Central pattern generators, rhythmically active neural circuits, produce fundamental motor patterns necessary to sustain life. While a great deal is known concerning the genetic basis of behavioral rhythms, particularly circadian rhythms, much less is known concerning the genetic basis of the (1) construction and (2) modification central pattern generators. The proposed work will identify genes involved in formation and modulation of central pattern generators using cricket stridulation as a model system. Stridulation, owing to its spatial and temporal precision, attracted early neuroethologists, and as a result, a great deal is known about the neurobiological and developmental origin of this behavior. By examining patterns of gene expression, using cDNA microarrays, between a developmental series of two closely related Hawaiian crickets, the proposed work will address two questions: What is the genetic basis for the construction of a central pattern generator? And, how are patterns of gene expression modified to modulate a central pattern generator's rhythm? Results from the proposed work will provide much needed insight into the genetic basis of essential motor patterns and may shed light onto the genetic causes of diseases resulting from arrythmic motor patterns such as heart beat arrythmia.
