Larval ethanol exposure alters adult circadian free-running locomotor activity rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster.
Alcohol consumption causes disruptions in a variety of daily rhythms, including the sleep-wake cycle. Few studies have explored the effect of alcohol exposure only during developmental stages preceding maturation of the adult circadian clock, and none have examined the effects of alcohol on clock function in Drosophila. This study investigates developmental and behavioral correlates between larval ethanol exposure and the adult circadian clock in Drosophila melanogaster, a well-established model for studying circadian rhythms and effects of ethanol exposure. We reared Drosophila larvae on 0%, 10%, or 20% ethanol-supplemented food and assessed effects upon eclosion and the free-running period of the circadian rhythm of locomotor activity. We observed a dose-dependent effect of ethanol on period, with higher doses resulting in shorter periods. We also identified the third larval instar stage as a critical time for the developmental effects of 10% ethanol on circadian period. These results demonstrate that developmental ethanol exposure causes sustainable shortening of the adult free-running period in Drosophila melanogaster, even after adult exposure to ethanol is terminated, and suggests that the third instar is a sensitive time for this effect.
Department of Biology, Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts 02325, USA. jseggio@bridgew.edu
Joseph A
JA
Seggio
Bernard
B
Possidente
S Tariq
ST
Ahmad
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000187:drug effects; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects*; D003624:Darkness; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects*; D008027:Light; D008954:Models, Biological; D009068:Movement; D012420:Running; D013997:Time Factors
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol