Circadian changes in Drosophila motor terminals.
In Drosophila melanogaster, as in most other higher organisms, a circadian clock controls the rhythmic distribution of rest/sleep and locomotor activity. Here we report that the morphology of Drosophila flight neuromuscular terminals changes between day and night, with a rhythm in synaptic bouton size that continues in constant darkness, but is abolished during aging. Furthermore, arrhythmic mutations in the clock genes timeless and period also disrupt this circadian rhythm. Finally, these clock mutants also have an opposing effect on the nonrhythmic phenotype of neuronal branching, with tim mutants showing a dramatic hyperbranching morphology and per mutants having fewer branches than wild-type flies. These unexpected results reveal further circadian as well as nonclock related pleiotropic effects for these classic behavioral mutants.
Mehnert
Kerstin I
KI
Zoology Department, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Beramendi
Ana
A
Elghazali
Fahad
F
Negro
Paolo
P
Kyriacou
Charalambos P
CP
Cantera
Rafael
R
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D009154:Mutation; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C539040:PER protein, Drosophila; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; C096445:tim protein, Drosophila