title: Serotonergic pathways in the Drosophila larval enteric nervous system.
abstract: The enteric nervous system is critical for coordinating diverse feeding-related behaviors and metabolism. We have characterized a cluster of four serotonergic neurons in Drosophila larval brain: cell bodies are located in the subesophageal ganglion (SOG) whose neuronal processes project into the enteric nervous system. Electrophysiological, calcium imaging and behavioral analyses indicate a functional role of these neurons in modulating foregut motility. We suggest that the axonal projections of this serotonergic cluster may be part of a brain-gut neural pathway that is functionally analogous to the vertebrate vagus nerve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Brain Physiology, LIMES Institute, University of Bonn, Carl Troll Str. 31, 53115 Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: schoofs@uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schoofs
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Brain Physiology, LIMES Institute, University of Bonn, Carl Troll Str. 31, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hückesfeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Brain Physiology, LIMES Institute, University of Bonn, Carl Troll Str. 31, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Sandya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Surendran
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Brain Physiology, LIMES Institute, University of Bonn, Carl Troll Str. 31, 53115 Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: pankratz@uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Pankratz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000378:metabolism*; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009434:Neural Pathways; D059326:Serotonergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin
keywords: Drosophila; Enteric nervous system; Foregut; Post-ingestive motility; Serotonin