Timing of peptide-orchestrated eclosion behaviour in the fruit fly Drosophila (B02)

• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
• Term: from 2013 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 208233609

The project addresses the general question of how central and peripheral circadian clocks organise neuroendocrine and hormonal system to time behaviour. We could already identify neurons linking the central clock and a peripheral clock required for proper eclosion timing. Now we will characterise the temporal daily activity and clock modulation of these neurons. We also aim to functionally characterise the role of various hormones putatively involved in eclosion timing and the neuronal network underlying the lights-on response. To test for the fitness relevance of eclosion timing, we will analyse the temporal eclosion pattern of regional fly populations living under different climatic conditions.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1047: Insect Timing: Mechanisms, Plasticity and Interactions
• Applicant Institution: Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Christian Wegener