Developmental and Neurogenetic Studies on the Peptidergic Nerve System in Drosophila
- ISBN-10
- 1109892993
- ISBN-13
- 9781109892994
- Pages
- 218
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2006
- Author
- Youn-Jeong Choi
Description
To determine neuronal cell death mechanisms, I utilize two different peptidergic neurons as model systems: vCrz and CCAP neurons. The vCrz neurons die within 6 hours after puparium formation while subsets of crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) neurons die shortly after adult eclosion. The loss of Crz and CCAP signals was prevented by ectopic expression of the baculovirus apoptotic inhibitor, p35, indicating caspase-dependent PCD. The vCrz cell death is triggered by ecdysone signaling mediated via EcR-B1 and EcR-B2. The vCrz PCD is prevented in a rpr-null mutant, however, targeted knockdown of diap1 does not accelerate PCD, suggesting that vCrz cell death occurs via a diap1-independent rpr activation. The vCrz cell death was delayed in dronc and dark mutants, suggesting apoptosome formation during the death program. By comparison, CCAP cell death was induced by both rpr and hid, and required dronc. The vCrz PCD was delayed but CCAP PCD was not affected by dcp-1-null mutation, supporting the presence of differential caspase machinery between the two different peptidergic neurons.
