Neural and non-neural contributions to sexual dimorphism of mid-day sleep in Drosophila melanogaster: a pilot study.

ABSTRACT: Many of the characteristics associated with mammalian sleep are also observed in Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, making the fruit fly a powerful model organism for studying the genetics of this important process. Included among the similarities is the presence of sexual dimorphic sleep patterns, which, in flies, are manifested as increased mid-day sleep ('siesta') in males compared with females. In the present study, targeted mis-expression of the genes transformer (tra) and tra2 is used to either feminize or masculinize specific neural and non-neural tissues in the fly. Feminization of male D. melanogaster using three different GAL4 drivers that are expressed in the mushroom bodies induces a female-like reduced siesta, whereas the masculinization of females using these drivers triggers th

SUBMITTER: Khericha M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5091642 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature