Major
Biology
Anticipated Graduation Year
2021
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The circadian system produces ~24-hr rhythms and consists of three major components: a central molecular clock in the brain that keeps time, input pathways that allow organisms to stay synchronized with changes in their environment, and output pathways that couple the clock to various behavioral and physiological processes such as locomotion. Recent studies have demonstrated circadian control of feeding independent of locomotor activity, but the neuronal circuitry governing feeding rhythms is not understood. In addition to the central brain clock, circadian clocks are present in many peripheral tissues, such as the Drosophila melanogaster fat body, which is homologous to the mammalian liver and regulates metabolism. Here, we investigated the feeding behavior of transgenic flies in which we eliminated or changed the speed of the brain or fat body clock to identify the contributions of central and peripheral circadian clocks to feeding rhythms. We additionally conducted immunohistochemical analysis to confirm molecular clock speed alterations in these flies.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr. Daniel Cavanaugh, Department of Biology
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Genetic Dissection of the Contribution of Central and Peripheral Circadian Clocks to Drosophila Feeding Rhythms
The circadian system produces ~24-hr rhythms and consists of three major components: a central molecular clock in the brain that keeps time, input pathways that allow organisms to stay synchronized with changes in their environment, and output pathways that couple the clock to various behavioral and physiological processes such as locomotion. Recent studies have demonstrated circadian control of feeding independent of locomotor activity, but the neuronal circuitry governing feeding rhythms is not understood. In addition to the central brain clock, circadian clocks are present in many peripheral tissues, such as the Drosophila melanogaster fat body, which is homologous to the mammalian liver and regulates metabolism. Here, we investigated the feeding behavior of transgenic flies in which we eliminated or changed the speed of the brain or fat body clock to identify the contributions of central and peripheral circadian clocks to feeding rhythms. We additionally conducted immunohistochemical analysis to confirm molecular clock speed alterations in these flies.