Experimental Assessment of the Network Properties of the Drosophila Circadian Clock

ESTEBAN J. BECKWITH; M. FERNANDA CERIANI

JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY

WILEY-LISS, DIV JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Lugar: New York; Año: 2015 vol. 523 p. 982 - 996

0021-9967

Circadian rhythms are conserved across kingdoms andcoordinate physiology and behavior for appropriate timekeeping.The neuronal populations that govern circadianrhythms are described in many animal models, and thecurrent challenge is to understand how they interact tocontrol overt rhythms, remaining plastic enough torespond and adapt to a changing environment. In Drosophilamelanogaster, the circadian network comprisesabout 150 neurons, and the main synchronizer is the neuropeptidepigment-dispersing factor (PDF), released bythe well-characterized central pacemaker neurons, thesmall ventral lateral neurons (sLNvs). However, the rulesand properties governing the communication and couplingbetween this central pacemaker and downstreamclusters are not fully elucidated. Here we geneticallymanipulate the speed of the molecular clock specificallyin the central pacemaker neurons of Drosophila and provideexperimental evidence of their restricted ability tosynchronize downstream clusters. We also demonstratethat the sLNv-controlled clusters have an asymmetricentrainment range and were able to experimentallyassess it. Our data imply that different clusters are subjectedto different coupling strengths, and display independentendogenous periods. Finally, the manipulationemployed here establishes a suitable paradigm to testother network properties as well as the cell-autonomousmechanisms running in different circadian-relevant clusters.