title: Electrical silencing of Drosophila pacemaker neurons stops the free-running circadian clock.
abstract: Electrical silencing of Drosophila circadian pacemaker neurons through targeted expression of K+ channels causes severe deficits in free-running circadian locomotor rhythmicity in complete darkness. Pacemaker electrical silencing also stops the free-running oscillation of PERIOD (PER) and TIMELESS (TIM) proteins that constitutes the core of the cell-autonomous molecular clock. In contrast, electrical silencing fails to abolish PER and TIM oscillation in light-dark cycles, although it does impair rhythmic behavior. On the basis of these findings, we propose that electrical activity is an essential element of the free-running molecular clock of pacemaker neurons along with the transcription factors and regulatory enzymes that have been previously identified as required for clock function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, New York University, New York 10003, USA.
authors.forename: Michael N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Nitabach
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blau
authors.forename: Todd C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Holmes
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000235:genetics*; D048429:Cell Size / Q000235:genetics; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000235:genetics*; D003623:Dark Adaptation / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics; D005804:Genes, Lethal / Q000235:genetics; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009420:Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C102352:Ork1 protein, Drosophila; C539040:PER protein, Drosophila; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; C096445:tim protein, Drosophila