Seasonal behavior in Drosophila melanogaster requires the photoreceptors, the circadian clock, and phospholipase C.
Drosophila melanogaster locomotor activity responds to different seasonal conditions by thermosensitive regulation of splicing of a 3' intron in the period mRNA transcript. Here we demonstrate that the control of locomotor patterns by this mechanism is primarily light-dependent at low temperatures. At warmer temperatures, when it is vitally important for the fly to avoid midday desiccation, more stringent regulation of splicing is observed, requiring the light input received through the visual system during the day and the circadian clock at night. During the course of this study, we observed that a mutation in the no-receptor-potential-A(P41) (norpA(P41)) gene, which encodes phospholipase-C, generated an extremely high level of 3' splicing. This cannot be explained simply by the mutation's effect on the visual pathway and suggests that norpA(P41) is directly involved in thermosensitivity.
Collins
B H
BH
Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom.
Rosato
E
E
Kyriacou
C P
CP
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D056926:CLOCK Proteins; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D056931:Cryptochromes; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008027:Light; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D054799:Phospholipase C beta; D017956:Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects; D012326:RNA Splicing / Q000235:genetics; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000378:metabolism*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects
C120526:Clk protein, Drosophila; D056931:Cryptochromes; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C539040:PER protein, Drosophila; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D014157:Transcription Factors; C119828:cry protein, Drosophila; D056926:CLOCK Proteins; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; C468371:NorpA protein, Drosophila; D054799:Phospholipase C beta