Major
Neuroscience
Anticipated Graduation Year
2025
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster, or the fruit fly, has a brain region called the pars intercerebalis (PI). This region is similar to the hypothalamus in mammals, which helps control hunger by producing hormones. One important molecule involved in this process is SIFamide, a neuropeptide. To investigate the behavioral effects of SiFamide, we genetically modified flies to lack the SiFamide receptor, creating mutant strains. We then examined how these mutations influenced their sleep and feeding behaviors. Our findings revealed that the SiFamide mutants experienced a significant decrease in overall sleep. While Feeding and activity levels tend to increase during specific times of the day
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Daniel J Cavanaugh, PhD, Biology Department
Supported By
National Science Foundation Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems, CAREER Award 1942167 to Daniel J Cavanaugh ; Loyola University Mulcahy Fellowship to Anayatzi Velazquez
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
A Role for The SIFa Receptor in the Regulation of Drosophila Circadian Feeding Rhythms
Drosophila melanogaster, or the fruit fly, has a brain region called the pars intercerebalis (PI). This region is similar to the hypothalamus in mammals, which helps control hunger by producing hormones. One important molecule involved in this process is SIFamide, a neuropeptide. To investigate the behavioral effects of SiFamide, we genetically modified flies to lack the SiFamide receptor, creating mutant strains. We then examined how these mutations influenced their sleep and feeding behaviors. Our findings revealed that the SiFamide mutants experienced a significant decrease in overall sleep. While Feeding and activity levels tend to increase during specific times of the day
