@article {734, title = {Neural control of wing coordination in flies.}, journal = {Curr Biol}, volume = {25}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Jan 5}, pages = {80-6}, abstract = {

At the onset of each flight bout in flies, neural circuits in the CNS must rapidly integrate multimodal sensory stimuli and synchronously engage hinges of the left and right wings for coordinated wing movements. Whereas anatomical and physiological investigations of flight have been conducted on larger flies, molecular genetic studies in Drosophila have helped identify neurons that mediate various levels of flight control. However, neurons that might mediate bilateral coordination of wing movements to precisely synchronize left and right wing engagement at flight onset and maintain their movement in perfect coordination at rapid frequencies during flight maneuvers remain largely unexplored. Wing coordination could be directly modulated via bilateral sensory inputs to motoneurons of steering muscles and/or through central interneurons. Using a Ca(2+)-activity-based GFP reporter, we identified three flight-activated central dopaminergic interneurons in the ventral ganglion, which connect to and activate motoneurons that innervate a pair of direct-steering flight muscles. The activation of these newly identified dopaminergic interneurons is context specific. Whereas bilateral wing engagement for flight requires these neurons, they do not control unilateral wing extension during courtship. Thus, independent central circuits function in the context of different natural behaviors to control the motor circuit for Drosophila wing movement.

}, keywords = {Animals, Central Nervous System, Dopaminergic Neurons, Drosophila, Flight, Animal, Genes, Reporter, Male, Synapses, Wings, Animal}, issn = {1879-0445}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2014.10.069}, author = {Sadaf, Sufia and Reddy, O Venkateswara and Sane, Sanjay P and Hasan, Gaiti} } @article {1033, title = {Store-Operated Calcium Entry through Orai Is Required for Transcriptional Maturation of the Flight Circuit in Drosophila.}, journal = {J Neurosci}, volume = {35}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Oct 7}, pages = {13784-99}, abstract = {

UNLABELLED: Store operated calcium entry (SOCE) is thought to primarily regulate calcium homeostasis in neurons. Subsequent to identification of Orai as the SOCE channel in nonexcitable cells, investigation of Orai function in neurons demonstrated a requirement for SOCE in Drosophila flight. Here, by analysis of an Orai mutant and by controlled expression of a dominant-negative Drosophila Orai transgene, we show that Orai-mediated SOCE is required in dopaminergic interneurons of the flight circuit during pupal development. Expression of dominant-negative Orai in dopaminergic neurons of pupae abolished flight. The loss of Orai-mediated SOCE alters transcriptional regulation of dopaminergic neurons, leading to downregulation of the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, which is essential for dopamine synthesis, and the dopamine transporter, which is required for dopamine uptake after synaptic release. These studies suggest that modulation of SOCE could serve as a novel mechanism for restoring dopamine levels in dopaminergic neurons.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The specificity of an animal{\textquoteright}s response to an environmental stimulus is determined in part by the release of neurotransmitters, which are sensed by responding neurons through cognate receptors on their surface. One way by which neurons respond is through release of calcium from intracellular stores followed by store refilling from extracellular calcium sources. This mechanism is called store-operated calcium entry (SOCE). The function of SOCE in neurons has been debated. Here we describe a new function for SOCE in the regulation of neurotransmitter levels in Drosophila flight neurons. This cell-signaling mechanism is required to maintain optimal levels of a key enzyme for dopamine synthesis and may serve as a mechanism for restoring dopamine levels in relevant pathological conditions.

}, issn = {1529-2401}, doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1680-15.2015}, author = {Pathak, Trayambak and Agrawal, Tarjani and Richhariya, Shlesha and Sadaf, Sufia and Hasan, Gaiti} }