amnesiac regulates sleep onset and maintenance in Drosophila melanogaster.
The adenylate cyclase/cAMP signaling pathway and adult mushroom bodies (MBs) have been shown to play an important role in sleep regulation in Drosophila. The amnesiac (amn) gene, encodes a neuropeptide that is homologous with vertebrate pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP), is expressed in dorsal paired medial (DPM) neurons and is required for the middle-term memory (MTM) in flies. However, the role of amn on regulation of sleep is as yet unknown. Here we provide evidence that amn plays a major role on sleep maintenance and onset in Drosophila. Flies with the amnesiac allele, loss-of-function amn(X8) mutation, showed a fragmented sleep pattern and short sleep latency. Moreover, homeostatic regulation was disrupted in amn(X8) mutants after sleep deprivation. Sleep maintenance was also influenced by disruption of neurotransmission in DPM neurons with increased sleep bout number and decreased sleep bout length. Furthermore, age-related sleep fragmentation and initiation were inhibited in amn(X8) mutant flies. These data suggest that amn is required in initiation and maintenance of sleep.
State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
Weijie
W
Liu
Fang
F
Guo
Beika
B
Lu
Aike
A
Guo
D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D013744:Tetanus Toxin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D013744:Tetanus Toxin; C093565:amn protein, Drosophila