Molecular genetic analysis of central neurons regulating feeding motor patterns in Drosophila

我们正在研究果蝇的大脑是如何感知和处理味觉信息的。我们已经在大脑中发现了一小群神经元，它们表达了神经肽基因hugin。这些神经元将轴突投射到咽肌、中枢内分泌器官和高级脑中枢（蘑菇体）。反过来，表达hugin的神经元的树突受到来自口外和咽内表达味觉受体的化学感觉神经元的轴突的支配。阻断hugin神经元突触传递可导致依赖于先前食物条件的摄食行为发生特异性改变。这些结果表明，hugin神经元作为味觉中间神经元，传递和处理味觉信息，以调节运动、内分泌和更高的大脑功能。本研究旨在通过分子遗传学、行为学和高分辨率成像等方法分析大脑味觉回路中巨噬神经元的功能。这包括通过基因敲除和细胞消融实验来详细表征hugin基因在体内的功能，分析这些神经元中的神经递质功能，并初步关注多巴胺，以及hugin神经元对不同味觉刺激的反应的体内Ca成像。

We are studying how the brain perceives and processes taste information in Drosophila. We have identified a small cluster of neurons in the brain which expresses the neuropeptide gene hugin. These neurons project axons to pharyngeal muscles, to the central endocrine organ and to the higher brain centers (the mushroom bodies). In turn, dendrites of hugin expressing neurons are innervated by axons from chemosensory neurons in the external mouth and internal pharynx regions that express gustatory receptors. Blocking synaptic transmission in hugin neurons results in specific alteration in feeding behavior which is dependent on previous food condition. These results suggest that hugin neurons act as taste interneurons that relay and process taste information to modulate motor, endocrine and higher brain functions. This proposal aims to analyse the function of the hugin neurons within the brain taste circuitry by molecular genetic, behavioral and high resolution imaging approaches. This includes detailed characterization of hugin gene function in vivo using gene knockout and cell ablation experiments, the analysis of neurotransmitter function in these neurons with an initial focus on dopamine, and in vivo Ca imaging of hugin neuronal activity in response to different taste stimuli.