Neuronal mechanisms regulating locomotion in adult Drosophila.

The coordinated action of multiple leg joints and muscles is required even for the simplest movements. Understanding the neuronal circuits and mechanisms that generate precise movements is essential for comprehending the neuronal basis of the locomotion and to infer the neuronal mechanisms underlying several locomotor-related diseases. Drosophila melanogaster provides an excellent model system for investigating the neuronal circuits underlying motor behaviors due to its simple nervous system and genetic accessibility.

Control of TGFβ signalling by ubiquitination independent function of E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIP12.

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) pathway is a master regulator of cell proliferation, differentiation, and death. Deregulation of TGFβ signalling is well established in several human diseases including autoimmune disorders and cancer. Thus, understanding molecular pathways governing TGFβ signalling may help better understand the underlying causes of some of those conditions.

The ortholog of human ssDNA-binding protein SSBP3 influences neurodevelopment and autism-like behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster.

1p32.3 microdeletion/duplication is implicated in many neurodevelopmental disorders-like phenotypes such as developmental delay, intellectual disability, autism, macro/microcephaly, and dysmorphic features. The 1p32.

Serotonergic control of feeding microstructure in .

To survive, animals maintain energy homeostasis by seeking out food. Compared to freely feeding animals, food-deprived animals may choose different strategies to balance both energy and nutrition demands, per the metabolic state of the animal. Serotonin mediates internal states, modifies existing neural circuits, and regulates animal feeding behavior, including in humans and fruit flies.

Serotonin distinctly controls behavioral states in restrained and freely moving .

When trapped in a physical restraint, animals must select an escape strategy to increase their chances of survival. After falling into an inescapable trap, they react with stereotypical behaviors that differ from those displayed in escapable situations. Such behaviors involve either a wriggling response to unlock the trap or feigning death to fend off a predator attack.

The gut-microbiota-brain axis in autism: what Drosophila models can offer?

The idea that alterations in gut-microbiome-brain axis (GUMBA)-mediated communication play a crucial role in human brain disorders like autism remains a topic of intensive research in various labs. Gastrointestinal issues are a common comorbidity in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although gut microbiome and microbial metabolites have been implicated in the etiology of ASD, the underlying molecular mechanism remains largely unknown.

Anatomy and Neural Pathways Modulating Distinct Locomotor Behaviors in Larva.

The control of movements is a fundamental feature shared by all animals. At the most basic level, simple movements are generated by coordinated neural activity and muscle contraction patterns that are controlled by the central nervous system. How behavioral responses to various sensory inputs are processed and integrated by the downstream neural network to produce flexible and adaptive behaviors remains an intense area of investigation in many laboratories.

GABAergic inhibition of leg motoneurons is required for normal walking behavior in freely moving .

Walking is a complex rhythmic locomotor behavior generated by sequential and periodical contraction of muscles essential for coordinated control of movements of legs and leg joints. Studies of walking in vertebrates and invertebrates have revealed that premotor neural circuitry generates a basic rhythmic pattern that is sculpted by sensory feedback and ultimately controls the amplitude and phase of the motor output to leg muscles. However, the identity and functional roles of the premotor interneurons that directly control leg motoneuron activity are poorly understood.

Glial and neuronal Semaphorin signaling instruct the development of a functional myotopic map for Drosophila walking.

Motoneurons developmentally acquire appropriate cellular architectures that ensure connections with postsynaptic muscles and presynaptic neurons. In Drosophila, leg motoneurons are organized as a myotopic map, where their dendritic domains represent the muscle field. Here, we investigate mechanisms underlying development of aspects of this myotopic map, required for walking.