37th Annual Student Research Conference
Drosophila Cyp1 in Neurons and Glia Regulates Larval Crawling Behavior
Jack Scott* and Aleece Walker
Dr. Brett A. Berke, Faculty Mentor
Drosophila Cyclophilin 1 (Cyp1) is thought to cause cell death, and blocking its function prevents neuronal loss. Knocking down Cyp1 also impacts the crawling behavior of Drosophila larvae. Larvae crawl forward or backward using waves of muscle contraction that propagate from posterior to anterior or anterior to posterior, respectively. This linear crawling is disrupted when the animal pauses, swings its head, and decides on a new direction to crawl (called a search). Cyp1 knockdown in either all neurons or all glia but not all muscle cells increased searching behavior without altering the distance crawled. Glia are CNS cells that support neuronal function and may participate in information processing. The knockdown in neurons, glia, or a small subpopulation of glia also increased backward crawling, which was almost never seen in control larvae. This work is identifying behavioral changes due to cell-specific Cyp1 activity and may shed light on Cyp1’s role development.
Keywords: Drosophila, Mitochondria, Animal behavior
Topic(s):Biology
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 209-1
Location: MG 1096
Time: 10:30