@article {1231, title = {A sleep-inducing gene, nemuri, links sleep and immune function in Drosophila [Transgenic Fly Facility]}, journal = {Science}, volume = {363}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 02 01}, pages = {509-515}, abstract = {

Sleep remains a major mystery of biology. In particular, little is known about the mechanisms that account for the drive to sleep. In an unbiased screen of more than 12,000 lines, we identified a single gene, , that induces sleep. The NEMURI protein is an antimicrobial peptide that can be secreted ectopically to drive prolonged sleep (with resistance to arousal) and to promote survival after infection. Loss of increased arousability during daily sleep and attenuated the acute increase in sleep induced by sleep deprivation or bacterial infection. Conditions that increase sleep drive induced expression of in a small number of fly brain neurons and targeted it to the sleep-promoting, dorsal fan-shaped body. We propose that NEMURI is a bona fide sleep homeostasis factor that is particularly important under conditions of high sleep need; because these conditions include sickness, our findings provide a link between sleep and immune function.

}, keywords = {Animals, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides, Arousal, Bacterial Infections, Brain, Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila Proteins, Female, Gain of Function Mutation, Gene Knockout Techniques, Homeostasis, Immune System, Male, Neurons, Sleep}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.aat1650}, author = {Toda, Hirofumi and Williams, Julie A and Gulledge, Michael and Sehgal, Amita} } @article {475, title = {Genetic transformation of structural and functional circuitry rewires the Drosophila brain. [Drosophila Facility]}, journal = {Elife}, volume = {3}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Dec 29}, abstract = {

Acquisition of distinct neuronal identities during development is critical for the assembly of diverse functional neural circuits in the brain. In both vertebrates and invertebrates, intrinsic determinants are thought to act in neural progenitors to specify their identity and the identity of their neuronal progeny. However, the extent to which individual factors can contribute to this is poorly understood. We investigate the role of orthodenticle in the specification of an identified neuroblast (neuronal progenitor) lineage in the Drosophila brain. Loss of orthodenticle from this neuroblast affects molecular properties, neuroanatomical features, and functional inputs of progeny neurons, such that an entire central complex lineage transforms into a functional olfactory projection neuron lineage. This ability to change functional macrocircuitry of the brain through changes in gene expression in a single neuroblast reveals a surprising capacity for novel circuit formation in the brain and provides a paradigm for large-scale evolutionary modification of circuitry.

}, keywords = {Animals, Brain, Cell Lineage, Drosophila, Morphogenesis, Neurons}, issn = {2050-084X}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.04407}, author = {Sen, Sonia and Cao, Deshou and Choudhary, Ramveer and Biagini, Silvia and Wang, Jing W and Reichert, Heinrich and VijayRaghavan, K} } @article {534, title = {Glycans in regeneration.}, journal = {ACS Chem Biol}, volume = {9}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jan 17}, pages = {96-104}, abstract = {

Glycans participate in many key cellular processes during development and in physiology and disease. In this review, the functional role of various glycans in the regeneration of neurons and body parts in adult metazoans is discussed. Understanding glycosylation may facilitate research in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.

}, keywords = {Animals, Extremities, Glycosylation, Humans, Hydra, Nerve Regeneration, Neurons, Polysaccharides, Regeneration, Regenerative Medicine}, issn = {1554-8937}, doi = {10.1021/cb400784j}, author = {Babu, Ponnusamy} } @article {477, title = {A genetic RNAi screen for IP$_{3}$/Ca{\texttwosuperior}$^{+}$ coupled GPCRs in Drosophila identifies the PdfR as a regulator of insect flight. [Drosophila facility]}, journal = {PLoS Genet}, volume = {9}, year = {2013}, month = {2013}, pages = {e1003849}, abstract = {

Insect flight is regulated by various sensory inputs and neuromodulatory circuits which function in synchrony to control and fine-tune the final behavioral outcome. The cellular and molecular bases of flight neuromodulatory circuits are not well defined. In Drosophila melanogaster, it is known that neuronal IP3 receptor mediated Ca{\texttwosuperior}$^{+}$ signaling and store-operated Ca{\texttwosuperior}$^{+}$ entry (SOCE) are required for air-puff stimulated adult flight. However, G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that activate intracellular Ca{\texttwosuperior}$^{+}$ signaling in the context of flight are unknown in Drosophila. We performed a genetic RNAi screen to identify GPCRs that regulate flight by activating the IPIP$_{3}$ receptor. Among the 108 GPCRs screened, we discovered 5 IPIP$_{3}$/Ca{\texttwosuperior}$^{+}$ linked GPCRs that are necessary for maintenance of air-puff stimulated flight. Analysis of their temporal requirement established that while some GPCRs are required only during flight circuit development, others are required both in pupal development as well as during adult flight. Interestingly, our study identified the Pigment Dispersing Factor Receptor (PdfR) as a regulator of flight circuit development and as a modulator of acute flight. From the analysis of PdfR expressing neurons relevant for flight and its well-defined roles in other behavioral paradigms, we propose that PdfR signaling functions systemically to integrate multiple sensory inputs and modulate downstream motor behavior.

}, keywords = {Adult, Animals, Calcium Signaling, Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila Proteins, Flight, Animal, Humans, Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors, Neurons, Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled, RNA Interference, Signal Transduction}, issn = {1553-7404}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1003849}, author = {Agrawal, Tarjani and Sadaf, Sufia and Hasan, Gaiti} } @article {478, title = {Functional implementation of Drosophila itpr mutants by rat Itpr1. [Drosophila facility]}, journal = {J Neurogenet}, volume = {26}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Sep}, pages = {328-37}, abstract = {

The Drosophila inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP(3)R) and mammalian type-1 IP(3)Rs have 57-60\% sequence similarity and share major domain homology with each other. Mutants in the single Drosophila IP(3)R gene, itpr, and Itpr1 knockout mice both exhibit lethality and defects in motor coordination. Here the authors show that the rat type-1 IP(3)R, which is the major neuronal isoform, when expressed in the pan-neuronal domain in Drosophila, functionally complements Drosophila IP(3)R function at cellular and systemic levels. It rescues the established neuronal phenotypes of itpr mutants in Drosophila, including wing posture, flight, electrophysiological correlates of flight maintenance, and intracellular calcium dynamics. This is the first in vivo demonstration of functional homology between a mammalian and fly IP(3)R. This study also paves the way for cellular and molecular analyses of the spinocerebellar ataxias in Drosophila, since SCA15/16 is known to be caused by heterozygosity of human ITPR1.

}, keywords = {Animals, Animals, Genetically Modified, Calcium, Cells, Cultured, Cytosol, Drosophila, Drosophila Proteins, Flight, Animal, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Therapy, Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors, Larva, Movement Disorders, Mutation, Neurons, Physical Stimulation, Rats, Transcription Factors, Wings, Animal}, issn = {1563-5260}, doi = {10.3109/01677063.2012.697501}, author = {Chakraborty, Sumita and Hasan, Gaiti} } @article {483, title = {Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor and dSTIM function in Drosophila insulin-producing neurons regulates systemic intracellular calcium homeostasis and flight. [Drosophila facility]}, journal = {J Neurosci}, volume = {30}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Jan 27}, pages = {1301-13}, abstract = {

Calcium (Ca(2+)) signaling is known to regulate the development, maintenance and modulation of activity in neuronal circuits that underlie organismal behavior. In Drosophila, intracellular Ca(2+) signaling by the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor and the store-operated channel (dOrai) regulates the formation and function of neuronal circuits that control flight. Here, we show that restoring InsP(3)R activity in insulin-producing neurons of flightless InsP(3)R mutants (itpr) during pupal development can rescue systemic flight ability. Expression of the store operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) regulator dSTIM in insulin-producing neurons also suppresses compromised flight ability of InsP(3)R mutants suggesting that SOCE can compensate for impaired InsP(3)R function. Despite restricted expression of wild-type InsP(3)R and dSTIM in insulin-producing neurons, a global restoration of SOCE and store Ca(2+) is observed in primary neuronal cultures from the itpr mutant. These results suggest that restoring InsP(3)R-mediated Ca(2+) release and SOCE in a limited subset of neuromodulatory cells can influence systemic behaviors such as flight by regulating intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis in a large population of neurons through a non-cell-autonomous mechanism.

}, keywords = {Animals, Calcium, Calcium Signaling, Cell Membrane, Cells, Cultured, Central Nervous System, Drosophila, Drosophila Proteins, Flight, Animal, Homeostasis, Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors, Insulin, Intracellular Fluid, Membrane Proteins, Mutation, Neural Pathways, Neurons, Pupa, Stromal Interaction Molecule 1}, issn = {1529-2401}, doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3668-09.2010}, author = {Agrawal, Neha and Venkiteswaran, Gayatri and Sadaf, Sufia and Padmanabhan, Nisha and Banerjee, Santanu and Hasan, Gaiti} }