Non-Ventral Lateral Neuron-Based, Non-PDF-Mediated Clocks Control Circadian Egg-Laying Rhythm inDrosophila melanogaster

Abstract

The authors report the results of their study aimed at investigating the consequence of targeted ablation of ventral lateral neurons (LNvs—neurons regulating eclosion and locomotor activity rhythms) and genetic disruption of pigment-dispersing factor (PDF—an important output of circadian clocks) on the egg-laying rhythm of Drosophila melanogaster. The results clearly suggest that genetic ablation of LNvs and loss of function mutation of PDF abolish eclosion and locomotor activity rhythms, whereas the egg-laying rhythm continues unabated. Furthermore, the results also demonstrate that the period of egg-laying rhythm remains unchanged under different ambient temperatures and nutrition levels, suggesting that the egg-laying rhythm of D. melanogaster is temperature and nutrition compensated. Based on these results, the authors conclude that the egg-laying rhythm in D. melanogaster is regulated by non-LNv-based, non-PDF-mediated circadian clocks.