Circadian Remodeling Of Neuronal Circuits Involved In Rhythmic Behavior

Circadian systems evolved as a mechanism that allows organisms to adapt to the environmental changes in light and dark which occur as a consequence of
the rotation of the Earth.


Because of its unique repertoire of genetic tools, Drosophila is a well established model for the study of the circadian
clock. Although the biochemical components underlying the molecular oscillations have been characterized in detail, the mechanisms used by the clock
neurons to convey information to the downstream pathways remain elusive. In the fruit fly, the small ventral lateral neurons (sLNvs) are capable of
synchronizing other clock cells relying on a neuropeptide named pigment dispersing factor (PDF). In this work Maria FernГЎndez, Jimena Berni, and
Maria Ceriani introduce in this week's PLoS Biology a novel mechanism as a possible candidate for contributing to the transmission of information
downstream of the sLNvs, involving clock-controlled remodeling of their axonal morphology.


By labeling the entire neuronal membrane and analyzing the
complexity of the axonal arbor at different times they have shown that there is a circadian variation in the complexity of the axonal arbor. This
phenomenon was not observed in flies carrying null mutations in two canonical clock genes, underscoring the dependence of the circadian clock for the
structural plasticity of its pacemaker neurons.



Circadian remodeling of neuronal circuits involved in rhythmic behavior.
Fernandez MP, Berni J, Ceriani MF (2008)

PLoS Biol 6(3): e69. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio. 0060069

Please click here to view article online



PLoS Biology

plosbiology


Public Library of Science

185 Berry Street, Suite 3100

San Francisco, CA 94107

USA