Genetic Neurobiology Drosophila

Nash, H A.

Abstract

In the past we have isolated mutants of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, that render the organism relatively resistant to the effects of the general anesthetic, halothane. In the present work, we have refined the genetic and physiological characterization of two of these mutants. The genetics shows that the two mutants define a single locus and the physiology implies that the mutants have an altered neuromuscular system. Studies of the response of several mutants to anesthetics other than halothane indicate that each mutant affects a different anesthetic target.

Funding Agency

• Agency: National Institute of Health (NIH)
• Institute: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Type: Intramural Research (Z01)
• Project #: 1Z01MH002228-05
• Application #: 3880887
• Support Year: 5
• Fiscal Year: 1990

Institution

• Name: U.S. National Institute of Mental Health
• Country: United States

Publications

Burg, E D; Langan, S T; Nash, H A (2013) Drosophila social clustering is disrupted by anesthetics and in narrow abdomen ion channel mutants. Genes Brain Behav 12:338-47

Peabody, Nathan C; Pohl, Jascha B; Diao, Fengqiu et al. (2009) Characterization of the decision network for wing expansion in Drosophila using targeted expression of the TRPM8 channel. J Neurosci 29:3343-53

Sandstrom, David J (2008) Isoflurane reduces excitability of Drosophila larval motoneurons by activating a hyperpolarizing leak conductance. Anesthesiology 108:434-46

Cheng, Yuzhong; Nash, Howard A (2008) Visual mutations reveal opposing effects of illumination on arousal in Drosophila. Genetics 178:2413-6

Cheng, Yuzhong; Nash, Howard A (2007) Drosophila TRP channels require a protein with a distinctive motif encoded by the inaF locus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104:17730-4

Humphrey, John A; Hamming, Kevin S; Thacker, Colin M et al. (2007) A putative cation channel and its novel regulator: cross-species conservation of effects on general anesthesia. Curr Biol 17:624-9

Yu, James X; Guan, Zhonghui; Nash, Howard A (2006) The mushroom body defect gene product is an essential component of the meiosis II spindle apparatus in Drosophila oocytes. Genetics 173:243-53

Rajaram, Shantadurga; Scott, Robert L; Nash, Howard A (2005) Retrograde signaling from the brain to the retina modulates the termination of the light response in Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102:17840-5

Sandstrom, David J; Nash, Howard (2004) Drug targets: turning the channel (on) for sedation. Curr Biol 14:R185-6

Sandstrom, David J (2004) Isoflurane depresses glutamate release by reducing neuronal excitability at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction. J Physiol 558:489-502