A mechanosensory pathway to the Drosophila circadian clock.
Circadian clocks attune the physiology of virtually all living organisms to the diurnal cycles of their environments. In metazoan animals, multiple sensory input pathways have been linked to clock synchronization with the environmental cycle (entrainment). Extrinsic entrainment cues include light and temperature. We show that (12-hour:12-hour) cycles of vibration and silence (VS) are sufficient to synchronize the daily locomotor activity of wild-type Drosophila melanogaster. Behavioral synchronization to VS cycles required a functional clock and functional chordotonal organs and was accompanied by phase-shifts of the daily oscillations of PERIOD protein concentrations in brain clock neurons. The feedback from mechanosensory-and particularly, proprioceptive-organs may help an animal to keep its circadian clock in sync with its own, stimulus-induced activities.
School of Biological and Chemical Science, Queen Mary, University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
Alekos
A
Simoni
Werner
W
Wolfgang
Matthew P
MP
Topping
Ryan G
RG
Kavlie
Ralf
R
Stanewsky
Joerg T
JT
Albert
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D057906:Circadian Clocks; D003463:Cues; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000502:physiology*; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011434:Proprioception; D013016:Sound; D014732:Vibration
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C539040:PER protein, Drosophila; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins