@article{MenaDiegelmannWegeneretal.2016,
  author    = {Mena, Wilson and Diegelmann, S{\"o}ren and Wegener, Christian and Ewer, John},
  title     = {Stereotyped responses of Drosophila peptidergic neuronal ensemble depend on downstream neuromodulators},
  series = {eLife},
  volume    = {5},
  journal   = {eLife},
  doi       = {10.7554/eLife.19686},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165003},
  pages     = {e19686},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Neuropeptides play a key role in the regulation of behaviors and physiological responses including alertness, social recognition, and hunger, yet, their mechanism of action is poorly understood. Here, we focus on the endocrine control ecdysis behavior, which is used by arthropods to shed their cuticle at the end of every molt. Ecdysis is triggered by ETH (Ecdysis triggering hormone), and we show that the response of peptidergic neurons that produce CCAP (crustacean cardioactive peptide), which are key targets of ETH and control the onset of ecdysis behavior, depends fundamentally on the actions of neuropeptides produced by other direct targets of ETH and released in a broad paracrine manner within the CNS; by autocrine influences from the CCAP neurons themselves; and by inhibitory actions mediated by GABA. Our findings provide insights into how this critical insect behavior is controlled and general principles for understanding how neuropeptides organize neuronal activity and behaviors.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SelchoMillanPalaciosMunozetal.2017,
  author    = {Selcho, Mareike and Mill{\´a}n, Carola and Palacios-Mu{\~n}oz, Angelina and Ruf, Franziska and Ubillo, Lilian and Chen, Jiangtian and Bergmann, Gregor and Ito, Chihiro and Silva, Valeria and Wegener, Christian and Ewer, John},
  title     = {Central and peripheral clocks are coupled by a neuropeptide pathway in Drosophila},
  series = {Nature Communications},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Nature Communications},
  number    = {15563},
  doi       = {10.1038/ncomms15563},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170831},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Animal circadian clocks consist of central and peripheral pacemakers, which are coordinated to produce daily rhythms in physiology and behaviour. Despite its importance for optimal performance and health, the mechanism of clock coordination is poorly understood. Here we dissect the pathway through which the circadian clock of Drosophila imposes daily rhythmicity to the pattern of adult emergence. Rhythmicity depends on the coupling between the brain clock and a peripheral clock in the prothoracic gland (PG), which produces the steroid hormone, ecdysone. Time information from the central clock is transmitted via the neuropeptide, sNPF, to non-clock neurons that produce the neuropeptide, PTTH. These secretory neurons then forward time information to the PG clock. We also show that the central clock exerts a dominant role on the peripheral clock. This use of two coupled clocks could serve as a paradigm to understand how daily steroid hormone rhythms are generated in animals.},
  language  = {en}
}