1
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Sokolowski DJ, Vasquez OE, Wilson MD, Sokolowski MB, Anreiter I. Transcriptomic effects of the foraging gene shed light on pathways of pleiotropy and plasticity. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1526:99-113. [PMID: 37350250 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15015] [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] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Genes are often pleiotropic and plastic in their expression, features which increase and diversify the functionality of the genome. The foraging (for) gene in Drosophila melanogaster is highly pleiotropic and a long-standing model for studying individual differences in behavior and plasticity from ethological, evolutionary, and genetic perspectives. Its pleiotropy is known to be linked to its complex molecular structure; however, the downstream pathways and interactors remain mostly elusive. To uncover these pathways and interactors and gain a better understanding of how pleiotropy and plasticity are achieved at the molecular level, we explore the effects of different for alleles on gene expression at baseline and in response to 4 h of food deprivation, using RNA sequencing analysis in different Drosophila larval tissues. The results show tissue-specific transcriptomic dynamics influenced by for allelic variation and food deprivation, as well as genotype by treatment interactions. Differentially expressed genes yielded pathways linked to previously described for phenotypes and several potentially novel phenotypes. Together, these findings provide putative genes and pathways through which for might regulate its varied phenotypes in a pleiotropic, plastic, and gene-structure-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin J Sokolowski
- Genetics and Genome Biology, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Oscar E Vasquez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael D Wilson
- Genetics and Genome Biology, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Program in Child and Brain Development, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ina Anreiter
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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2
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Duan W, Zhang Y, Zhang X, Yang J, Shan H, Liu L, Wei H. A Visual Pathway into Central Complex for High-Frequency Motion-Defined Bars in Drosophila. J Neurosci 2023; 43:4821-4836. [PMID: 37290936 PMCID: PMC10312062 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0128-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Relative motion breaks a camouflaged target from a same-textured background, thus eliciting discrimination of a motion-defined object. Ring (R) neurons are critical components in the Drosophila central complex, which has been implicated in multiple visually guided behaviors. Using two-photon calcium imaging with female flies, we demonstrated that a specific population of R neurons that innervate the superior domain of bulb neuropil, termed superior R neurons, encoded a motion-defined bar with high spatial frequency contents. Upstream superior tuberculo-bulbar (TuBu) neurons transmitted visual signals by releasing acetylcholine within synapses connected with superior R neurons. Blocking TuBu or R neurons impaired tracking performance of the bar, which reveals their importance in motion-defined feature encoding. Additionally, the presentation of a low spatial frequency luminance-defined bar evoked consistent excitation in R neurons of the superior bulb, whereas either excited or inhibited responses were evoked in the inferior bulb. The distinct properties of the responses to the two bar stimuli indicate there is a functional division between the bulb subdomains. Moreover, physiological and behavioral tests with restricted lines suggest that R4d neurons play a vital role in tracking motion-defined bars. We conclude that the central complex receives the motion-defined features via a visual pathway from superior TuBu to R neurons and might encode different visual features via distinct response patterns at the population level, thereby driving visually guided behaviors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Animals could discriminate a motion-defined object that is indistinguishable with a same-textured background until it moves, but little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms. In this study, we identified that R neurons and their upstream partners, TuBu neurons, innervating the superior bulb of Drosophila central brain are involved in the discrimination of high-frequency motion-defined bars. Our study provides new evidence that R neurons receive multiple visual inputs from distinct upstream neurons, indicating a population coding mechanism for the fly central brain to discriminate diverse visual features. These results build progress in unraveling neural substrates for visually guided behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlan Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Yihao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Jihua Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Heying Shan
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Li Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Hongying Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
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3
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Buehlmann C, Dell-Cronin S, Diyalagoda Pathirannahelage A, Goulard R, Webb B, Niven JE, Graham P. Impact of central complex lesions on innate and learnt visual navigation in ants. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023:10.1007/s00359-023-01613-1. [PMID: 36790487 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01613-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Wood ants are excellent navigators, using a combination of innate and learnt navigational strategies to travel between their nest and feeding sites. Visual navigation in ants has been studied extensively, however, we have little direct evidence for the underlying neural mechanisms. Here, we perform lateralized mechanical lesions in the central complex (CX) of wood ants, a midline structure known to allow an insect to keep track of the direction of sensory cues relative to its own orientation and to control movement. We lesioned two groups of ants and observed their behaviour in an arena with a large visual landmark present. The first group of ants were naïve and when intact such ants show a clear innate attraction to the conspicuous landmark. The second group of ants were trained to aim to a food location to the side of the landmark. The general heading of naïve ants towards a visual cue was not altered by the lesions, but the heading of ants trained to a landmark adjacent food position was affected. Thus, CX lesions had a specific impact on learnt visual guidance. We also observed that lateralised lesions altered the fine details of turning with lesioned ants spending less time turning to the side ipsilateral of the lesion. The results confirm the role of the CX in turn control and highlight its important role in the implementation of learnt behaviours that rely on information from other brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Roman Goulard
- School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB, UK.,Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Barbara Webb
- School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB, UK
| | - Jeremy E Niven
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Paul Graham
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
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4
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Cabana-Domínguez J, Antón-Galindo E, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Singgih EL, O'Leary A, Norton WH, Strekalova T, Schenck A, Reif A, Lesch KP, Slattery D, Cormand B. The translational genetics of ADHD and related phenotypes in model organisms. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104949. [PMID: 36368527 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder resulting from the interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors. It is well known that ADHD co-occurs frequently with other psychiatric disorders due, in part, to shared genetics factors. Although many studies have contributed to delineate the genetic landscape of psychiatric disorders, their specific molecular underpinnings are still not fully understood. The use of animal models can help us to understand the role of specific genes and environmental stimuli-induced epigenetic modifications in the pathogenesis of ADHD and its comorbidities. The aim of this review is to provide an overview on the functional work performed in rodents, zebrafish and fruit fly and highlight the generated insights into the biology of ADHD, with a special focus on genetics and epigenetics. We also describe the behavioral tests that are available to study ADHD-relevant phenotypes and comorbid traits in these models. Furthermore, we have searched for new models to study ADHD and its comorbidities, which can be useful to test potential pharmacological treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Cabana-Domínguez
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Ester Antón-Galindo
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Euginia L Singgih
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Aet O'Leary
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; Division of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Psychology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - William Hg Norton
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Tatyana Strekalova
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, and Department of Neuropsychology and Psychiatry, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Annette Schenck
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Andreas Reif
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Klaus-Peter Lesch
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, and Department of Neuropsychology and Psychiatry, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - David Slattery
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
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5
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Xu H, Yu Y, Gao Y, Hassan A, Jia B, Huang Q. The cGMP-dependent protein kinase gene can regulate trail-following behaviour and locomotion in the termite Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 31:585-592. [PMID: 35506165 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Social behaviours in termites are closely related to the chemical communication between individuals. It is well known that foraging worker termites can use trail pheromones to orient and locomote along trails so as to take food resources back to the nest. However, it is still unclear how termites recognize trail pheromones. Here, we cloned and sequenced the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) gene from the termite Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder, and then examined the response of termites to trail pheromones after silencing PKG through RNA interference. We found that PKG knockdown impaired termite ability to follow trail pheromones accurately and exhibited irregular behavioural trajectories in response to the trail pheromone in the termite R. chinensis. Our locomotion assays further showed that PKG knockdown significantly increased the turn angle and angular velocity in the termite R. chinensis. These findings help us better understanding the molecular regulatory mechanism of foraging communications in termites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Xu
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yichun Yu
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yongyong Gao
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ali Hassan
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Bao Jia
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Nanning Institute of Termite Control, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Qiuying Huang
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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6
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Manoonpong P, Patanè L, Xiong X, Brodoline I, Dupeyroux J, Viollet S, Arena P, Serres JR. Insect-Inspired Robots: Bridging Biological and Artificial Systems. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 21:7609. [PMID: 34833685 PMCID: PMC8623770 DOI: 10.3390/s21227609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
This review article aims to address common research questions in hexapod robotics. How can we build intelligent autonomous hexapod robots that can exploit their biomechanics, morphology, and computational systems, to achieve autonomy, adaptability, and energy efficiency comparable to small living creatures, such as insects? Are insects good models for building such intelligent hexapod robots because they are the only animals with six legs? This review article is divided into three main sections to address these questions, as well as to assist roboticists in identifying relevant and future directions in the field of hexapod robotics over the next decade. After an introduction in section (1), the sections will respectively cover the following three key areas: (2) biomechanics focused on the design of smart legs; (3) locomotion control; and (4) high-level cognition control. These interconnected and interdependent areas are all crucial to improving the level of performance of hexapod robotics in terms of energy efficiency, terrain adaptability, autonomy, and operational range. We will also discuss how the next generation of bioroboticists will be able to transfer knowledge from biology to robotics and vice versa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poramate Manoonpong
- Embodied Artificial Intelligence and Neurorobotics Laboratory, SDU Biorobotics, The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark;
- Bio-Inspired Robotics and Neural Engineering Laboratory, School of Information Science and Technology, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology, Rayong 21210, Thailand
| | - Luca Patanè
- Department of Engineering, University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | - Xiaofeng Xiong
- Embodied Artificial Intelligence and Neurorobotics Laboratory, SDU Biorobotics, The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark;
| | - Ilya Brodoline
- Department of Biorobotics, Aix Marseille University, CNRS, ISM, CEDEX 07, 13284 Marseille, France; (I.B.); (S.V.)
| | - Julien Dupeyroux
- Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 52600 Delft, The Netherlands;
| | - Stéphane Viollet
- Department of Biorobotics, Aix Marseille University, CNRS, ISM, CEDEX 07, 13284 Marseille, France; (I.B.); (S.V.)
| | - Paolo Arena
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy
| | - Julien R. Serres
- Department of Biorobotics, Aix Marseille University, CNRS, ISM, CEDEX 07, 13284 Marseille, France; (I.B.); (S.V.)
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7
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Allen AM, B Sokolowski M. Expression of the foraging gene in adult Drosophila melanogaster. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:192-212. [PMID: 34382904 PMCID: PMC8846931 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1941946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The foraging gene in Drosophila melanogaster, which encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase, is a highly conserved, complex gene with multiple pleiotropic behavioral and physiological functions in both the larval and adult fly. Adult foraging expression is less well characterized than in the larva. We characterized foraging expression in the brain, gastric system, and reproductive systems using a T2A-Gal4 gene-trap allele. In the brain, foraging expression appears to be restricted to multiple sub-types of glia. This glial-specific cellular localization of foraging was supported by single-cell transcriptomic atlases of the adult brain. foraging is extensively expressed in most cell types in the gastric and reproductive systems. We then mapped multiple cis-regulatory elements responsible for parts of the observed expression patterns by a nested cloned promoter-Gal4 analysis. The mapped cis-regulatory elements were consistently modular when comparing the larval and adult expression patterns. These new data using the T2A-Gal4 gene-trap and cloned foraging promoter fusion GAL4's are discussed with respect to previous work using an anti-FOR antibody, which we show here to be non-specific. Future studies of foraging's function will consider roles for glial subtypes and peripheral tissues (gastric and reproductive systems) in foraging's pleiotropic behavioral and physiological effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M Allen
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Canada
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8
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Alwash N, Allen AM, B Sokolowski M, Levine JD. The Drosophila melanogaster foraging gene affects social networks. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:249-261. [PMID: 34121597 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1936517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster displays social behaviors including courtship, mating, aggression, and group foraging. Recent studies employed social network analyses (SNAs) to show that D. melanogaster strains differ in their group behavior, suggesting that genes influence social network phenotypes. Aside from genes associated with sensory function, few studies address the genetic underpinnings of these networks. The foraging gene (for) is a well-established example of a pleiotropic gene that regulates multiple behavioral phenotypes and their plasticity. In D. melanogaster, there are two naturally occurring alleles of for called rover and sitter that differ in their larval and adult food-search behavior as well as other behavioral phenotypes. Here, we hypothesize that for affects behavioral elements required to form social networks and the social networks themselves. These effects are evident when we manipulate gene dosage. We found that flies of the rover and sitter strains exhibit differences in duration, frequency, and reciprocity of pairwise interactions, and they form social networks with differences in assortativity and global efficiency. Consistent with other adult phenotypes influenced by for, rover-sitter heterozygotes show intermediate patterns of dominance in many of these characteristics. Multiple generations of backcrossing a rover allele into a sitter strain showed that many but not all of these rover-sitter differences may be attributed to allelic variation at for. Our findings reveal the significant role that for plays in affecting social network properties and their behavioral elements in Drosophila melanogaster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawar Alwash
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Aaron M Allen
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Centre for Neural Circuits and Behavior, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Joel D Levine
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), MaRS Centre, Toronto, Canada
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9
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Oepen AS, Catalano JL, Azanchi R, Kaun KR. The foraging gene affects alcohol sensitivity, metabolism and memory in Drosophila. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:236-248. [PMID: 34092172 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1931178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The genetic basis of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is complex. Understanding how natural genetic variation contributes to alcohol phenotypes can help us identify and understand the genetic basis of AUD. Recently, a single nucleotide polymorphism in the human foraging (for) gene ortholog, Protein Kinase cGMP-Dependent 1 (PRKG1), was found to be associated with stress-induced risk for alcohol abuse. However, the mechanistic role that PRKG1 plays in AUD is not well understood. We use natural variation in the Drosophila for gene to describe how variation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) activity modifies ethanol-induced phenotypes. We found that variation in for affects ethanol-induced increases in locomotion and memory of the appetitive properties of ethanol intoxication. Further, these differences may stem from the ability to metabolize ethanol. Together, this data suggests that natural variation in PKG modulates cue reactivity for alcohol, and thus could influence alcohol cravings by differentially modulating metabolic and behavioral sensitivities to alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne S Oepen
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.,Masters Program in Developmental, Neuronal and Behavioral Biology, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jamie L Catalano
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.,Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology Graduate Program, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Reza Azanchi
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Karla R Kaun
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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10
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Strausfeld NJ. Mushroom bodies and reniform bodies coexisting in crabs cannot both be homologs of the insect mushroom body. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:3265-3271. [PMID: 33829500 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In one species of shore crab (Brachyura, Varunidae), a center that supports long-term visual habituation and that matches the reniform body's morphology has been claimed as a homolog of the insect mushroom body despite lacking traits that define it as such. The discovery in a related species of shore crab of a mushroom body possessing those defining traits renders that interpretation unsound. Two phenotypically distinct, coexisting centers cannot both be homologs of the insect mushroom body. The present commentary outlines the history of research leading to misidentification of the reniform body as a mushroom body. One conclusion is that if both centers support learning and memory, this would be viewed as a novel and fascinating attribute of the pancrustacean brain.
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11
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Buhl E, Kottler B, Hodge JJL, Hirth F. Thermoresponsive motor behavior is mediated by ring neuron circuits in the central complex of Drosophila. Sci Rep 2021; 11:155. [PMID: 33420240 PMCID: PMC7794218 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80103-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Insects are ectothermal animals that are constrained in their survival and reproduction by external temperature fluctuations which require either active avoidance of or movement towards a given heat source. In Drosophila, different thermoreceptors and neurons have been identified that mediate temperature sensation to maintain the animal’s thermal preference. However, less is known how thermosensory information is integrated to gate thermoresponsive motor behavior. Here we use transsynaptic tracing together with calcium imaging, electrophysiology and thermogenetic manipulations in freely moving Drosophila exposed to elevated temperature and identify different functions of ellipsoid body ring neurons, R1-R4, in thermoresponsive motor behavior. Our results show that warming of the external surroundings elicits calcium influx specifically in R2-R4 but not in R1, which evokes threshold-dependent neural activity in the outer layer ring neurons. In contrast to R2, R3 and R4d neurons, thermogenetic inactivation of R4m and R1 neurons expressing the temperature-sensitive mutant allele of dynamin, shibireTS, results in impaired thermoresponsive motor behavior at elevated 31 °C. trans-Tango mediated transsynaptic tracing together with physiological and behavioral analyses indicate that integrated sensory information of warming is registered by neural activity of R4m as input layer of the ellipsoid body ring neuropil and relayed on to R1 output neurons that gate an adaptive motor response. Together these findings imply that segregated activities of central complex ring neurons mediate sensory-motor transformation of external temperature changes and gate thermoresponsive motor behavior in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar Buhl
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, UK.
| | - Benjamin Kottler
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - James J L Hodge
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, UK
| | - Frank Hirth
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
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12
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Okubo TS, Patella P, D'Alessandro I, Wilson RI. A Neural Network for Wind-Guided Compass Navigation. Neuron 2020; 107:924-940.e18. [PMID: 32681825 PMCID: PMC7507644 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Spatial maps in the brain are most accurate when they are linked to external sensory cues. Here, we show that the compass in the Drosophila brain is linked to the direction of the wind. Shifting the wind rightward rotates the compass as if the fly were turning leftward, and vice versa. We describe the mechanisms of several computations that integrate wind information into the compass. First, an intensity-invariant representation of wind direction is computed by comparing left-right mechanosensory signals. Then, signals are reformatted to reduce the coding biases inherent in peripheral mechanics, and wind cues are brought into the same circular coordinate system that represents visual cues and self-motion signals. Because the compass incorporates both mechanosensory and visual cues, it should enable navigation under conditions where no single cue is consistently reliable. These results show how local sensory signals can be transformed into a global, multimodal, abstract representation of space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuo S Okubo
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paola Patella
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Rachel I Wilson
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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13
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C. elegans episodic swimming is driven by multifractal kinetics. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14775. [PMID: 32901071 PMCID: PMC7478975 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70319-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Fractal scaling is a common property of temporal change in various modes of animal behavior. The molecular mechanisms of fractal scaling in animal behaviors remain largely unexplored. The nematode C. elegans alternates between swimming and resting states in a liquid solution. Here, we report that C. elegans episodic swimming is characterized by scale-free kinetics with long-range temporal correlation and local temporal clusterization, namely consistent with multifractal kinetics. Residence times in actively-moving and inactive states were distributed in a power law-based scale-free manner. Multifractal analysis showed that temporal correlation and temporal clusterization were distinct between the actively-moving state and the inactive state. These results indicate that C. elegans episodic swimming is driven by transition between two behavioral states, in which each of two transition kinetics follows distinct multifractal kinetics. We found that a conserved behavioral modulator, cyclic GMP dependent kinase (PKG) may regulate the multifractal kinetics underlying an animal behavior. Our combinatorial analysis approach involving molecular genetics and kinetics provides a platform for the molecular dissection of the fractal nature of physiological and behavioral phenomena.
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14
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Yuan D, Ji X, Hao S, Gestrich JY, Duan W, Wang X, Xiang Y, Yang J, Hu P, Xu M, Liu L, Wei H. Lamina feedback neurons regulate the bandpass property of the flicker-induced orientation response in Drosophila. J Neurochem 2020; 156:59-75. [PMID: 32383496 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Natural scenes contain complex visual cues with specific features, including color, motion, flicker, and position. It is critical to understand how different visual features are processed at the early stages of visual perception to elicit appropriate cellular responses, and even behavioral output. Here, we studied the visual orientation response induced by flickering stripes in a novel behavioral paradigm in Drosophila melanogaster. We found that free walking flies exhibited bandpass orientation response to flickering stripes of different frequencies. The most sensitive frequency spectrum was confined to low frequencies of 2-4 Hz. Through genetic silencing, we showed that lamina L1 and L2 neurons, which receive visual inputs from R1 to R6 neurons, were the main components in mediating flicker-induced orientation behavior. Moreover, specific blocking of different types of lamina feedback neurons Lawf1, Lawf2, C2, C3, and T1 modulated orientation responses to flickering stripes of particular frequencies, suggesting that bandpass orientation response was generated through cooperative modulation of lamina feedback neurons. Furthermore, we found that lamina feedback neurons Lawf1 were glutamatergic. Thermal activation of Lawf1 neurons could suppress neural activities in L1 and L2 neurons, which could be blocked by the glutamate-gated chloride channel inhibitor picrotoxin (PTX). In summary, lamina monopolar neurons L1 and L2 are the primary components in mediating flicker-induced orientation response. Meanwhile, lamina feedback neurons cooperatively modulate the orientation response in a frequency-dependent way, which might be achieved through modulating neural activities of L1 and L2 neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deliang Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoxiao Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Shun Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Julia Yvonne Gestrich
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Wenlan Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xinwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yuanhang Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Jihua Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Pengbo Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Mengbo Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Li Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Hongying Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
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15
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Auletta A, Rue MCP, Harley CM, Mesce KA. Tyrosine hydroxylase immunolabeling reveals the distribution of catecholaminergic neurons in the central nervous systems of the spiders Hogna lenta (Araneae: Lycosidae) and Phidippus regius (Araneae: Salticidae). J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:211-230. [PMID: 31343075 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
With over 48,000 species currently described, spiders (Arthropoda: Chelicerata: Araneae) comprise one of the most diverse groups of animals on our planet, and exhibit an equally wide array of fascinating behaviors. Studies of central nervous systems (CNSs) in spiders, however, are relatively sparse, and no reports have yet characterized catecholaminergic (dopamine [DA]- or norepinephrine-synthesizing) neurons in any spider species. Because these neuromodulators are especially important for sensory and motor processing across animal taxa, we embarked on a study to identify catecholaminergic neurons in the CNS of the wolf spider Hogna lenta (Lycosidae) and the jumping spider Phidippus regius (Salticidae). These neurons were most effectively labeled with an antiserum raised against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine synthesis. We found extensive catecholamine-rich neuronal fibers in the first- and second-order optic neuropils of the supraesophageal mass (brain), as well as in the arcuate body, a region of the brain thought to receive visual input and which may be involved in higher order sensorimotor integration. This structure likely shares evolutionary origins with the DA-enriched central complex of the Mandibulata. In the subesophageal mass, we detected an extensive filigree of TH-immunoreactive (TH-ir) arborizations in the appendage neuromeres, as well as three prominent plurisegmental fiber tracts. A vast abundance of TH-ir somata were located in the opisthosomal neuromeres, the largest of which appeared to project to the brain and decorate the appendage neuromeres. Our study underscores the important roles that the catecholamines likely play in modulating spider vision, higher order sensorimotor processing, and motor patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Auletta
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota
| | - Mara C P Rue
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota
| | - Cynthia M Harley
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota
| | - Karen A Mesce
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota.,Department of Neuroscience and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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16
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Blanco-Redondo B, Nuwal N, Kneitz S, Nuwal T, Halder P, Liu Y, Ehmann N, Scholz N, Mayer A, Kleber J, Kähne T, Schmitt D, Sadanandappa MK, Funk N, Albertova V, Helfrich-Förster C, Ramaswami M, Hasan G, Kittel RJ, Langenhan T, Gerber B, Buchner E. Implications of the Sap47 null mutation for synapsin phosphorylation, longevity, climbing proficiency and behavioural plasticity in adult Drosophila. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.203505. [PMID: 31488622 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.203505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The Sap47 gene of Drosophila melanogaster encodes a highly abundant 47 kDa synaptic vesicle-associated protein. Sap47 null mutants show defects in synaptic plasticity and larval olfactory associative learning but the molecular function of Sap47 at the synapse is unknown. We demonstrate that Sap47 modulates the phosphorylation of another highly abundant conserved presynaptic protein, synapsin. Site-specific phosphorylation of Drosophila synapsin has repeatedly been shown to be important for behavioural plasticity but it was not known where these phospho-synapsin isoforms are localized in the brain. Here, we report the distribution of serine-6-phosphorylated synapsin in the adult brain and show that it is highly enriched in rings of synapses in the ellipsoid body and in large synapses near the lateral triangle. The effects of knockout of Sap47 or synapsin on olfactory associative learning/memory support the hypothesis that both proteins operate in the same molecular pathway. We therefore asked if this might also be true for other aspects of their function. We show that knockout of Sap47 but not synapsin reduces lifespan, whereas knockout of Sap47 and synapsin, either individually or together, affects climbing proficiency, as well as plasticity in circadian rhythms and sleep. Furthermore, electrophysiological assessment of synaptic properties at the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) reveals increased spontaneous synaptic vesicle fusion and reduced paired pulse facilitation in Sap47 and synapsin single and double mutants. Our results imply that Sap47 and synapsin cooperate non-uniformly in the control of synaptic properties in different behaviourally relevant neuronal networks of the fruitfly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Blanco-Redondo
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University of Würzburg, 97078 Würzburg, Germany .,Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.,Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, Division of General Biochemistry, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nidhi Nuwal
- Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Kneitz
- Department of Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tulip Nuwal
- Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Partho Halder
- Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Yiting Liu
- Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Nadine Ehmann
- Department of Neurophysiology, Institute of Physiology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.,Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Carl-Ludwig-Institute for Physiology, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicole Scholz
- Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, Division of General Biochemistry, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Neurophysiology, Institute of Physiology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Annika Mayer
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University of Würzburg, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jörg Kleber
- Leibniz Institute of Neurobiology, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Thilo Kähne
- Institute of Experimental Internal Medicine, Otto von Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dominique Schmitt
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University of Würzburg, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Madhumala K Sadanandappa
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University of Würzburg, 97078 Würzburg, Germany.,National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, Karnataka 560065, India
| | - Natalja Funk
- Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Viera Albertova
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University of Würzburg, 97078 Würzburg, Germany.,Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Charlotte Helfrich-Förster
- Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Mani Ramaswami
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, Karnataka 560065, India
| | - Gaiti Hasan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, Karnataka 560065, India
| | - Robert J Kittel
- Department of Neurophysiology, Institute of Physiology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.,Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Carl-Ludwig-Institute for Physiology, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Langenhan
- Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, Division of General Biochemistry, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Neurophysiology, Institute of Physiology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Bertram Gerber
- Leibniz Institute of Neurobiology, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany.,Institute of Biology, University of Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Erich Buchner
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University of Würzburg, 97078 Würzburg, Germany .,Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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17
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Abstract
The Drosophila melanogaster foraging (for) gene is a well-established example of a gene with major effects on behavior and natural variation. This gene is best known for underlying the behavioral strategies of rover and sitter foraging larvae, having been mapped and named for this phenotype. Nevertheless, in the last three decades an extensive array of studies describing for's role as a modifier of behavior in a wide range of phenotypes, in both Drosophila and other organisms, has emerged. Furthermore, recent work reveals new insights into the genetic and molecular underpinnings of how for affects these phenotypes. In this article, we discuss the history of the for gene and its role in natural variation in behavior, plasticity, and behavioral pleiotropy, with special attention to recent findings on the molecular structure and transcriptional regulation of this gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina Anreiter
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B2, Canada;
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B2, Canada;
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18
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Abstract
The ellipsoid body, a doughnut-shaped part of the fly brain, is essential for visual working memory. Gaseous second messengers establish a functional ellipsoid body and act as a short-term aid in orientation behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy Zars
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
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19
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Coll-Tané M, Krebbers A, Castells-Nobau A, Zweier C, Schenck A. Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders 'on the fly': insights from Drosophila. Dis Model Mech 2019; 12:dmm039180. [PMID: 31088981 PMCID: PMC6550041 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.039180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are frequently co-occurring neurodevelopmental disorders and affect 2-3% of the population. Rapid advances in exome and genome sequencing have increased the number of known implicated genes by threefold, to more than a thousand. The main challenges in the field are now to understand the various pathomechanisms associated with this bewildering number of genetic disorders, to identify new genes and to establish causality of variants in still-undiagnosed cases, and to work towards causal treatment options that so far are available only for a few metabolic conditions. To meet these challenges, the research community needs highly efficient model systems. With an increasing number of relevant assays and rapidly developing novel methodologies, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is ideally positioned to change gear in ID and ASD research. The aim of this Review is to summarize some of the exciting work that already has drawn attention to Drosophila as a model for these disorders. We highlight well-established ID- and ASD-relevant fly phenotypes at the (sub)cellular, brain and behavioral levels, and discuss strategies of how this extraordinarily efficient and versatile model can contribute to 'next generation' medical genomics and to a better understanding of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mireia Coll-Tané
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Alina Krebbers
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anna Castells-Nobau
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Christiane Zweier
- Institute of Human Genetics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Annette Schenck
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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20
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Scaplen KM, Mei NJ, Bounds HA, Song SL, Azanchi R, Kaun KR. Automated real-time quantification of group locomotor activity in Drosophila melanogaster. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4427. [PMID: 30872709 PMCID: PMC6418093 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40952-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in neurogenetics have highlighted Drosophila melanogaster as an exciting model to study neural circuit dynamics and complex behavior. Automated tracking methods have facilitated the study of complex behaviors via high throughput behavioral screening. Here we describe a newly developed low-cost assay capable of real-time monitoring and quantifying Drosophila group activity. This platform offers reliable real-time quantification with open source software and a user-friendly interface for data acquisition and analysis. We demonstrate the utility of this platform by characterizing ethanol-induced locomotor activity in a dose-dependent manner as well as the effects of thermo and optogenetic manipulation of ellipsoid body neurons important for ethanol-induced locomotor activity. As expected, low doses of ethanol induced an initial startle and slow ramping of group activity, whereas high doses of ethanol induced sustained group activity followed by sedation. Advanced offline processing revealed discrete behavioral features characteristic of intoxication. Thermogenetic inactivation of ellipsoid body ring neurons reduced group activity whereas optogenetic activation increased activity. Together, these data establish the fly Group Activity Monitor (flyGrAM) platform as a robust means of obtaining an online read out of group activity in response to manipulations to the environment or neural activity, with an opportunity for more advanced post-processing offline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M Scaplen
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University Providence, Providence, USA
| | - Nicholas J Mei
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University Providence, Providence, USA
| | - Hayley A Bounds
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University Providence, Providence, USA
| | - Sophia L Song
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University Providence, Providence, USA
| | - Reza Azanchi
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University Providence, Providence, USA
| | - Karla R Kaun
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University Providence, Providence, USA.
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21
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Kottler B, Faville R, Bridi JC, Hirth F. Inverse Control of Turning Behavior by Dopamine D1 Receptor Signaling in Columnar and Ring Neurons of the Central Complex in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2019; 29:567-577.e6. [PMID: 30713106 PMCID: PMC6384123 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Action selection is a prerequisite for decision-making and a fundamental aspect to any goal-directed locomotion; it requires integration of sensory signals and internal states to translate them into action sequences. Here, we introduce a novel behavioral analysis to study neural circuits and mechanisms underlying action selection and decision-making in freely moving Drosophila. We discovered preferred patterns of motor activity and turning behavior. These patterns are impaired in FoxP mutant flies, which present an altered temporal organization of motor actions and turning behavior, reminiscent of indecisiveness. Then, focusing on central complex (CX) circuits known to integrate different sensory modalities and controlling premotor regions, we show that action sequences and turning behavior are regulated by dopamine D1-like receptor (Dop1R1) signaling. Dop1R1 inputs onto CX columnar ellipsoid body-protocerebral bridge gall (E-PG) neuron and ellipsoid body (EB) R2/R4m ring neuron circuits both negatively gate motor activity but inversely control turning behavior. Although flies deficient of D1 receptor signaling present normal turning behavior despite decreased activity, restoring Dop1R1 level in R2/R4m-specific circuitry affects the temporal organization of motor actions and turning. We finally show EB R2/R4m neurons are in contact with E-PG neurons that are thought to encode body orientation and heading direction of the fly. These findings suggest that Dop1R1 signaling in E-PG and EB R2/4 m circuits are compared against each other, thereby modulating patterns of activity and turning behavior for goal-directed locomotion. Freely moving Drosophila present preferred patterns of activity and turning behavior FoxP mutations affect temporal distribution of motor actions and turning behavior Central complex columnar E-PG and R2/4 m ring neurons inversely regulate turning Dopamine D1-like receptor signaling in R2/R4m ring neurons modulates behavior
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Kottler
- Department of Basic & Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Richard Faville
- Department of Basic & Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jessika Cristina Bridi
- Department of Basic & Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Frank Hirth
- Department of Basic & Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK.
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22
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Omoto JJ, Nguyen BCM, Kandimalla P, Lovick JK, Donlea JM, Hartenstein V. Neuronal Constituents and Putative Interactions Within the Drosophila Ellipsoid Body Neuropil. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:103. [PMID: 30546298 PMCID: PMC6278638 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The central complex (CX) is a midline-situated collection of neuropil compartments in the arthropod central brain, implicated in higher-order processes such as goal-directed navigation. Here, we provide a systematic genetic-neuroanatomical analysis of the ellipsoid body (EB), a compartment which represents a major afferent portal of the Drosophila CX. The neuropil volume of the EB, along with its prominent input compartment, called the bulb, is subdivided into precisely tessellated domains, distinguishable based on intensity of the global marker DN-cadherin. EB tangential elements (so-called ring neurons), most of which are derived from the DALv2 neuroblast lineage, predominantly interconnect the bulb and EB domains in a topographically organized fashion. Using the DN-cadherin domains as a framework, we first characterized this connectivity by Gal4 driver lines expressed in different DALv2 ring neuron (R-neuron) subclasses. We identified 11 subclasses, 6 of which correspond to previously described projection patterns, and 5 novel patterns. These subclasses both spatially (based on EB innervation pattern) and numerically (cell counts) summate to the total EB volume and R-neuron cell number, suggesting that our compilation of R-neuron subclasses approaches completion. EB columnar elements, as well as non-DALv2 derived extrinsic ring neurons (ExR-neurons), were also incorporated into this anatomical framework. Finally, we addressed the connectivity between R-neurons and their targets, using the anterograde trans-synaptic labeling method, trans-Tango. This study demonstrates putative interactions of R-neuron subclasses and reveals general principles of information flow within the EB network. Our work will facilitate the generation and testing of hypotheses regarding circuit interactions within the EB and the rest of the CX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaison Jiro Omoto
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Bao-Chau Minh Nguyen
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Pratyush Kandimalla
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jennifer Kelly Lovick
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jeffrey Michael Donlea
- Department of Neurobiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Volker Hartenstein
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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23
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Genome-wide DNA methylation changes associated with olfactory learning and memory in Apis mellifera. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17017. [PMID: 29208987 PMCID: PMC5717273 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17046-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The honeybee is a model organism for studying learning and memory formation and its underlying molecular mechanisms. While DNA methylation is well studied in caste differentiation, its role in learning and memory is not clear in honeybees. Here, we analyzed genome-wide DNA methylation changes during olfactory learning and memory process in A. mellifera using whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) method. A total of 853 significantly differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and 963 differentially methylated genes (DMGs) were identified. We discovered that 440 DMRs of 648 genes were hypermethylated and 274 DMRs of 336 genes were hypomethylated in trained group compared to untrained group. Of these DMGs, many are critical genes involved in learning and memory, such as Creb, GABABR and Ip3k, indicating extensive involvement of DNA methylation in honeybee olfactory learning and memory process. Furthermore, key enzymes for histone methylation, RNA editing and miRNA processing also showed methylation changes during this process, implying that DNA methylation can affect learning and memory of honeybees by regulating other epigenetic modification processes.
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24
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Shiozaki HM, Kazama H. Parallel encoding of recent visual experience and self-motion during navigation in Drosophila. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:1395-1403. [PMID: 28869583 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Animal navigation requires multiple types of information for decisions on directional heading. We identified neural processing channels that encode multiple cues during navigational decision-making in Drosophila melanogaster. In a flight simulator, we found that flies made directional choices on the basis of the location of a recently presented landmark. This experience-guided navigation was impaired by silencing neurons in the bulb (BU), a region in the central brain. Two-photon calcium imaging during flight revealed that the dorsal part of the BU encodes the location of a recent landmark, whereas the ventral part of the BU tracks self-motion reflecting turns. Photolabeling-based circuit tracing indicated that these functional compartments of the BU constitute adjacent, yet distinct, anatomical pathways that both enter the navigation center. Thus, the fly's navigation system organizes multiple types of information in parallel channels, which may compactly transmit signals without interference for decision-making during flight.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hokto Kazama
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama, Japan.,Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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25
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Serotonin modulates a depression-like state in Drosophila responsive to lithium treatment. Nat Commun 2017; 8:15738. [PMID: 28585544 PMCID: PMC5467214 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects millions of patients; however, the pathophysiology is poorly understood. Rodent models have been developed using chronic mild stress or unavoidable punishment (learned helplessness) to induce features of depression, like general inactivity and anhedonia. Here we report a three-day vibration-stress protocol for Drosophila that reduces voluntary behavioural activity. As in many MDD patients, lithium-chloride treatment can suppress this depression-like state in flies. The behavioural changes correlate with reduced serotonin (5-HT) release at the mushroom body (MB) and can be relieved by feeding the antidepressant 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan or sucrose, which results in elevated 5-HT levels in the brain. This relief is mediated by 5-HT-1A receptors in the α-/β-lobes of the MB, whereas 5-HT-1B receptors in the γ-lobes control behavioural inactivity. The central role of serotonin in modulating stress responses in flies and mammals indicates evolutionary conserved pathways that can provide targets for treatment and strategies to induce resilience. Features of major depressive disorder including lack of motivation, sleep disruption and cognitive deficit have been modelled in rodents. Here, the authors develop a new method to elicit a depression-like state in Drosophila, and uncover separable roles for different serotonin receptors in depression-like behaviour.
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26
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Plath JA, Entler BV, Kirkerud NH, Schlegel U, Galizia CG, Barron AB. Different Roles for Honey Bee Mushroom Bodies and Central Complex in Visual Learning of Colored Lights in an Aversive Conditioning Assay. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:98. [PMID: 28611605 PMCID: PMC5447682 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The honey bee is an excellent visual learner, but we know little about how and why it performs so well, or how visual information is learned by the bee brain. Here we examined the different roles of two key integrative regions of the brain in visual learning: the mushroom bodies and the central complex. We tested bees' learning performance in a new assay of color learning that used electric shock as punishment. In this assay a light field was paired with electric shock. The other half of the conditioning chamber was illuminated with light of a different wavelength and not paired with shocks. The unrestrained bee could run away from the light stimulus and thereby associate one wavelength with punishment, and the other with safety. We compared learning performance of bees in which either the central complex or mushroom bodies had been transiently inactivated by microinjection of the reversible anesthetic procaine. Control bees learned to escape the shock-paired light field and to spend more time in the safe light field after a few trials. When ventral lobe neurons of the mushroom bodies were silenced, bees were no longer able to associate one light field with shock. By contrast, silencing of one collar region of the mushroom body calyx did not alter behavior in the learning assay in comparison to control treatment. Bees with silenced central complex neurons did not leave the shock-paired light field in the middle trials of training, even after a few seconds of being shocked. We discussed how mushroom bodies and the central complex both contribute to aversive visual learning with an operant component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny A Plath
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanz, Germany
| | - Brian V Entler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Biology, University of ScrantonScranton, PA, United States
| | - Nicholas H Kirkerud
- Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanz, Germany.,International Max-Planck Research School for Organismal Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanz, Germany
| | - Ulrike Schlegel
- Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanz, Germany.,Department of Biosciences, University of OsloOslo, Norway
| | | | - Andrew B Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia
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27
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Minocha S, Boll W, Noll M. Crucial roles of Pox neuro in the developing ellipsoid body and antennal lobes of the Drosophila brain. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176002. [PMID: 28441464 PMCID: PMC5404782 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The paired box gene Pox neuro (Poxn) is expressed in two bilaterally symmetric neuronal clusters of the developing adult Drosophila brain, a protocerebral dorsal cluster (DC) and a deutocerebral ventral cluster (VC). We show that all cells that express Poxn in the developing brain are postmitotic neurons. During embryogenesis, the DC and VC consist of only 20 and 12 neurons that express Poxn, designated embryonic Poxn-neurons. The number of Poxn-neurons increases only during the third larval instar, when the DC and VC increase dramatically to about 242 and 109 Poxn-neurons, respectively, virtually all of which survive to the adult stage, while no new Poxn-neurons are added during metamorphosis. Although the vast majority of Poxn-neurons express Poxn only during third instar, about half of them are born by the end of embryogenesis, as demonstrated by the absence of BrdU incorporation during larval stages. At late third instar, embryonic Poxn-neurons, which begin to express Poxn during embryogenesis, can be easily distinguished from embryonic-born and larval-born Poxn-neurons, which begin to express Poxn only during third instar, (i) by the absence of Pros, (ii) their overt differentiation of axons and neurites, and (iii) the strikingly larger diameter of their cell bodies still apparent in the adult brain. The embryonic Poxn-neurons are primary neurons that lay out the pioneering tracts for the secondary Poxn-neurons, which differentiate projections and axons that follow those of the primary neurons during metamorphosis. The DC and the VC participate only in two neuropils of the adult brain. The DC forms most, if not all, of the neurons that connect the bulb (lateral triangle) with the ellipsoid body, a prominent neuropil of the central complex, while the VC forms most of the ventral projection neurons of the antennal lobe, which connect it ipsilaterally to the lateral horn, bypassing the mushroom bodies. In addition, Poxn-neurons of the VC are ventral local interneurons of the antennal lobe. In the absence of Poxn protein in the developing brain, embryonic Poxn-neurons stall their projections and cannot find their proper target neuropils, the bulb and ellipsoid body in the case of the DC, or the antennal lobe and lateral horn in the case of the VC, whereby the absence of the ellipsoid body neuropil is particularly striking. Poxn is thus crucial for pathfinding both in the DC and VC. Additional implications of our results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilpi Minocha
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Werner Boll
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Markus Noll
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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28
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Rillich J, Stevenson PA. Losing without Fighting - Simple Aversive Stimulation Induces Submissiveness Typical for Social Defeat via the Action of Nitric Oxide, but Only When Preceded by an Aggression Priming Stimulus. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:50. [PMID: 28381994 PMCID: PMC5360729 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Losing a fight (social defeat) induces submissiveness and behavioral depression in many animals, but the mechanisms are unclear. Here we investigate how the social defeat syndrome can be established as a result of experiencing aversive stimuli and the roles of neuromodulators in the process. While biogenic amines and nitric oxide (NO) are associated with reduced aggression in mammals and insects, their specific actions during conflict are unknown. Although the social defeat syndrome normally results from complex interactions, we could induce it in male crickets simply by applying aversive stimuli (AS) in an aggressive context. Aggressive crickets became immediately submissive and behaved like losers after experiencing two brief AS (light wind puffs to the cerci), but only when preceded by a priming stimulus (PS, stroking the antenna with another male antenna). Notably, submissiveness was not induced when the PS preceded the AS by more than 1 min, or when the PS followed the AS, or using a female antenna as the preceding stimulus. These findings suggest that any potentially detrimental stimulus can acquire the attribute of an aversive agonistic signal when experienced in an aggressive context. Crickets, it seems, need only to evaluate their net sensory impact rather than the qualities of a variety of complex agonistic signals. Selective drug treatments revealed that NO, but not serotonin, dopamine or octopamine, is necessary to establish the submissive status following pairing of the priming and aversive stimuli. Moreover, treatment with an NO donor also induced the social defeat syndrome, but only when combined with the PS. This confirms our hypothesis that aversive agonistic experiences accumulated by crickets during fighting invoke social defeat via the action of NO and illustrates that a relatively simple mechanism underlies the seemingly complex social decision to flee. The simple stimulus regime described here for inducing social defeat opens new avenues for investigating the cellular control of subordinate behavior and post-conflict depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Rillich
- Institute for Biology, Leipzig University Leipzig, Germany
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29
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Kuntz S, Poeck B, Strauss R. Visual Working Memory Requires Permissive and Instructive NO/cGMP Signaling at Presynapses in the Drosophila Central Brain. Curr Biol 2017; 27:613-623. [PMID: 28216314 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.12.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Revised: 12/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The gaseous second messenger nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to regulate memory formation by activating retrograde signaling cascades from post- to presynapse that involve cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production to induce synaptic plasticity and transcriptional changes. In this study, we analyzed the role of NO in the formation of a visual working memory that lasts only a few seconds. This memory is encoded in a subset of ring neurons that form the ellipsoid body in the Drosophila brain. Using genetic and pharmacological manipulations, we show that NO signaling is required for cGMP-mediated CREB activation, leading to the expression of competence factors like the synaptic homer protein. Interestingly, this cell-autonomous function can also be fulfilled by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) through a converging pathway, revealing for the first time that endogenously produced H2S has a role in memory processes. Notably, the NO synthase is strictly localized to the axonal output branches of the ring neurons, and this localization seems to be necessary for a second, phasic role of NO signaling. We provide evidence for a model where NO modulates the opening of cGMP-regulated cation channels to encode a short-term memory trace. Local production of NO/cGMP in restricted branches of ring neurons seems to represent the engram for objects, and comparing signal levels between individual ring neurons is used to orient the fly during search behavior. Due to its short half-life, NO seems to be a uniquely suited second messenger to encode working memories that have to be restricted in their duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Kuntz
- Institut für Zoologie III (Neurobiologie), Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Colonel-Kleinmann-Weg 2, 55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - Burkhard Poeck
- Institut für Zoologie III (Neurobiologie), Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Colonel-Kleinmann-Weg 2, 55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - Roland Strauss
- Institut für Zoologie III (Neurobiologie), Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Colonel-Kleinmann-Weg 2, 55099 Mainz, Germany.
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30
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Sokolowski HM, Vasquez OE, Unternaehrer E, Sokolowski DJ, Biergans SD, Atkinson L, Gonzalez A, Silveira PP, Levitan R, O'Donnell KJ, Steiner M, Kennedy J, Meaney MJ, Fleming AS, Sokolowski MB. The Drosophila foraging gene human orthologue PRKG1 predicts individual differences in the effects of early adversity on maternal sensitivity. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2016; 42:62-73. [PMID: 28827895 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
There is variation in the extent to which childhood adverse experience affects adult individual differences in maternal behavior. Genetic variation in the animal foraging gene, which encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase, contributes to variation in the responses of adult fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, to early life adversity and is also known to play a role in maternal behavior in social insects. Here we investigate genetic variation in the human foraging gene (PRKG1) as a predictor of individual differences in the effects of early adversity on maternal behavior in two cohorts. We show that the PRKG1 genetic polymorphism rs2043556 associates with maternal sensitivity towards their infants. We also show that rs2043556 moderates the association between self-reported childhood adversity of the mother and her later maternal sensitivity. Mothers with the TT allele of rs2043556 appeared buffered from the effects of early adversity, whereas mothers with the presence of a C allele were not. Our study used the Toronto Longitudinal Cohort (N=288 mother-16 month old infant pairs) and the Maternal Adversity and Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment Cohort (N=281 mother-18 month old infant pairs). Our findings expand the literature on the contributions of both genetics and gene-environment interactions to maternal sensitivity, a salient feature of the early environment relevant for child neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Moriah Sokolowski
- Department of Psychology, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Westminster Hall, Room 325, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7
| | - Oscar E Vasquez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 25 Wilcocks St. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | - Eva Unternaehrer
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875, Boulevard LaSalle, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4H 1R3
| | - Dustin J Sokolowski
- Department of Biology, University of Western, Ontario, Toronto, Canada, N6A 3K7
| | - Stephanie D Biergans
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 25 Wilcocks St. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | - Leslie Atkinson
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B2K3
| | - Andrea Gonzalez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster Innovation Park, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
| | - Patricia P Silveira
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875, Boulevard LaSalle, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4H 1R3
| | - Robert Levitan
- Women's Health Concerns Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare, 50 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8G 5E4
| | - Kieran J O'Donnell
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875, Boulevard LaSalle, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4H 1R3.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), 180 Dundas St West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5G 1Z8
| | - Meir Steiner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster Innovation Park, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1.,Women's Health Concerns Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare, 50 Charlton Avenue East, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8G 5E4
| | - James Kennedy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto and Centre for Addiction an Mental Health, 33 Russell St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3M1
| | - Michael J Meaney
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875, Boulevard LaSalle, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4H 1R3.,Singapore Institute for Clinical Science, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), 180 Dundas St West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5G 1Z8
| | - Alison S Fleming
- Department of Psychology, 100 St. George Street, Sidney Smith Hall Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 25 Wilcocks St. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), 180 Dundas St West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5G 1Z8
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31
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Fiore VG, Dolan RJ, Strausfeld NJ, Hirth F. Evolutionarily conserved mechanisms for the selection and maintenance of behavioural activity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2015.0053. [PMID: 26554043 PMCID: PMC4650127 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Survival and reproduction entail the selection of adaptive behavioural repertoires. This selection manifests as phylogenetically acquired activities that depend on evolved nervous system circuitries. Lorenz and Tinbergen already postulated that heritable behaviours and their reliable performance are specified by genetically determined programs. Here we compare the functional anatomy of the insect central complex and vertebrate basal ganglia to illustrate their role in mediating selection and maintenance of adaptive behaviours. Comparative analyses reveal that central complex and basal ganglia circuitries share comparable lineage relationships within clusters of functionally integrated neurons. These clusters are specified by genetic mechanisms that link birth time and order to their neuronal identities and functions. Their subsequent connections and associated functions are characterized by similar mechanisms that implement dimensionality reduction and transition through attractor states, whereby spatially organized parallel-projecting loops integrate and convey sensorimotor representations that select and maintain behavioural activity. In both taxa, these neural systems are modulated by dopamine signalling that also mediates memory-like processes. The multiplicity of similarities between central complex and basal ganglia suggests evolutionarily conserved computational mechanisms for action selection. We speculate that these may have originated from ancestral ground pattern circuitries present in the brain of the last common ancestor of insects and vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo G Fiore
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, UK
| | | | - Frank Hirth
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Basic & Clinical Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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32
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Smid HM, Vet LE. The complexity of learning, memory and neural processes in an evolutionary ecological context. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 15:61-69. [PMID: 27436733 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to learn and form memories is widespread among insects, but there exists considerable natural variation between species and populations in these traits. Variation manifests itself in the way information is stored in different memory forms. This review focuses on ecological factors such as environmental information, spatial aspects of foraging behavior and resource distribution that drive the evolution of this natural variation and discusses the role of different genes and neural networks. We conclude that at the level of individual, population or species, insect learning and memory cannot be described as good or bad. Rather, we argue that insects evolve tailor-made learning and memory types; they gate learned information into memories with high or low persistence. This way, they are prepared to learn and form memory to optimally deal with the specific ecologies of their foraging environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans M Smid
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Louise Em Vet
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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33
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Webb B, Wystrach A. Neural mechanisms of insect navigation. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 15:27-39. [PMID: 27436729 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We know more about the ethology of insect navigation than the neural substrates. Few studies have shown direct effects of brain manipulation on navigational behaviour; or measure brain responses that clearly relate to the animal's current location or spatial target, independently of specific sensory cues. This is partly due to the methodological problems of obtaining neural data in a naturally behaving animal. However, substantial indirect evidence, such as comparative anatomy and knowledge of the neural circuits that provide relevant sensory inputs provide converging arguments for the role of some specific brain areas: the mushroom bodies; and the central complex. Finally, modelling can help bridge the gap by relating the computational requirements of a given navigational task to the type of computation offered by different brain areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Webb
- School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, 10 Crichton St, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK.
| | - Antoine Wystrach
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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34
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Central-complex control of movement in the freely walking cockroach. Curr Biol 2015; 25:2795-2803. [PMID: 26592340 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.09.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Revised: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
To navigate in the world, an animal's brain must produce commands to move, change direction, and negotiate obstacles. In the insect brain, the central complex integrates multiple forms of sensory information and guides locomotion during behaviors such as foraging, climbing over barriers, and navigating to memorized locations. These roles suggest that the central complex influences motor commands, directing the appropriate movement within the current context. Such commands are ultimately carried out by the limbs and must therefore interact with pattern generators and reflex circuits that coordinate them. Recent studies have described how neurons of the central complex encode sensory information: neurons subdivide the space around the animal, encoding the direction or orientation of stimuli used in navigation. Does a similar central-complex code directing movement exist, and if so, how does it effect changes in the control of limbs? Recording from central-complex neurons in freely walking cockroaches (Blaberus discoidalis), we identified classes of movement-predictive cells selective for slow or fast forward walking, left or right turns, or combinations of forward and turning speeds. Stimulation through recording wires produced consistent trajectories of forward walking or turning in these animals, and those that elicited turns also altered an inter-joint reflex to a pattern resembling spontaneous turning. When an animal transitioned to climbing over an obstacle, the encoding of movement in this new context changed for a subset of cells. These results indicate that encoding of movement in the central complex participates in motor control by a distributed, flexible code targeting limb reflex circuits.
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35
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Solanki N, Wolf R, Heisenberg M. Central complex and mushroom bodies mediate novelty choice behavior in Drosophila. J Neurogenet 2015; 29:30-7. [PMID: 25585638 DOI: 10.3109/01677063.2014.1002661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Novelty choice, a visual paired-comparison task, for the fly Drosophila melanogaster is studied with severely restrained single animals in a flight simulator. The virtual environment simulates free flight for rotation in the horizontal plane. The behavior has three functional components: visual azimuth orientation, working memory, and pattern discrimination (perception). Here we study novelty choice in relation to its neural substrate in the brain and show that it requires the central complex and, in particular, the ring neurons of the ellipsoid body. Surprisingly, it also involves the mushroom bodies which are needed specifically in the comparison of patterns of different sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narendra Solanki
- Rudolf-Virchow-Center, University of Würzburg , Josef-Schneider-Straße 2, Würzburg , Germany
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36
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Wolff T, Iyer NA, Rubin GM. Neuroarchitecture and neuroanatomy of the Drosophila central complex: A GAL4-based dissection of protocerebral bridge neurons and circuits. J Comp Neurol 2014; 523:997-1037. [PMID: 25380328 PMCID: PMC4407839 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Revised: 10/27/2014] [Accepted: 10/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Insects exhibit an elaborate repertoire of behaviors in response to environmental stimuli. The central complex plays a key role in combining various modalities of sensory information with an insect's internal state and past experience to select appropriate responses. Progress has been made in understanding the broad spectrum of outputs from the central complex neuropils and circuits involved in numerous behaviors. Many resident neurons have also been identified. However, the specific roles of these intricate structures and the functional connections between them remain largely obscure. Significant gains rely on obtaining a comprehensive catalog of the neurons and associated GAL4 lines that arborize within these brain regions, and on mapping neuronal pathways connecting these structures. To this end, small populations of neurons in the Drosophila melanogaster central complex were stochastically labeled using the multicolor flip-out technique and a catalog was created of the neurons, their morphologies, trajectories, relative arrangements, and corresponding GAL4 lines. This report focuses on one structure of the central complex, the protocerebral bridge, and identifies just 17 morphologically distinct cell types that arborize in this structure. This work also provides new insights into the anatomical structure of the four components of the central complex and its accessory neuropils. Most strikingly, we found that the protocerebral bridge contains 18 glomeruli, not 16, as previously believed. Revised wiring diagrams that take into account this updated architectural design are presented. This updated map of the Drosophila central complex will facilitate a deeper behavioral and physiological dissection of this sophisticated set of structures. J. Comp. Neurol. 523:997–1037, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Wolff
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, 20147
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Jin N, Landgraf T, Klein S, Menzel R. Walking bumblebees memorize panorama and local cues in a laboratory test of navigation. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Urquhart-Cronish M, Sokolowski MB. Gene-environment interplay in Drosophila melanogaster: chronic nutritional deprivation in larval life affects adult fecal output. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2014; 69:95-100. [PMID: 24929224 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2013] [Revised: 06/01/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Life history consequences of stress in early life are varied and known to have lasting impacts on the fitness of an organism. Gene-environment interactions play a large role in how phenotypic differences are mediated by stressful conditions during development. Here we use natural allelic 'rover/sitter' variants of the foraging (for) gene and chronic early life nutrient deprivation to investigate gene-environment interactions on excretion phenotypes. Excretion assay analysis and a fully factorial nutritional regimen encompassing the larval and adult life cycle of Drosophila melanogaster were used to assess the effects of larval and adult nutritional stress on adult excretion phenotypes. Natural allelic variants of for exhibited differences in the number of fecal spots when they were nutritionally deprived as larvae and well fed as adults. for mediates the excretion response to chronic early-life nutritional stress in mated female, virgin female, and male rovers and sitters. Transgenic manipulations of for in a sitter genetic background under larval but not adult food deprivation increases the number of fecal spots. Our study shows that food deprivation early in life affects adult excretion phenotypes and these excretion differences are mediated by for.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marla B Sokolowski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada; Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON M5G 1ZB, Canada.
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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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Kahsai L, Zars T. Visual Working Memory: Now You See It, Now You Don’t. Curr Biol 2013; 23:R843-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.07.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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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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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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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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