Bader Rüdiger, Colomb Julien, Pankratz Bettina, Schröck Anne, Stocker Reinhard F, Pankratz Michael J
Institut für Genetik, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany.
J Comp Neurol. 2007 Jun 10;502(5):848-56. doi: 10.1002/cne.21342.
The hugin gene of Drosophila encodes a neuropeptide with homology to mammalian neuromedin U. The hugin-expressing neurons are localized exclusively to the subesophageal ganglion of the central nervous system and modulate feeding behavior in response to nutrient signals. These neurons send neurites to the protocerebrum, the ventral nerve cord, the ring gland, and the pharynx and may interact with the gustatory sense organs. In this study, we have investigated the morphology of the hugin neurons at a single-cell level by using clonal analysis. We show that single cells project to only one of the four major targets. In addition, the neurites of the different hugin cells overlap in a specific brain region lateral to the foramen of the esophagus, which could be a new site of neuropeptide release for feeding regulation. Our study reveals novel complexity in the morphology of individual hugin neurons, which has functional implication for how they coordinate feeding behavior and growth.
果蝇的hugin基因编码一种与哺乳动物神经介素U具有同源性的神经肽。表达hugin的神经元仅定位于中枢神经系统的咽下神经节，并根据营养信号调节进食行为。这些神经元将神经突发送到前脑、腹神经索、环腺和咽部，并可能与味觉感觉器官相互作用。在本研究中，我们通过克隆分析在单细胞水平上研究了hugin神经元的形态。我们发现单个细胞仅投射到四个主要靶标之一。此外，不同hugin细胞的神经突在食管孔外侧的一个特定脑区重叠，这可能是用于进食调节的神经肽释放的新位点。我们的研究揭示了单个hugin神经元形态的新复杂性，这对它们如何协调进食行为和生长具有功能意义。
