InRDN) indicates that reduced IIS is not beneficial to the neural circuitry underlying the behaviours despite increasing lifespan.
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31
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Andlauer TFM, Scholz-Kornehl S, Tian R, Kirchner M, Babikir HA, Depner H, Loll B, Quentin C, Gupta VK, Holt MG, Dipt S, Cressy M, Wahl MC, Fiala A, Selbach M, Schwärzel M, Sigrist SJ. Drep-2 is a novel synaptic protein important for learning and memory. eLife 2014; 3. [PMID: 25392983 PMCID: PMC4229683 DOI: 10.7554/elife.03895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2014] [Accepted: 10/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
CIDE-N domains mediate interactions between the DNase Dff40/CAD and its inhibitor Dff45/ICAD. In this study, we report that the CIDE-N protein Drep-2 is a novel synaptic protein important for learning and behavioral adaptation. Drep-2 was found at synapses throughout the Drosophila brain and was strongly enriched at mushroom body input synapses. It was required within Kenyon cells for normal olfactory short- and intermediate-term memory. Drep-2 colocalized with metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Chronic pharmacological stimulation of mGluRs compensated for drep-2 learning deficits, and drep-2 and mGluR learning phenotypes behaved non-additively, suggesting that Drep 2 might be involved in effective mGluR signaling. In fact, Drosophila fragile X protein mutants, shown to benefit from attenuation of mGluR signaling, profited from the elimination of drep-2. Thus, Drep-2 is a novel regulatory synaptic factor, probably intersecting with metabotropic signaling and translational regulation. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03895.001 Synapses are specialized structures that connect nerve cells to one another and allow information to be transmitted between the cells. Synapses are essential for learning and storing memories. Many proteins that regulate how signals are transmitted at synapses have already been studied. In this manner, much has been learned about their function in learning and memory. Cells can commit suicide by a process called apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death. Apoptosis is not only triggered in damaged cells but is also necessary for an organism to develop correctly. In fruit flies, the protein Drep-2 is a member of a family of proteins that degrade the DNA of cells that undergo apoptosis. Andlauer et al. found no evidence that Drep-2 plays a role in apoptosis, but have now found Drep-2 at the synapses of the brain of the fruit fly Drosophila. Drep-2 could be observed in close proximity to another type of protein called metabotropic glutamate receptors. Metabotropic glutamate receptors and their signaling pathways are important for regulating certain changes to the synapses that mediate learning processes. Indeed, Andlauer et al. found that flies that have lost the gene that produces Drep-2 were unable to remember smells when these were paired with a punishment. Stimulating the regulatory glutamate receptors with drugs helped to overcome learning deficits that result from the lack of Drep-2. Alterations in the production of a protein called FMRP cause fragile X syndrome in humans, the most common form of hereditary mental disability originating from a single gene defect. Flies lacking the FMRP protein show learning deficits that are very similar to the ones seen in flies that cannot produce Drep-2. However, Andlauer et al. observed that flies lacking both Drep-2 and FMRP can learn normally. Exactly how Drep-2 works in synapses to help with memory formation remains to be discovered, although there are indications that it boosts the effects of signaling from the glutamate receptors and counteracts FMRP. Further research will be needed to establish whether the mammalian proteins related to Drep-2 perform similar roles in the brains of mammals. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03895.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Till F M Andlauer
- Genetics, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Rui Tian
- Genetics, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marieluise Kirchner
- Department of Cell Signalling and Mass Spectrometry, Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin, Berlin-Buch, Germany
| | - Husam A Babikir
- Genetics, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Harald Depner
- Genetics, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernhard Loll
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemisty, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christine Quentin
- Genetics, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Varun K Gupta
- Genetics, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthew G Holt
- Department Laboratory of Glia Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB) Center for the Biology of Disease, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Shubham Dipt
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology of Behavior, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael Cressy
- Department of Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, United States
| | - Markus C Wahl
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemisty, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - André Fiala
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology of Behavior, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Matthias Selbach
- Department of Cell Signalling and Mass Spectrometry, Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin, Berlin-Buch, Germany
| | - Martin Schwärzel
- Genetics, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan J Sigrist
- Genetics, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Farries MA. How 'basal' are the basal ganglia? BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2014; 82:211-4. [PMID: 24335184 DOI: 10.1159/000356101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2013] [Accepted: 09/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Kathman ND, Kesavan M, Ritzmann RE. Encoding wide-field motion and direction in the central complex of the cockroach Blaberus discoidalis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 217:4079-90. [PMID: 25278467 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.112391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In the arthropod brain, the central complex (CX) receives various forms of sensory signals and is associated with motor functions, but its precise role in behavior is controversial. The optomotor response is a highly conserved turning behavior directed by visual motion. In tethered cockroaches, 20% procaine injected into the CX reversibly blocked this behavior. We then used multichannel extracellular recording to sample unit activity in the CX in response to wide-field visual motion stimuli, moving either horizontally or vertically at various temporal frequencies. For the 401 units we sampled, we identified five stereotyped response patterns: tonically inhibited or excited responses during motion, phasically inhibited or excited responses at the initiation of motion, and phasically excited responses at the termination of motion. Sixty-seven percent of the units responded to horizontal motion, while only 19% responded to vertical motion. Thirty-eight percent of responding units were directionally selective to horizontal motion. Response type and directional selectivity were sometimes conditional with other stimulus parameters, such as temporal frequency. For instance, 16% of the units that responded tonically to low temporal frequencies responded phasically to high temporal frequencies. In addition, we found that 26% of wide-field motion responding units showed a periodic response that was entrained to the temporal frequency of the stimulus. Our results show a diverse population of neurons within the CX that are variably tuned to wide-field motion parameters. Our behavioral data further suggest that such CX activity is required for effective optomotor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas D Kathman
- Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Malavika Kesavan
- Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Roy E Ritzmann
- Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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Blankenburg S, Balfanz S, Hayashi Y, Shigenobu S, Miura T, Baumann O, Baumann A, Blenau W. Cockroach GABAB receptor subtypes: molecular characterization, pharmacological properties and tissue distribution. Neuropharmacology 2014; 88:134-44. [PMID: 25242738 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Revised: 08/10/2014] [Accepted: 08/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the predominant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). Its effects are mediated by either ionotropic GABAA receptors or metabotropic GABAB receptors. GABAB receptors regulate, via Gi/o G-proteins, ion channels, and adenylyl cyclases. In humans, GABAB receptor subtypes are involved in the etiology of neurologic and psychiatric disorders. In arthropods, however, these members of the G-protein-coupled receptor family are only inadequately characterized. Interestingly, physiological data have revealed important functions of GABAB receptors in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana. We have cloned cDNAs coding for putative GABAB receptor subtypes 1 and 2 of P. americana (PeaGB1 and PeaGB2). When both receptor proteins are co-expressed in mammalian cells, activation of the receptor heteromer with GABA leads to a dose-dependent decrease in cAMP production. The pharmacological profile differs from that of mammalian and Drosophila GABAB receptors. Western blot analyses with polyclonal antibodies have revealed the expression of PeaGB1 and PeaGB2 in the CNS of the American cockroach. In addition to the widespread distribution in the brain, PeaGB1 is expressed in salivary glands and male accessory glands. Notably, PeaGB1-like immunoreactivity has been detected in the GABAergic salivary neuron 2, suggesting that GABAB receptors act as autoreceptors in this neuron.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Blankenburg
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Department of Animal Physiology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany.
| | - S Balfanz
- Institute of Complex Systems, Zelluläre Biophysik (ICS-4), Research Center Jülich, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany.
| | - Y Hayashi
- Laboratory of Ecological Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0810, Japan.
| | - S Shigenobu
- NIBB Core Research Facilities, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan.
| | - T Miura
- Laboratory of Ecological Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0810, Japan.
| | - O Baumann
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Department of Animal Physiology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany.
| | - A Baumann
- Institute of Complex Systems, Zelluläre Biophysik (ICS-4), Research Center Jülich, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany.
| | - W Blenau
- Institut für Bienenkunde, Polytechnische Gesellschaft, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, FB Biowissenschaften, Karl-von-Frisch-Weg 2, 61440, Oberursel, Germany.
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Martín-Peña A, Acebes A, Rodríguez JR, Chevalier V, Casas-Tinto S, Triphan T, Strauss R, Ferrús A. Cell types and coincident synapses in the ellipsoid body ofDrosophila. Eur J Neurosci 2014; 39:1586-601. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2013] [Revised: 01/31/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Martín-Peña
- Department of Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology; Cajal Institute; C.S.I.C.; Ave. Dr. Arce 37 E-28002 Madrid Spain
- Department of Neurology; McKnight Brain Institute; College of Medicine; University of Florida; Gainesville FL USA
| | - Angel Acebes
- Department of Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology; Cajal Institute; C.S.I.C.; Ave. Dr. Arce 37 E-28002 Madrid Spain
- Center for Biomedical Research of the Canary Islands; Institute of Biomedical Technologies; University of La Laguna; Tenerife Spain
| | - José-Rodrigo Rodríguez
- Department of Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology; Cajal Institute; C.S.I.C.; Ave. Dr. Arce 37 E-28002 Madrid Spain
| | - Valerie Chevalier
- Department of Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology; Cajal Institute; C.S.I.C.; Ave. Dr. Arce 37 E-28002 Madrid Spain
| | - Sergio Casas-Tinto
- Department of Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology; Cajal Institute; C.S.I.C.; Ave. Dr. Arce 37 E-28002 Madrid Spain
| | - Tilman Triphan
- Biozentrum der Universitaet Wuerzburg; Lehrstuhl für Genetik und Neurobiologie; Wuerzburg Germany
- HHMI Janelia Farm Research Campus; Ashburn VA USA
| | - Roland Strauss
- Biozentrum der Universitaet Wuerzburg; Lehrstuhl für Genetik und Neurobiologie; Wuerzburg Germany
- Department of Zoologie III-Neurobiologie; Johannes Gutenberg-Universitaet Mainz; Mainz Germany
| | - Alberto Ferrús
- Department of Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology; Cajal Institute; C.S.I.C.; Ave. Dr. Arce 37 E-28002 Madrid Spain
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Pfeiffer K, Homberg U. Organization and functional roles of the central complex in the insect brain. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2014; 59:165-84. [PMID: 24160424 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-011613-162031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 245] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The central complex is a group of modular neuropils across the midline of the insect brain. Hallmarks of its anatomical organization are discrete layers, an organization into arrays of 16 slices along the right-left axis, and precise inter-hemispheric connections via chiasmata. The central complex is connected most prominently with the adjacent lateral complex and the superior protocerebrum. Its developmental appearance corresponds with the appearance of compound eyes and walking legs. Distinct dopaminergic neurons control various forms of arousal. Electrophysiological studies provide evidence for roles in polarized light vision, sky compass orientation, and integration of spatial information for locomotor control. Behavioral studies on mutant and transgenic flies indicate roles in spatial representation of visual cues, spatial visual memory, directional control of walking and flight, and place learning. The data suggest that spatial azimuthal directions (i.e., where) are represented in the slices, and cue information (i.e., what) are represented in different layers of the central complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keram Pfeiffer
- Faculty of Biology, Animal Physiology, University of Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany; ,
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Castillo P, Pietrantonio PV. Differences in sNPF receptor-expressing neurons in brains of fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) worker subcastes: indicators for division of labor and nutritional status? PLoS One 2013; 8:e83966. [PMID: 24376775 PMCID: PMC3869854 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, the neuronal and molecular mechanisms related to worker division of labor are poorly understood. Workers from different subcastes (major, medium and minors) perform different tasks, which are loosely associated with their size. We hypothesized that the short neuropeptide F (sNPF) signaling system (NPY-like) could be involved in mechanisms of worker division of labor and sensing or responding to colony nutritional requirements. Thus, we investigated the expression of the short neuropeptide F receptor (sNPFR) in the brain and subesophageal ganglion (SEG) of workers from colonies with and without brood. Across worker subcastes a total of 9 clusters of immunoreactive sNPFR cells were localized in the brain and the subesophageal ganglion (SEG); some of these cells were similar to those observed previously in the queen. Worker brain sNPFR cell clusters were found in the protocerebrum near mushroom bodies, in the central complex and in the lateral horn. Other sNPFR immunoreactive cells were found at the edge of the antennal lobes. Across subcastes, we observed both a constant and a differential pattern of sNPFR clusters, with a higher number of sNPFR cells found in minor than in major workers. Those sNPFR cells detected in all worker subcastes appear to be involved in olfaction or SEG functions. The differential expression of clusters in subcastes suggests that sNPFR signaling is involved in regulating behaviors associated with specific subcastes and thus, division of labor. Some sNPFR cells appear to be involved in nutrient sensing and/or brood care, feeding behavior and locomotion. In colonies without brood, workers showed a lower cluster number, and an overall reduced sNPFR signal. Our results suggest the sNPF signaling system is a candidate for the neurobiological control of worker division of labor and sensing brood presence, perhaps correlating with protein requirements and availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Castillo
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Patricia V. Pietrantonio
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
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Thran J, Poeck B, Strauss R. Serum Response Factor-Mediated Gene Regulation in a Drosophila Visual Working Memory. Curr Biol 2013; 23:1756-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.07.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2013] [Revised: 06/10/2013] [Accepted: 07/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Chen W, Shi W, Li L, Zheng Z, Li T, Bai W, Zhao Z. Regulation of sleep by the short neuropeptide F (sNPF) in Drosophila melanogaster. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2013; 43:809-819. [PMID: 23796436 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2013.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2013] [Revised: 06/02/2013] [Accepted: 06/07/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The short neuropeptide F (sNPF), a neuropeptide in the central nervous system (CNS) of Drosophila melanogaster, is expressed in a large population of diverse neurons of brain. Most of these neurons are intrinsic interneurons of the mushroom bodies, which are the most prominent insect bilateral CNS structures that regulate memory and sleep. However, its role in sleep regulation still remains elusive. Here, we showed that sNPF-deficient female and male flies exhibit sleep enhancement with an increase of sleep bout duration. Loss of function of sNPF and sNPFR1 also elevated sleep. Moreover, the homeostatic regulation of flies after sleep deprivation was disrupted by aberrant sNPF signaling, since sleep deprivation increased transcription of sNPF and wakefulness at night in control flies but not in the sNPF mutant flies, suggesting that sNPF autoregulation plays an important role in sleep homeostasis. We further verified that sNPF signal elevated cAMP levels, and subsequently activated the downstream CREB transcription factor. The duration of sleep was found to be inversely related to cAMP signaling and CREB activity in the mushroom bodies. Thus, we concluded that sleep might be regulated by sNPF through modulating the cAMP-PKA-CREB signal pathway in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfeng Chen
- Department of Entomology, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing 100193, PR China
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40
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A characterization of the Manduca sexta serotonin receptors in the context of olfactory neuromodulation. PLoS One 2013; 8:e69422. [PMID: 23922709 PMCID: PMC3726668 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2013] [Accepted: 06/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuromodulation, the alteration of individual neuron response properties, has dramatic consequences for neural network function and is a phenomenon observed across all brain regions and taxa. However, the mechanisms underlying neuromodulation are made complex by the diversity of neuromodulatory receptors expressed within a neural network. In this study we begin to examine the receptor basis for serotonergic neuromodulation in the antennal lobe of Manduca sexta. To this end we cloned all four known insect serotonin receptor types from Manduca (the Ms5HTRs). We used phylogenetic analyses to classify the Ms5HTRs and to establish their relationships to other insect serotonin receptors, other insect amine receptors and the vertebrate serotonin receptors. Pharmacological assays demonstrated that each Ms5HTR was selective for serotonin over other endogenous amines and that serotonin had a similar potency at all four Ms5HTRs. The pharmacological assays also identified several agonists and antagonists of the different Ms5HTRs. Finally, we found that the Ms5HT1A receptor was expressed in a subpopulation of GABAergic local interneurons suggesting that the Ms5HTRs are likely expressed heterogeneously within the antennal lobe based on functional neuronal subtype.
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41
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Carlsson MA, Enell LE, Nässel DR. Distribution of short neuropeptide F and its receptor in neuronal circuits related to feeding in larval Drosophila. Cell Tissue Res 2013; 353:511-23. [PMID: 23760890 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-013-1660-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 04/30/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Four forms of short neuropeptide F (sNPF1-4), derived from the gene snpf, have been identified in Drosophila and are known to act on a single G-protein-coupled receptor (sNPFR). Several functions have been suggested for sNPFs in Drosophila, including the regulation of feeding and growth in larvae, the control of insulin signalling and the modulation of neuronal circuits in adult flies. Furthermore, sNPF has been shown to act as a nutritional state-dependent neuromodulator in the olfactory system. The role of sNPF in the larval nervous system is less well known. To analyse sites of action of sNPF in the larva, we mapped the distribution of sNPF- and sNPFR-expressing neurons. In particular, we studied circuits associated with chemosensory inputs and systems involved in the regulation of feeding, including neurosecretory cell systems and the hypocerebral ganglion. We employed a combination of immunocytochemistry and enhancer trap and promoter Gal4 lines to drive green fluorescent protein. We found a good match between the distribution of the receptor and its ligand. However, several differences between the larval and adult systems were observed. Thus, neither sNPF nor its receptor was found in the olfactory (or other sensory) systems in the larva and cells producing insulin-like peptides did not co-express sNPFR, as opposed to results from adults. Moreover, sNPF was expressed in a subpopulation of Hugin cells (second-order gustatory neurons) only in adult flies. We propose that the differences in sNPF signalling between the developmental stages is explained by differences in their feeding behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael A Carlsson
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
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42
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Short neuropeptide F acts as a functional neuromodulator for olfactory memory in Kenyon cells of Drosophila mushroom bodies. J Neurosci 2013; 33:5340-5. [PMID: 23516298 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2287-12.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In insects, many complex behaviors, including olfactory memory, are controlled by a paired brain structure, the so-called mushroom bodies (MB). In Drosophila, the development, neuroanatomy, and function of intrinsic neurons of the MB, the Kenyon cells, have been well characterized. Until now, several potential neurotransmitters or neuromodulators of Kenyon cells have been anatomically identified. However, whether these neuroactive substances of the Kenyon cells are functional has not been clarified yet. Here we show that a neuropeptide precursor gene encoding four types of short neuropeptide F (sNPF) is required in the Kenyon cells for appetitive olfactory memory. We found that activation of Kenyon cells by expressing a thermosensitive cation channel (dTrpA1) leads to a decrease in sNPF immunoreactivity in the MB lobes. Targeted expression of RNA interference against the sNPF precursor in Kenyon cells results in a highly significant knockdown of sNPF levels. This knockdown of sNPF in the Kenyon cells impairs sugar-rewarded olfactory memory. This impairment is not due to a defect in the reflexive sugar preference or odor response. Consistently, knockdown of sNPF receptors outside the MB causes deficits in appetitive memory. Altogether, these results suggest that sNPF is a functional neuromodulator released by Kenyon cells.
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Two clusters of GABAergic ellipsoid body neurons modulate olfactory labile memory in Drosophila. J Neurosci 2013; 33:5175-81. [PMID: 23516283 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5365-12.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In Drosophila, aversive olfactory memory is believed to be stored in a prominent brain structure, the mushroom body (MB), and two pairs of MB intrinsic neurons, the dorsal paired medial (DPM) and the anterior paired lateral (APL) neurons, are found to regulate the consolidation of middle-term memory (MTM). Here we report that another prominent brain structure, the ellipsoid body (EB), is also involved in the modulation of olfactory MTM. Activating EB R2/R4m neurons does not affect the learning index, but specifically eliminates anesthesia-sensitive memory (ASM), the labile component of olfactory MTM. We further demonstrate that approximately two-thirds of these EB neurons are GABAergic and are responsible for the suppression of ASM. Using GRASP (GFP reconstitution across synaptic partners), we reveal potential synaptic connections between the EB and MB in regions covering both the presynaptic and postsynaptic sites of EB neurons, suggesting the presence of bidirectional connections between these two important brain structures. These findings suggest the existence of direct connections between the MB and EB, and provide new insights into the neural circuit basis for olfactory labile memory in Drosophila.
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Schoenfeld BP, Choi RJ, Choi CH, Terlizzi AM, Hinchey P, Kollaros M, Ferrick NJ, Koenigsberg E, Ferreiro D, Leibelt DA, Siegel SJ, Bell AJ, McDonald TV, Jongens TA, McBride SMJ. The Drosophila DmGluRA is required for social interaction and memory. Front Pharmacol 2013; 4:64. [PMID: 23720628 PMCID: PMC3662090 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2013.00064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2012] [Accepted: 04/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) have well-established roles in cognition and social behavior in mammals. Whether or not these roles have been conserved throughout evolution from invertebrate species is less clear. Mammals have eight mGluRs whereas Drosophila has a single DmGluRA, which has both Gi and Gq coupled signaling activity. We have utilized Drosophila to examine the role of DmGluRA in social behavior and various phases of memory. We have found that flies that are homozygous or heterozygous for loss of function mutations of DmGluRA have impaired social behavior in male Drosophila. Futhermore, flies that are heterozygous for loss of function mutations of DmGluRA have impaired learning during training, immediate-recall memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory as young adults. This work demonstrates a role for mGluR activity in both social behavior and memory in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian P Schoenfeld
- Section of Molecular Cardiology, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Bronx, NY, USA ; Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Strausfeld NJ, Hirth F. Deep homology of arthropod central complex and vertebrate basal ganglia. Science 2013; 340:157-61. [PMID: 23580521 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The arthropod central complex and vertebrate basal ganglia derive from embryonic basal forebrain lineages that are specified by an evolutionarily conserved genetic program leading to interconnected neuropils and nuclei that populate the midline of the forebrain-midbrain boundary region. In the substructures of both the central complex and basal ganglia, network connectivity and neuronal activity mediate control mechanisms in which inhibitory (GABAergic) and modulatory (dopaminergic) circuits facilitate the regulation and release of adaptive behaviors. Both basal ganglia and central complex dysfunction result in behavioral defects including motor abnormalities, impaired memory formation, attention deficits, affective disorders, and sleep disturbances. The observed multitude of similarities suggests deep homology of arthropod central complex and vertebrate basal ganglia circuitries underlying the selection and maintenance of behavioral actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Strausfeld
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Mind, Brain and Behavior, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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46
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Abstract
Monoamines, including dopamine (DA), have been linked to aggression in various species. However, the precise role or roles served by the amine in aggression have been difficult to define because dopaminergic systems influence many behaviors, and all can be altered by changing the function of dopaminergic neurons. In the fruit fly, with the powerful genetic tools available, small subsets of brain cells can be reliably manipulated, offering enormous advantages for exploration of how and where amine neurons fit into the circuits involved with aggression. By combining the GAL4/upstream activating sequence (UAS) binary system with the Flippase (FLP) recombination technique, we were able to restrict the numbers of targeted DA neurons down to a single-cell level. To explore the function of these individual dopaminergic neurons, we inactivated them with the tetanus toxin light chain, a genetically encoded inhibitor of neurotransmitter release, or activated them with dTrpA1, a temperature-sensitive cation channel. We found two sets of dopaminergic neurons that modulate aggression, one from the T1 cluster and another from the PPM3 cluster. Both activation and inactivation of these neurons resulted in an increase in aggression. We demonstrate that the presynaptic terminals of the identified T1 and PPM3 dopaminergic neurons project to different parts of the central complex, overlapping with the receptor fields of DD2R and DopR DA receptor subtypes, respectively. These data suggest that the two types of dopaminergic neurons may influence aggression through interactions in the central complex region of the brain involving two different DA receptor subtypes.
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Démares F, Raymond V, Armengaud C. Expression and localization of glutamate-gated chloride channel variants in honeybee brain (Apis mellifera). INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2013; 43:115-124. [PMID: 23085357 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2012.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2012] [Revised: 10/07/2012] [Accepted: 10/10/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Due to its specificity to invertebrate species, glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCls) are the target sites of antiparasitic agents and insecticides, e.g. ivermectin and fipronil, respectively. In nematodes and insects, the GluCls diversity is broadened by alternative splicing. GluCl subunits have been characterized according to their sensitivity to drugs, and to their anatomical localization. In the honeybee, the GluCl gene can encode different alpha subunits due to alternative splicing of exon 3. We examined mRNA expression in brain parts and we confirmed the existence of two GluCl variants with RT-PCR, Amel_GluCl A and Amel_GluCl B. Surprisingly, a mixed isoform not yet described in insect was obtained, we called it Amel_GluCl C. We determined precise immunolocalization of peptide sequence corresponding to Amel_GluCl A and Amel_GluCl B in the honeybee brain. Amel_GluCl A is mainly located in neuropils, whereas Amel_GluCl B is mostly expressed in cell bodies. Both proteins can also be co-localized. According to their anatomical localization, different GluCl variants might be involved in olfactory and visual modalities and in learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Démares
- Université de Toulouse, UPS, Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France.
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Kapan N, Lushchak OV, Luo J, Nässel DR. Identified peptidergic neurons in the Drosophila brain regulate insulin-producing cells, stress responses and metabolism by coexpressed short neuropeptide F and corazonin. Cell Mol Life Sci 2012; 69:4051-66. [PMID: 22828865 PMCID: PMC11114645 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-012-1097-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2012] [Revised: 07/09/2012] [Accepted: 07/10/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Insulin/IGF-like signaling regulates the development, growth, fecundity, metabolic homeostasis, stress resistance and lifespan in worms, flies and mammals. Eight insulin-like peptides (DILP1-8) are found in Drosophila. Three of these (DILP2, 3 and 5) are produced by a set of median neurosecretory cells (insulin-producing cells, IPCs) in the brain. Activity in the IPCs of adult flies is regulated by glucose and several neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. One of these, short neuropeptide F (sNPF), regulates food intake, growth and Dilp transcript levels in IPCs via the sNPF receptor (sNPFR1) expressed on IPCs. Here we identify a set of brain neurons that utilizes sNPF to activate the IPCs. These sNPF-expressing neurons (dorsal lateral peptidergic neurons, DLPs) also produce the neuropeptide corazonin (CRZ) and have axon terminations impinging on IPCs. Knockdown of either sNPF or CRZ in DLPs extends survival in flies exposed to starvation and alters carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Expression of sNPF in DLPs in the sNPF mutant background is sufficient to rescue wild-type metabolism and response to starvation. Since CRZ receptor RNAi in IPCs affects starvation resistance and metabolism, similar to peptide knockdown in DLPs, it is likely that also CRZ targets the IPCs. Knockdown of sNPF, but not CRZ in DLPs decreases transcription of Dilp2 and 5 in the brain, suggesting different mechanisms of action on IPCs of the two co-released peptides. Our findings indicate that sNPF and CRZ co-released from a small set of neurons regulate IPCs, stress resistance and metabolism in adult Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neval Kapan
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Oleh V. Lushchak
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jiangnan Luo
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dick R. Nässel
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
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Caers J, Verlinden H, Zels S, Vandersmissen HP, Vuerinckx K, Schoofs L. More than two decades of research on insect neuropeptide GPCRs: an overview. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2012; 3:151. [PMID: 23226142 PMCID: PMC3510462 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2012.00151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2012] [Accepted: 11/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
This review focuses on the state of the art on neuropeptide receptors in insects. Most of these receptors are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and are involved in the regulation of virtually all physiological processes during an insect's life. More than 20 years ago a milestone in invertebrate endocrinology was achieved with the characterization of the first insect neuropeptide receptor, i.e., the Drosophila tachykinin-like receptor. However, it took until the release of the Drosophila genome in 2000 that research on neuropeptide receptors boosted. In the last decade a plethora of genomic information of other insect species also became available, leading to a better insight in the functions and evolution of the neuropeptide signaling systems and their intracellular pathways. It became clear that some of these systems are conserved among all insect species, indicating that they fulfill crucial roles in their physiological processes. Meanwhile, other signaling systems seem to be lost in several insect orders or species, suggesting that their actions were superfluous in those insects, or that other neuropeptides have taken over their functions. It is striking that the deorphanization of neuropeptide GPCRs gets much attention, but the subsequent unraveling of the intracellular pathways they elicit, or their physiological functions are often hardly examined. Especially in insects besides Drosophila this information is scarce if not absent. And although great progress made in characterizing neuropeptide signaling systems, even in Drosophila several predicted neuropeptide receptors remain orphan, awaiting for their endogenous ligand to be determined. The present review gives a précis of the insect neuropeptide receptor research of the last two decades. But it has to be emphasized that the work done so far is only the tip of the iceberg and our comprehensive understanding of these important signaling systems will still increase substantially in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Liliane Schoofs
- *Correspondence: Liliane Schoofs, Department of Biology, Research Group of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Naamsestraat 59, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. e-mail:
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