scholarly journals Uncovering the Roles of Clocks and Neural Transmission in the Resilience of Drosophila Circadian Network

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edouard Jaumouillé ◽  
Rafael Koch ◽  
Emi Nagoshi
Keyword(s):  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Molecular Clocks ◽  
Pacemaker Neurons ◽  
Molecular Oscillator ◽  
Neural Communication ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Neural Transmission ◽  
Free Running ◽  
Locomotor Rhythms ◽  
Central Pacemaker

Studies of circadian locomotor rhythms in Drosophila melanogaster gave evidence to the preceding theoretical predictions on circadian rhythms. The molecular oscillator in flies, as in virtually all organisms, operates using transcriptional-translational feedback loops together with intricate post-transcriptional processes. Approximately150 pacemaker neurons, each equipped with a molecular oscillator, form a circuit that functions as the central pacemaker for locomotor rhythms. Input and output pathways to and from the pacemaker circuit are dissected to the level of individual neurons. Pacemaker neurons consist of functionally diverse subclasses, including those designated as the Morning/Master (M)-oscillator essential for driving free-running locomotor rhythms in constant darkness and the Evening (E)-oscillator that drives evening activity. However, accumulating evidence challenges this dual-oscillator model for the circadian circuit organization and propose the view that multiple oscillators are coordinated through network interactions. Here we attempt to provide further evidence to the revised model of the circadian network. We demonstrate that the disruption of molecular clocks or neural output of the M-oscillator during adulthood dampens free-running behavior surprisingly slowly, whereas the disruption of both functions results in an immediate arrhythmia. Therefore, clocks and neural communication of the M-oscillator act additively to sustain rhythmic locomotor output. This phenomenon also suggests that M-oscillator can be a pacemaker or a downstream path that passively receives rhythmic inputs from another pacemaker and convey output signals. Our results support the distributed network model and highlight the remarkable resilience of the Drosophila circadian pacemaker circuit, which can alter its topology to maintain locomotor rhythms.

scholarly journals Nitric Oxide Mediates Neuro-Glial Interaction that Shapes Drosophila Circadian Behavior

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anatoly Kozlov ◽  
Emi Nagoshi
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Molecular Clocks ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Pacemaker Neurons ◽  
Circadian Behavior ◽  
First Time

AbstractDrosophila circadian behavior relies on the network of heterogeneous groups of clock neurons. Short -and long-range signaling within the pacemaker circuit coordinates molecular and neural rhythms of clock neurons to generate coherent behavioral output. The neurochemistry of circadian behavior is complex and remains incompletely understood. Here we demonstrate that the gaseous messenger nitric oxide (NO) is a signaling molecule linking circadian pacemaker to rhythmic locomotor activity. We show that two independent mutants lacking nitric oxide synthase (NOS) have severely disturbed locomotor behavior both in light-dark cycles and constant darkness, although molecular clocks in the main pacemaker neurons are unaffected. Behavioral phenotypes are due in part to the malformation of neurites of the main pacemaker neurons, s-LNvs. Using cell-type selective and stage-specific gain -and loss-of-function of NOS, we demonstrate that NO secreted from diverse cellular clusters non-cell-autonomously affect molecular and behavioral rhythms. We further identify glia as a major source of NO that regulates circadian locomotor output. These results reveal for the first time the critical role of NO signaling in the Drosophila circadian system and highlight the importance of neuro-glial interaction in the neural circuit output.Author summaryCircadian rhythms are daily cycles of physiological and behavioral processes found in most plants and animals on our planet from cyanobacteria to humans. Circadian rhythms allow organisms to anticipate routine daily and annual changes of environmental conditions and efficiently adapt to them. Fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model to study this phenomenon, as its versatile toolkit enables the study of genetic, molecular and neuronal mechanisms of rhythm generation. Here we report for the first time that gasotransmitter nitric oxide (NO) has a broad, multi-faceted impact on Drosophila circadian rhythms, which takes place both during the development and the adulthood. We also show that one of the important contributors of NO to circadian rhythms are glial cells. The second finding highlights that circadian rhythms of higher organisms are not simply controlled by the small number of pacemaker neurons but are generated by the system that consists of many different players, including glia.

Gonadal hormones organize and modulate the circadian system of the rat

1981 ◽  
Vol 241 (1) ◽  
pp. R62-R66 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Albers
Keyword(s):  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Wheel Running ◽  
Activity Rhythm ◽  
Gonadal Hormones ◽  
Circadian System ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Free Running ◽  
Free Running Period

The circadian wheel-running rhythms of gonadectomized adult male, female, and perinatally androgenized female rats, maintained in constant darkness, were examined before and after implantation of Silastic capsules containing cholesterol (C) or estradiol-17 beta (E). The free-running period of the activity rhythm (tau) before capsule implantation tended to be shorter in animals exposed to perinatal androgen. Administration of C did not reliably alter tau in any group. E significantly shortened tau in 100% of females injected with oil on day 3 of life. In females, injected with 3.5 micrograms testosterone propionate on day 3, and males, E shortened or lengthened tau, with the direction and magnitude of this change in tau inversely related to the length of the individual's pretreatment tau. These data indicate that the presence of perinatal androgen does not eliminate the sensitivity of the circadian system of the rat to estrogen, since estrogen alters tau in a manner that depends on its pretreatment length.

Central and Peripheral Clock Control of Circadian Feeding Rhythms

2021 ◽  
pp. 074873042110458
Author(s):  
Carson V. Fulgham ◽  
Austin P. Dreyer ◽  
Anita Nasseri ◽  
Asia N. Miller ◽  
Jacob Love ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Locomotor Activity ◽  
Circadian Clock ◽  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Molecular Clock ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Molecular Clocks ◽  
Central Brain ◽  
Feeding Rhythms ◽  
Free Running ◽  
The Brain

Many behaviors exhibit ~24-h oscillations under control of an endogenous circadian timing system that tracks time of day via a molecular circadian clock. In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, most circadian research has focused on the generation of locomotor activity rhythms, but a fundamental question is how the circadian clock orchestrates multiple distinct behavioral outputs. Here, we have investigated the cells and circuits mediating circadian control of feeding behavior. Using an array of genetic tools, we show that, as is the case for locomotor activity rhythms, the presence of feeding rhythms requires molecular clock function in the ventrolateral clock neurons of the central brain. We further demonstrate that the speed of molecular clock oscillations in these neurons dictates the free-running period length of feeding rhythms. In contrast to the effects observed with central clock cell manipulations, we show that genetic abrogation of the molecular clock in the fat body, a peripheral metabolic tissue, is without effect on feeding behavior. Interestingly, we find that molecular clocks in the brain and fat body of control flies gradually grow out of phase with one another under free-running conditions, likely due to a long endogenous period of the fat body clock. Under these conditions, the period of feeding rhythms tracks with molecular oscillations in central brain clock cells, consistent with a primary role of the brain clock in dictating the timing of feeding behavior. Finally, despite a lack of effect of fat body selective manipulations, we find that flies with simultaneous disruption of molecular clocks in multiple peripheral tissues (but with intact central clocks) exhibit decreased feeding rhythm strength and reduced overall food intake. We conclude that both central and peripheral clocks contribute to the regulation of feeding rhythms, with a particularly dominant, pacemaker role for specific populations of central brain clock cells.

Organization of rat circadian rhythms during daily infusion of melatonin or S20098, a melatonin agonist

1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (3) ◽  
pp. R812-R828 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Pitrosky ◽  
R. Kirsch ◽  
A. Malan ◽  
E. Mocaer ◽  
P. Pevet
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Phase Response Curve ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
General Activity ◽  
Activity Peak ◽  
Free Running ◽  
Wheel Activity ◽  
Free Running Period

Daily administration of melatonin or S20098, a melatonin agonist, is known to entrain the free-running circadian rhythms of rats. The effects of the duration of administration on entrainment were studied. The animals demonstrated free-running circadian rhythms (running-wheel activity, body temperature, general activity) in constant darkness. Daily infusions of melatonin or S20098 for 1, 8, or 16 h entrained the circadian rhythms to 24 h. Two daily infusions of 1 h (separated by 8 h) entrained the activity peak within the shorter time interval. The entraining properties of melatonin and S20098 were similar and were affected neither by pinealectomy nor by infusion of 1- or 8-h duration. However, with 16-h infusion, less than half of the animals became entrained. Once entrained, the phase angle between the onset of infusion and the rhythms (onset of activity or acrophase of body temperature) increased with the duration of infusion. Before entrainment, the free-running period increased with the duration of infusion, an effect that was not predictable from the phase response curve.

Circadian and estrous cycle-dependent variations in blood pressure and heart rate in female rats

1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (5) ◽  
pp. R1250-R1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Takezawa ◽  
H. Hayashi ◽  
H. Sano ◽  
H. Saito ◽  
S. Ebihara
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Estrous Cycle ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Daily Rhythms ◽  
Abrupt Decrease ◽  
Internal Phase ◽  
Free Running ◽  
Cycle Dependent

To determine whether cardiovascular functions are controlled by the endogenous circadian system and whether they change with the estrous cycle in female rats, we measured mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and spontaneous activity (ACT) of female rats using an implantable radiotelemetry device and a computerized data-collecting system. Under a 12:12-h light-dark (LD) cycle, these parameters exhibited daily rhythms that were entrained to the photic cycle. The patterns of the daily rhythms varied with estrous cycles, and variations were particularly marked in the proestrous stage. During the dark period of this stage, ACT levels were significantly higher, but HR was significantly lower than in other stages. Although the peak MAP occurred within 2 h after the onset of the dark phase in three of the estrous stages, it occurred around midnight in the proestrous stage. Such estrous cycle-dependent variations were eliminated by ovariectomy. The implantation of 17 beta-estradiol produced a gradual increase in MAP and an abrupt decrease in HR. During constant darkness, all three parameters were free running, maintaining the same internal phase relationships with each other as during LD cycles. These results indicate that daily variations in these parameters were controlled by the endogenous circadian oscillating system, that they vary with the estrous cycle in female rats, and that estrogen may be responsible for these estrous cycle-dependent variations.

scholarly journals Free-running circadian breathing rhythms are eliminated by suprachiasmatic nucleus lesion

2020 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57
Author(s):  
Benton S. Purnell ◽  
Gordon F. Buchanan
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Apnea ◽  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Suprachiasmatic Nucleus ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Sudden Unexpected Death ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Unexpected Death ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Free Running

It has long been appreciated that breathing is altered by time of day. This study demonstrates that rhythmicity in breathing persists in constant darkness but is dependent on the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus. Understanding circadian rhythms in breathing may be important for the treatment and prevention of diseases such as sleep apnea and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Maternal-fetal communication of circadian phase in a precocious rodent, the spiny mouse

1987 ◽  
Vol 253 (4) ◽  
pp. E401-E409
Author(s):  
D. R. Weaver ◽  
S. M. Reppert
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Postnatal Period ◽  
Spiny Mouse ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Suprachiasmatic Nuclei ◽  
Maternal Influences ◽  
Circadian Phase ◽  
Environmental Light ◽  
Running Activity ◽  
Free Running

The development of circadian rhythms was examined in a precocious rodent species, the spiny mouse. Spiny mouse pups born and reared in constant darkness expressed robust circadian rhythms in locomotor activity as early as day 5 of life. Free-running activity rhythms of pups born and reared in constant darkness were coordinated with the dam on the day of birth. Postnatal maternal influences on pup rhythmicity are minimal in this species, as pups fostered on the day of birth to dams whose circadian phases were opposite to the pups' original dams were coordinated with their original dams on the day of birth. Studies using 2-deoxy-D-[1-14C]-glucose autoradiography showed that there were synchronous (coordinated) rhythms in metabolic activity in the maternal and fetal suprachiasmatic nuclei, directly demonstrating prenatal coordination of maternal and fetal rhythmicity. Maternal-fetal coordination of circadian phase was not the result of direct entrainment of the fetuses to the environmental light-dark cycle. These results demonstrate that there is prenatal communication of circadian phase in this precocious species, without demonstrable postnatal maternal influences on pup circadian rhythmicity. Spiny mice therefore represent an important animal model in which circadian rhythms in the postnatal period can be used to precisely assess prenatal influences on circadian phase.

A circadian rhythm of behavioural thermoregulation in a freshwater gastropod, Helisoma trivolis

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 2152-2155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kavaliers
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Behavioural Thermoregulation ◽  
Dark Cycle ◽  
Preferred Temperature ◽  
Temperature Selection ◽  
Freshwater Gastropod ◽  
Free Running ◽  
Maximum Temperatures

The behaviour of the aquatic gastropod Helisoma trivolis was examined in a thermal gradient. Under a 12 h light: 12 h dark cycle gastropods displayed a diel rhythm of preferred temperature selection. Maximum temperatures (21–22 °C) were selected during the dark phase and minimum temperatures (17–18 °C) were selected during the light phase of the light–dark cycle. Under constant darkness temperature selection continued as an endogenous free-running circadian rhythm of behavioural thermoregulation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document