Insomniac and Cullin-3 regulate sleep and wakefulness in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: In a forward genetic screen in Drosophila, we have isolated insomniac, a mutant that severely reduces the duration and consolidation of sleep. Anatomically restricted genetic manipulations indicate that insomniac functions within neurons to regulate sleep. insomniac expression does not oscillate in a circadian manner, and conversely, the circadian clock is intact in insomniac mutants, suggesting that insomniac regulates sleep by pathways distinct from the circadian clock. The protein encoded by insomniac is a member of the BTB/POZ superfamily, which includes many proteins that function as adaptors for the Cullin-3 (Cul3) ubiquitin ligase complex. We show that Insomniac can physically associate with Cul3, and that reduction of Cul3 activity in neurons recapitulates the insomniac phenotype.

SUBMITTER: Stavropoulos N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3244879 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature