Journal article

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Circadian and genetic modulation of visually-guided navigation in Drosophila larvae

  • Asirim, Ece Z. Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Humberg, Tim-Henning Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Maier, G. Larisa Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Sprecher, Simon G. Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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    17.02.2020
Published in:
  • Scientific Reports. - 2020, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 2752
English Organisms possess an endogenous molecular clock which enables them to adapt to environmental rhythms and to synchronize their metabolism and behavior accordingly. Circadian rhythms govern daily oscillations in numerous physiological processes, and the underlying molecular components have been extensively described from fruit flies to mammals. Drosophila larvae have relatively simple nervous system compared to their adult counterparts, yet they both share a homologous molecular clock with mammals, governed by interlocking transcriptional feedback loops with highly conserved constituents. Larvae exhibit a robust light avoidance behavior, presumably enabling them to avoid predators and desiccation, and DNA-damage by exposure to ultraviolet light, hence are crucial for survival. Circadian rhythm has been shown to alter light-dark preference, however it remains unclear how distinct behavioral strategies are modulated by circadian time. To address this question, we investigate the larval visual navigation at different time-points of the day employing a computer- based tracking system, which allows detailed evaluation of distinct navigation strategies. Our results show that due to circadian modulation specific to light information processing, larvae avoid light most efficiently at dawn, and a functioning clock mechanism at both molecular and neuro-signaling level is necessary to conduct this modulation.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Biologie
Language
  • English
Classification
Biological sciences
License
License undefined
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/308868
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