Event Abstract Back to Event Manganese affects behavior of Drosophila melanogaster by altering biogenic amine levels in brain Aniruddha Mitra1*, Eirik Sovik2, Andrew Barron2, Jennifer Duncan3 and Yehuda Ben-Shahar1 1 Washington University, Biology, United States 2 Macquarie University, Australia 3 Washington University School of Medicine, United States Manganese (Mn2+) is an essential transition metal involved in growth, development, cellular respiration and energy homeostasis, acting as a cofactor for various enzymes. Maintaining homeostatic balance of divalent metal ions like Mn2+ is critical for physiology. Mn2+ transporter proteins have been found to be involved in taste behavior in insects. Mn2+ has various industrial and agricultural applications, and exposure to high levels of Mn2+ in humans leads to dopaminergic neuronal damage and symptoms that are also the characteristic features of Parkinson's disease. Thus developing a proper understanding of the role of Mn2+ in modulating sensory systems (e.g., taste) will help in elucidating its role in modulating behavior. We are using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the European honey bee Apis mellifera as models to study the effect of Mn2+ on the nervous system. Preliminary results show that flies raised from egg to adult in food that contains Mn2+ have higher levels of the biogenic amines Dopamine (DA) and Octopamine (OA) but not Serotonin (5-HT) in their brains, as compared to control flies. Similar data were obtained by treating honey bee workers post eclosion. Since both DA and OA are known to be involved in regulating various behaviors, we hypothesize that the effects of disruptions in Mn2+ homeostasis on behavior are mediated by a direct impact on aminergic signaling in the insect brain. We are following up on these results by raising flies and bees in different concentrations of Mn2+, followed by determination of brain amine levels, aminergic neuroanatomy, gene transcription, and behavioral outcomes. Keywords: Behavior, Dopamine, Drosophila melanogaster, gene transcription, Manganese, Neuroanatomy, Octopamine Conference: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation (see alternatives below as well) Topic: Neuromodulation Citation: Mitra A, Sovik E, Barron A, Duncan J and Ben-Shahar Y (2012). Manganese affects behavior of Drosophila melanogaster by altering biogenic amine levels in brain. Conference Abstract: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00422 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 03 May 2012; Published Online: 07 Jul 2012. * Correspondence: Dr. Aniruddha Mitra, Washington University, Biology, St Louis, MO, United States, mitra.aniruddha@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Aniruddha Mitra Eirik Sovik Andrew Barron Jennifer Duncan Yehuda Ben-Shahar Google Aniruddha Mitra Eirik Sovik Andrew Barron Jennifer Duncan Yehuda Ben-Shahar Google Scholar Aniruddha Mitra Eirik Sovik Andrew Barron Jennifer Duncan Yehuda Ben-Shahar PubMed Aniruddha Mitra Eirik Sovik Andrew Barron Jennifer Duncan Yehuda Ben-Shahar Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.