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Université de Fribourg

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

Asirim, Ece Z. ; Humberg, Tim-Henning ; Maier, G. Larisa ; Sprecher, Simon G.

In: Scientific Reports, 2020, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 2752

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...

Université de Fribourg

Compartment and cell-type specific hypoxia responses in the developing Drosophila brain

Baccino-Calace, Martin ; Prieto, Daniel ; Cantera, Rafael ; Egger, Boris

In: Biology Open, 2020, vol. 9, no. 8, p. -

Environmental factors such as the availability of oxygen are instructive cues that regulate stem cell maintenance and differentiation. We used a genetically encoded biosensor to monitor the hypoxic state of neural cells in the larval brain of Drosophila. The biosensor reveals brain compartment and cell-type specific levels of hypoxia. The values correlate with differential tracheolation that...

Université de Fribourg

Single cell transcriptome atlas of the Drosophila larval brain

Brunet Avalos, Clarisse ; Maier, G. Larisa ; Bruggmann, Rémy ; Sprecher, Simon G.

In: eLife, 2019, vol. 8, p. e50354

Cell diversity of the brain and how it is affected by starvation, remains largely unknown. Here, we introduce a single cell transcriptome atlas of the entire Drosophila first instar larval brain. We first assigned cell-type identity based on known marker genes, distinguishing five major groups: neural progenitors, differentiated neurons, glia, undifferentiated neurons and non-neural cells....

Université de Fribourg

Mechanisms of vision in the fruit fly

Andres-Bragado, Lucia de ; Sprecher, Simon G.

In: Current Opinion in Insect Science, 2019, vol. 36, p. 25–32

Vision is essential to maximize the efficiency of daily tasks such as feeding, avoiding predators or finding mating partners. An advantageous model is Drosophila melanogaster, since it offers tools that allow genetic and neuronal manipulation with high spatial and temporal resolution, which can be combined with behavioral, anatomical and physiological assays. Recent advances have expanded our...

Université de Fribourg

Serial electron microscopic reconstruction of the drosophila larval eye: Photoreceptors with a rudimentary rhabdomere of microvillar-like processes

Hartenstein, Volker ; Yuan, Michaela ; Younossi-Hartenstein, Amelia ; Karandikar, Aanavi ; Bernardo-Garcia, F. Javier ; Sprecher, Simon G. ; Knust, Elisabeth

In: Developmental Biology, 2019, vol. 453, no. 1, p. 56–67

Photoreceptor cells (PRCs) across the animal kingdom are characterized by a stacking of apical membranes to accommodate the high abundance of photopigment. In arthropods and many other invertebrate phyla PRC membrane stacks adopt the shape of densely packed microvilli that form a structure called rhabdomere. PRCs and surrounding accessory cells, including pigment cells and lens-forming cells,...

Université de Fribourg

Multilevel regulation of the glass locus during Drosophila eye development

Fritsch, Cornelia ; Bernardo-Garcia, F. Javier ; Humberg, Tim-Henning ; Mishra, Abhishek Kumar ; Miellet, Sara ; Almeida, Silvia ; Frochaux, Michael V. ; Deplancke, Bart ; Huber, Armin ; Sprecher, Simon G.

In: PLOS Genetics, 2019, vol. 15, no. 7, p. e1008269

Development of eye tissue is initiated by a conserved set of transcription factors termed retinal determination network (RDN). In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the zinc-finger transcription factor Glass acts directly downstream of the RDN to control identity of photoreceptor as well as non-photoreceptor cells. Tight control of spatial and temporal gene expression is a critical...

Université de Fribourg

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor signaling generates OFF selectivity in a simple visual circuit

Qin, Bo ; Humberg, Tim-Henning ; Kim, Anna ; Kim, Hyong S. ; Short, Jacob ; Diao, Fengqiu ; White, Benjamin H. ; Sprecher, Simon G. ; Yuan, Quan

In: Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 1–16

ON and OFF selectivity in visual processing is encoded by parallel pathways that respond to either light increments or decrements. Despite lacking the anatomical features to support split channels, Drosophila larvae effectively perform visually- guided behaviors. To understand principles guiding visual computation in this simple circuit, we focus on investigating the physiological properties...

Université de Fribourg

Distinct genomic signals of lifespan and life history evolution in response to postponed reproduction and larval diet in Drosophila

Hoedjes, Katja M. ; van den Heuvel, Joost ; Kapun, Martin ; Keller, Laurent ; Flatt, Thomas ; Zwaan, Bas J.

In: Evolution Letters, 2019, p. -

Reproduction and diet are two major factors controlling the physiology of aging and life history, but how they interact to affect the evolution of longevity is unknown. Moreover, although studies of large‐effect mutants suggest an important role of nutrient sensing pathways in regulating aging, the genetic basis of evolutionary changes in lifespan remains poorly understood. To address these...