Neurogenetic networks for startle-induced locomotion in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how the genome empowers the nervous system to express behaviors remains a critical challenge in behavioral genetics. The startle response is an attractive behavioral model for studies on the relationship between genes, brain, and behavior, as the ability to respond rapidly to harmful changes in the environment is a universal survival trait. Drosophila melanogaster provides a powerful system in which genetic studies on individuals with controlled genetic backgrounds and reared under controlled environmental conditions can be combined with neuroanatomical studies to analyze behaviors. In a screen of 720 lines of D. melanogaster, carrying single P[GT1] transposon insertions, we found 267 lines that showed significant changes in startle-induced locomotor behavior. Excision of the

SUBMITTER: Yamamoto A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2527922 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature