RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Synaptic Transmission Parallels Neuromodulation in a Central Food-Intake Circuit
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 044990
DO 10.1101/044990
A1 Philipp Schlegel
A1 Michael J. Texada
A1 Anton Miroschnikow
A1 Andreas Schoofs
A1 Sebastian Hückesfeld
A1 Marc Peters
A1 Casey M. Schneider-Mizell
A1 Haluk Lacin
A1 Feng Li
A1 Richard D. Fetter
A1 James W. Truman
A1 Albert Cardona
A1 Michael J. Pankratz
YR 2016
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/09/29/044990.abstract
AB NeuromedinU is a potent regulator of food intake and activity in mammals. In Drosophila, neurons producing the homologous neuropeptide hugin regulate feeding and locomotion in a similar manner. Here, we use EM-based reconstruction to generate the entire connectome of hugin-producing neurons in the Drosophila larval CNS. We demonstrate that hugin neurons use synaptic transmission in addition to peptidergic neuromodulation and identify acetylcholine as a key transmitter. Hugin neuropeptide and acetylcholine are both necessary for the regulatory effect on feeding. We further show that subtypes of hugin neurons connect chemosensory to endocrine system by combinations of synaptic and peptide-receptor connections. Targets include endocrine neurons producing DH44, a CRH-like peptide, and insulin-like peptides. Homologs of these peptides are likewise downstream of neuromedinU, revealing striking parallels in flies and mammals. We propose that hugin neurons are part of a physiological control system that has been conserved at functional, molecular and network architecture level.