A subset of cholinergic mushroom body neurons requires Go signaling to regulate sleep in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT:

Study objectives

Identifying the neurochemistry and neural circuitry of sleep regulation is critical for understanding sleep and various sleep disorders. Fruit flies display sleep-like behavior, sharing essential features with sleep of vertebrate. In the fruit fly's central brain, the mushroom body (MB) has been highlighted as a sleep center; however, its neurochemical nature remains unclear, and whether it promotes sleep or wake is still a topic of controversy.

Design

We used a video recording system to accurately monitor the locomotor activity and sleep status. Gene expression was temporally and regionally manipulated by heat induction and the Gal4/UAS system.

Measurements and results

We found that expressing pertussis toxin (PTX) in the MB by c309-Gal4 to block Go activity led to unique sleep defects as dramatic sleep increase in daytime and fragmented sleep in nighttime. We narrowed down the c309-Gal4 expressing brain regions to the MB ?/? core neurons that are responsible for the Go-mediated sleep effects. Using genetic tools of neurotransmitter-specific Gal80 and RNA interference approach to suppress acetylcholine signal, we demonstrated that these MB ?/? core neurons were cholinergic and sleep-promoting neurons, supporting that Go mediates an inhibitory signal. Interestingly, we found that adjacent MB ?/? neurons were also cholinergic but wake-promoting neurons, in which Go signal was also required.

Conclusion

Our findings in fruit flies characterized a group of sleep-promoting neurons surrounded by a group of wake-promoting neurons. The two groups of neurons are both cholinergic and use Go inhibitory signal to regulate sleep.

SUBMITTER: Yi W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3825430 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature