Abstract
The genome of Drosophila melanogaster includes homologs to approximately one-third of the currently known human disease genes. Flies and humans share many biological processes, including the principles of information processing by excitable neurons, synaptic transmission, and the chemical signals involved in intercellular communication. Studies on the molecular and behavioral impact of genetic risk factors of human neuro-developmental disorders [autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, and Tourette syndrome] increasingly use the well-studied social behavior of D. melanogaster, an organism that is amenable to a large variety of genetic manipulations. Neuroligins (Nlgs) are a family of phylogenetically conserved postsynaptic adhesion molecules present (among others) in nematodes, insects, and mammals. Impaired function of Nlgs (particularly of Nlg 3 and 4) has been associated with ASDs in humans and impaired social and communication behavior in mice. Making use of a set of behavioral and social assays, we, here, analyzed the impact of two Drosophila Nlgs, Dnlg2 and Dnlg4, which are differentially expressed at excitatory and inhibitory central nervous synapses, respectively. Both Nlgs seem to be associated with diurnal activity and social behavior. Even though deficiencies in Dnlg2 and Dnlg4 appeared to have no effects on sensory or motor systems, they differentially impacted on social interactions, suggesting that social behavior is distinctly regulated by these Nlgs.
Highlights
Molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular metabolism, development, differentiation, and survival are essentially shared by most animal species
Heads of 50 Dnlg2-deficient and 50 Dnlg4-deficient flies were subjected to qPCR, revealing reduced levels of the respective dlng transcripts by 27 and 40% compared to wild type, respectively
The presented behavioral data suggest that the trans-synaptic adhesion molecules Dnlg2 and Dnlg4 may play a prominent role in the neuronal regulation of Drosophila’s social interactions. dnlg2 and dnlg4 are both expressed at central nervous synapses, but Dnlg2 is present at neuromuscular synapses [53]
Summary
Molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular metabolism, development, differentiation, and survival are essentially shared by most animal species. Recent evidence suggests that the last common ancestor of vertebrates and invertebrates, the so-called urbilaterian, already possessed a centralized nervous system that contained the precursors of brain structures and neurosecretory organs of extant protostomes and deuterostomes [1, 2] In this respect, homologous structures have been identified between insect and mammalian brains, such as the mushroom bodies and the pallium or cortex [2], the central complex and the basal ganglia [3], the pars intercerebralis/pars lateralis/corpora cardiaca system and the hypothalamus–pituitary axis [4, 5], the corpora allata, and the adenohypophysis (anterior pituitary) [6].
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