Astroglial Calcium Signaling Encodes Sleep Need in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Sleep is under homeostatic control, whereby increasing wakefulness generates sleep need and triggers sleep drive. However, the molecular and cellular pathways by which sleep need is encoded are poorly understood. In addition, the mechanisms underlying both how and when sleep need is transformed to sleep drive are unknown. Here, using ex vivo and in vivo imaging, we show in Drosophila that astroglial Ca²⁺ signaling increases with sleep need. We demonstrate that this signaling is dependent on a specific L-type Ca²⁺ channel and is necessary for homeostatic sleep rebound. Thermogenetically increasing Ca²⁺ in astrocytes induces persistent sleep behavior, and we exploit this phenotype to conduct a genetic screen for genes required for the homeostatic regulation o

SUBMITTER: Blum ID 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8442851 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature