My research proposal consists of two specific aims. The first is the characterization of previously uncharacterized neural networks in the genetically tractable central nervous system of Drosophila. To accomplish this goal I will employ a new genomic/peptidomic approach to the elucidation of behaviorally relevant neural networks.
The second aim i s to explore how the physiology of newly described neural networks is organized and how this organization impacts behavior. I will undertake this task through live-imaging experiments that employ recently developed genetically encoded biosensors for Ca2+, cAMP, and peptide release. In this way I will bring the newest imaging methods to bear on some of the oldest questions in Neuroscience. In this proposal I will describe two new circuits that have been uncovered using this approach and outline the methods that must be adapted and developed to conduct live-imaging experiments within these newly described circuits. Finally, I will discuss how such experiments will shed light on principles of nervous system organization. ? ?
| Shafer, Orie T; Kim, Dong Jo; Dunbar-Yaffe, Richard et al. (2008) Widespread receptivity to neuropeptide PDF throughout the neuronal circadian clock network of Drosophila revealed by real-time cyclic AMP imaging. Neuron 58:223-37 |
| Park, Dongkook; Shafer, Orie T; Shepherd, Stacie P et al. (2008) The Drosophila basic helix-loop-helix protein DIMMED directly activates PHM, a gene encoding a neuropeptide-amidating enzyme. Mol Cell Biol 28:410-21 |
