Analysis of Peptide Circuitry Drosophila

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): My research proposal consists of two specific aims. The first is the characterization of previously uncharacterized neural networks in the genetically tractable central nervous system of Drosophila. To accomplish this goal I will employ a new genomic/peptidomic approach to the elucidation of behaviorally relevant neural networks. The second aim is to explore how the physiology of newly described neural networks is organized and how this organization impacts behavior. I will undertake this task through live-imaging experiments that employ recently developed genetically encoded biosensors for Ca2+, cAMP, and peptide release. In this way I will bring the newest imaging methods to bear on some of the oldest questions in Neuroscience. In this proposal I will describe two new circuits that have been uncovered using this approach and outline the methods that must be adapted and developed to conduct live-imaging experiments within these newly described circuits. Finally, I will discuss how such experiments will shed light on principles of nervous system organization.