Genetic Analysis of Neuropeptide Signaling

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9730003 Taghert Neural communication leads to information processing and ultimately to the command of behavior. The chemistry of the brain is the currency by which communication is exchanged by brain cells. That chemistry is complex and includes several hundred different compounds that are used at different times and different places in the brain. In particular one class of "neural transmitters" are small peptide hormones called neuropeptides. These are very important for the direct regulatory control they appear to have on a variety of specific behaviors including appetitive and reproductive behavior, mood, stress, and anxiety. Dr. Taghert uses a model invertebrate system, the fruit fly Drosophila, to employ genetics to study the relation between neuropeptides and behavior. This use of genetics is important because it provides the means to manipulate gene expression in the animals and Drosophila offers the most comprehensive and sophisticated set of genetic tools. Indeed by manipulating these mechanisms genetically, Dr. Taghert can address neuropeptide functions in vivo. Given that neuropeptides rely on proper post-translational modifications for their correct structure and hence for their functions, he will examine a specific enzyme that is necessary for the synthesis of nearly all neuropeptides, and only neuropeptides. Since animals that are deficient in this enzyme die early indicating the importance of neuropeptides for development and survival, Dr. Taghert has devised two independent means to make animals that are mosaic for the enzyme. Using biochemical, anatomical and behavioral tools, he will fully evaluate these mosaics. The results from these studies will shed new light towards understanding the role that neuropeptides play in modulating how neurons communicate information.