Summary: Current Biology 19, 2050­2055, December 15, 2009 ª2009 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved DOI 10.1016/j.cub.2009.10.058
Report
The CRYPTOCHROME Photoreceptor Gates
PDF Neuropeptide Signaling to Set Circadian
Network Hierarchy in Drosophila
Luoying Zhang,1 Bridget C. Lear,1 Adam Seluzicki,1
and Ravi Allada1,*
1Department of Neurobiology and Physiology,
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
Summary
Circadian clocks in the brain are organized as coupled oscil-
lators that integrate seasonal cues such as light and temper-
ature to time daily behaviors. In Drosophila, the PIGMENT
DISPERSING FACTOR (PDF) neuropeptide-expressing
morning (M) and non-PDF evening (E) cells are coupled
cell groups important for morning and evening behavior,
respectively. Depending on day length, either M cells (short
days) or E cells (long days) dictate both the morning and the
evening phase, a phenomenon that we term network hier-
archy. To examine the role of PDF in light-dark conditions,

Source: Allada, Ravi - Department of Neurobiology and Physiology, Northwestern University

Collections: Biology and Medicine