Electrical activity can impose time of day on the circadian transcriptome of pacemaker neurons.

Background: Circadian (∼24 hr) rhythms offer one of the best examples of how gene expression is tied to behavior. Circadian pacemaker neurons contain molecular clocks that control 24 hr rhythms in gene expression that in turn regulate electrical activity rhythms to control behavior.

Results: Here we demonstrate the inverse relationship: there are broad transcriptional changes in Drosophila clock neurons (LN(v)s) in response to altered electrical activity, including a large set of circadian genes.