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Cited by 43Neurobiology and Insect Physiology ResearchSleep and Wakefulness ResearchCircadian rhythm and melatonin

Acute control of the sleep switch in Drosophila reveals a role for gap junctions in regulating behavioral responsiveness

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Troup, Michael, Yap, Melvyn HW, Rohrscheib, Chelsie, Grabowska, Martyna J, Ertekin, Deniz, Randeniya, Roshini, Kottler, Benjamin, Larkin, Aoife +3 more·2018·eLife
DOI 10.7554/elife.37105PMC PMC6117154
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Abstract

Sleep is a dynamic process in most animals, involving distinct stages that probably perform multiple functions for the brain. Before sleep functions can be initiated, it is likely that behavioral responsiveness to the outside world needs to be reduced, even while the animal is still awake. Recent work in Drosophila has uncovered a sleep switch in the dorsal fan-shaped body (dFB) of the fly’s central brain, but it is not known whether these sleep-promoting neurons also govern the acute need to ignore salient stimuli in the environment during sleep transitions. We found that optogenetic activation of the sleep switch suppressed behavioral responsiveness to mechanical stimuli, even in awake flies, indicating a broader role for these neurons in regulating arousal. The dFB-mediated suppression mechanism and its associated neural correlates requires innexin6 expression, suggesting that the acute need to reduce sensory perception when flies fall asleep is mediated in part by electrical synapses.

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  • The hDeltaK misprediction is because their presynapses lie in layer 6, an unusual layer known to express allatostatin A, short neuropeptide F and innexin 6.

    “because their presynapses lie in layer 6 of the fan-shaped body (Figure 5G, arrows), an unusual layer that is known to express allatostatin A, short neuropeptide F and innexin 6.175,184,185”

    From Neurotransmitter classification from electron microscopy images at synaptic sites in Drosophila melanogaster (2024) · cites this paper as [185]

    In Results, “Gap-junction localization in the dFB” (page unavailable), the paper reports strong INX6 staining in a dorsal layer of the fan-shaped body. The copy does not identify that layer as layer 6 or establish expression of allatostatin A or short neuropeptide F there. It also does not address the proposed reason for the hDeltaK misprediction. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Troup, M., Yap, M. H., Rohrscheib, C., Grabowska, M. J., Ertekin, D., Randeniya, R., Kottler, B., Larkin, A., Munro, K., Shaw, P. J., & van Swinderen, B.
Affiliations
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
  • Washington University in St. Louis (US)
  • Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
ORCID
Venue
eLife
Publisher
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Published
2018-08-15
Volume
7
ISSN
2050-084X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.7554/elife.37105
PMC
PMC6117154
OpenAlex
W2887298678
Cited by
43
References
51
Citations by year
2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1
FWCI
1.82
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • eLife (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Commons@Becker (Washington University School of Medicine) (submittedVersion)
  • Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (R01 NS076980)
  • National Health and Medical Research Council (GNT1065713)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
Keywords
sleep onset, gap junctions, electrical synapses, behavioral responsiveness, arousal, optogenetic stimulation, Drosophila
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Drosophila melanogaster, Gene Expression Regulation, Homeostasis, Neurons, Sleep, Wakefulness, Connexins, Drosophila Proteins, Electrical Synapses, Optogenetics

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