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Institute
- Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften (14) (remove)
Feeding and sleep are fundamental behaviours with significant interconnections and cross-modulations. The circadian system and peptidergic signals are important components of this modulation, but still little is known about the mechanisms and networks by which they interact to regulate feeding and sleep. We show that specific thermogenetic activation of peptidergic Allatostatin A (AstA)-expressing PLP neurons and enteroendocrine cells reduces feeding and promotes sleep in the fruit fly Drosophila. The effects of AstA cell activation are mediated by AstA peptides with receptors homolog to galanin receptors subserving similar and apparently conserved functions in vertebrates. We further identify the PLP neurons as a downstream target of the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF), an output factor of the circadian clock. PLP neurons are contacted by PDF-expressing clock neurons, and express a functional PDF receptor demonstrated by cAMP imaging. Silencing of AstA signalling and continuous input to AstA cells by tethered PDF changes the sleep/activity ratio in opposite directions but does not affect rhythmicity. Taken together, our results suggest that pleiotropic AstA signalling by a distinct neuronal and enteroendocrine AstA cell subset adapts the fly to a digestive energy-saving state which can be modulated by PDF.
Several novel synaptic proteins have been identified by monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) of the Würzburg hybridoma library generated against homogenized Drosophila brains, e.g. cysteine string protein, synapse-associated protein of 47 kDa, and Bruchpilot. However, at present no routine technique exists to identify the antigens of mAbs of our library that label only a small number of cells in the brain. Yet these antibodies can be used to reproducibly label and thereby identify these cells by immunohistochemical staining. Here we describe the staining patterns in the Drosophila brain for ten mAbs of the Würzburg hybridoma library. Besides revealing the neuroanatomical structure and distribution of ten different sets of cells we compare the staining patterns with those of antibodies against known antigens and GFP expression patterns driven by selected Gal4 lines employing regulatory sequences of neuronal genes. We present examples where our antibodies apparently stain the same cells in different Gal4 lines suggesting that the corresponding regulatory sequences can be exploited by the split-Gal4 technique for transgene expression exclusively in these cells. The detection of Gal4 expression in cells labeled by mAbs may also help in the identification of the antigens recognized by the antibodies which then in addition to their value for neuroanatomy will represent important tools for the characterization of the antigens. Implications and future strategies for the identification of the antigens are discussed.
Unique features of a global human ectoparasite identified through sequencing of the bed bug genome
(2016)
The bed bug, Cimex lectularius, has re-established itself as a ubiquitous human ectoparasite throughout much of the world during the past two decades. This global resurgence is likely linked to increased international travel and commerce in addition to widespread insecticide resistance. Analyses of the C. lectularius sequenced genome (650 Mb) and 14,220 predicted protein-coding genes provide a comprehensive representation of genes that are linked to traumatic insemination, a reduced chemosensory repertoire of genes related to obligate hematophagy, host–symbiont interactions, and several mechanisms of insecticide resistance. In addition, we document the presence of multiple putative lateral gene transfer events. Genome sequencing and annotation establish a solid foundation for future research on mechanisms of insecticide resistance, human–bed bug and symbiont–bed bug associations, and unique features of bed bug biology that contribute to the unprecedented success of C. lectularius as a human ectoparasite.
Modern lifestyle is often at odds with endogenously driven rhythmicity, which can lead to circadian disruption and metabolic syndrome. One signature for circadian disruption is a reduced or altered metabolite cycling in the circulating tissue reflecting the current metabolic status. Drosophila is a well-established model in chronobiology, but day-time dependent variations of transport metabolites in the fly circulation are poorly characterized. Here, we sampled fly hemolymph throughout the day and analyzed diacylglycerols (DGs), phosphoethanolamines (PEs) and phosphocholines (PCs) using LC-MS. In wild-type flies kept on sugar-only medium under a light-dark cycle, all transport lipid species showed a synchronized bimodal oscillation pattern with maxima at the beginning and end of the light phase which were impaired in period01 clock mutants. In wild-type flies under constant dark conditions, the oscillation became monophasic with a maximum in the middle of the subjective day. In strong support of clock-driven oscillations, levels of the targeted lipids peaked once in the middle of the light phase under time-restricted feeding independent of the time of food intake. When wild-type flies were reared on full standard medium, the rhythmic alterations of hemolymph lipid levels were greatly attenuated. Our data suggest that the circadian clock aligns daily oscillations of DGs, PEs, and PCs in the hemolymph to the anabolic siesta phase, with a strong influence of light on phase and modality.