Biology

Prof. Christian Wegener
University of Wuerzburg, Germany

Neuropeptides and peptide hormones are important regulators of animal behaviour, and their release is often timed by the circadian clock. We are interested in the mechanisms by which the clock can time the activity of peptidergic neurons, and are focussing on eclosion behaviour (the emergence of the adult from the pupa) in the genetically amenable fruit fly Drosophila.  Eclosion is a peptide-orchestrated motor behaviour that -in the fruit fly- is timed to the morning hours. The peptide signalling cascade orchestrating eclosion behaviour is well characterised, and it is also known that the central and a peripheral clock are required for proper eclosion timing. I will give a report on our neurogenetic attempts to identify the „missing link“ - i.e. how the clock signals time to the peptide signalling cascade to gate eclosion to the morning hours, and describe the peptidergic pathway that couples the central and the peripheral clock.