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Neurobiology and Genetics

New publication of WG Förster!

01/08/2019

A distinct visual pathway mediates high light intensity adaptation of the circadian clock in Drosophila

In order to provide organisms a fitness advantage, circadian clocks have to react appropriately to changes in their environment. High light intensities (HI) play an essential role in the adaptation to hot summer days, which especially endanger insects of desiccation or prey visibility. Here we show, that solely increasing light intensity leads to an increased midday siesta in Drosophila behavior. Interestingly, this change is independent of the fly's circadian photoreceptor cryptochrome (CRY), and solely caused by a small visual organ, the Hofbauer-Buchner (HB) eyelets. Using receptor knockdowns, immunostaining, as well as recently developed calcium tools, we show that the eyelets activate key core clock neurons, namely the s-LNvs, at HI. This activation delays the decrease of PER in the middle of the day and propagates to downstream target clock neurons that prolong the siesta. Together we show a new pathway for integrating light intensity information into the clock network, suggesting new network properties and surprising parallels between Drosophila and the mammalian system.

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