Control of Sleep-Wake Cycles in Drosophila

Inter-oscillator communication modulates and sustains the circadian locomotor rhythms in flies and rodent animal models. In Drosophila, the multioscillator network that controls sleep-wake cycles includes about 150 clock neurons. A subset of lateral neurons (LNs) expressing the Pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) appears to act as a master clock in constant darkness (DD). In light-dark (LD) cycles, flies show a bimodal distribution of their activity, and the PDF-expressing LNs play a major role in the control of the morning bout of activity. In contrast, a subset of PDF-negative LNs can generate evening activity in the absence of other functional oscillators. How these oscillators interact in a fully functional network to shape the sleep-wake cycle remains debated. The PDF neurons strongly influence the PDF-negative ones in DD and, to a lesser extent, in LD. The extent of hierarchy depends on environmental conditions and the way the dominance of PDF neurons is exerted on the different types of PDF-negative neurons is unclear. The recent discovery of light-and temperature-dependent oscillators in the dorsal neurons (DNs) sheds new light on the circuits that control the Drosophila diurnal behavior and its adaptation to environmental changes.