title: An allele of sequoia dominantly enhances a trio mutant phenotype to influence Drosophila larval behavior.
abstract: The transition of Drosophila third instar larvae from feeding, photo-phobic foragers to non-feeding, photo-neutral wanderers is a classic behavioral switch that precedes pupariation. The neuronal network responsible for this behavior has recently begun to be defined. Previous genetic analyses have identified signaling components for food and light sensory inputs and neuropeptide hormonal outputs as being critical for the forager to wanderer transition. Trio is a Rho-Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor integrated into a variety of signaling networks including those governing axon pathfinding in early development. Sequoia is a pan-neuronally expressed zinc-finger transcription factor that governs dendrite and axon outgrowth. Using pre-pupal lethality as an endpoint, we have screened for dominant second-site enhancers of a weakly lethal trio mutant background. In these screens, an allele of sequoia has been identified. While these mutants have no obvious disruption of embryonic central nervous system architecture and survive to third instar larvae similar to controls, they retain forager behavior and thus fail to pupariate at high frequency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Denison University, Talbot Hall of Biological Science, Granville, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kathryn E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Denison University, Talbot Hall of Biological Science, Granville, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: April
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Denison University, Talbot Hall of Biological Science, Granville, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Marcus J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Geer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Denison University, Talbot Hall of Biological Science, Granville, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Eric C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Denison University, Talbot Hall of Biological Science, Granville, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Brian T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Denison University, Talbot Hall of Biological Science, Granville, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Rohan R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Manohar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Denison University, Talbot Hall of Biological Science, Granville, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Julianne R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: McCall
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Denison University, Talbot Hall of Biological Science, Granville, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Katherine C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Palozola
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Denison University, Talbot Hall of Biological Science, Granville, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Denison University, Talbot Hall of Biological Science, Granville, Ohio, United States of America.
authors.forename: Eric C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Liebl
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D011679:Pupa / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C443103:seq protein, Drosophila; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C490974:trio protein, Drosophila