Non-Ventral Lateral Neuron-Based, Non-PDF-Mediated Clocks Control Circadian Egg-Laying Rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster

The authors report the results of their study aimed at investigating the consequence of targeted ablation of ventral lateral neurons (LN[subscript v]s--neurons regulating eclosion and locomotor activity rhythms) and genetic disruption of pigment-dispersing factor (PDF--an important output of circadian clocks) on the egg-laying rhythm of Drosophila melanogaster. The results clearly suggest that genetic ablation of LN[subscript v]s and loss of function mutation of PDF abolish eclosion and locomotor activity rhythms, whereas the egg-laying rhythm continues unabated. Furthermore, the results also demonstrate that the period of egg-laying rhythm remains unchanged under different ambient temperatures and nutrition levels, suggesting that the egg-laying rhythm of D. melanogaster is temperature and nutrition compensated. Based on these results, the authors conclude that the egg-laying rhythm in D. melanogaster is regulated by non-LN[subscript v]-based, non-PDF-mediated circadian clocks.