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A reduced arousal threshold in Drosophila mutants prevents them from staying asleep
April 01, 2008WESTCHESTER, Ill. - Most short-sleeping mutant phenotypes in Drosophila (a genus of small flies) are characterized by an inability to stay asleep, most likely because of a reduced arousal threshold, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.
"The development of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system to study sleep was driven by the goal of using this system to carry out large scale genetic screening, in order to identify novel genes that regulate sleep," said Mark Wu, MD, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, lead author of the study. "However, to date, only one such screen has been carried out in Drosophila. In our manuscript, we describe a screen for short-sleeping mutant flies and find that these mutants generally have difficulty staying asleep, probably because they are hyperarousable. These data suggest that changes in arousal threshold are a common mechanism by which sleep may be perturbed. Interestingly, hyperarousability appears to be an important mechanism underlying insomnia in humans as well. From this screen, we also identified a novel allele of a dopamine transporter previously implicated in sleep regulation. As we continue to clone genes from screens such as these, we hope to identify novel molecules and pathways required for sleep."
It is recommended that adults get between seven and eight hours of nightly sleep.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) offers the following tips on how to get a good night's sleep:
* Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
* Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
* Get a full night's sleep every night.
* Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
* Do not bring your worries to bed with you.
* Do not go to bed hungry, but don't eat a big meal before bedtime either.
* Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
* Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
* Get up at the same time every morning.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) offers the following tips on how to get a good night's sleep:
* Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
* Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
* Get a full night's sleep every night.
* Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
* Do not bring your worries to bed with you.
* Do not go to bed hungry, but don't eat a big meal before bedtime either.
* Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
* Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
* Get up at the same time every morning.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Drosophila News and Current Drosophila Events RSSObesity genes revealed
A study of 228 women has revealed genetic variants responsible for body shape. Based on work in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, research published today in the open access journal BMC Genetics identifies natural variation in the human LAMA5 gene as a key determinant of weight.
Stem cell chicken and egg debate moves to unlikely arena: the testes
Logic says it has to be the niche. As air and water preceded life, so the niche, that hospitable environment that shelters adult stem cells in many tissues and provides factors necessary to keep them young and vital, must have emerged before its stem cell dependents.
Discovery of a mechanism that regulates cell movement
A study performed by researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), in collaboration with researchers at the Instituto de Biología Molecular of the CSIC, reveal a mechanism that controls the movement of cells in a tissue by regulating cell adhesion.
Researchers reveal types of genes necessary for brain development
Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brandeis University have successfully completed a full-genome RNAi screen in neurons, showing what types of genes are necessary for brain development. Details of the screen and its novel methodology are published July 4th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.
Plants in the fourth dimension
As anyone who has suffered from jetlag knows, we have internal clocks that tell us when to sleep and wake, and we can be miserable when these are disrupted.
Estimation of isolation times in the Drosophila simulans complex
The Drosophila simulans species complex continues to serve as an important model system for the study of new species formation. The complex is comprised of the cosmopolitan species, D. simulans, and two island endemics, D. mauritiana and D. sechellia.
Shilatifard Lab Identifies New Role for Factor Critical to Transcription
The Stowers Institute's Shilatifard Lab has identified a new role for the elongation factor ELL in gene transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) - the enzyme that synthesizes messenger RNA to carry genetic information from DNA to the protein-synthesizing machinery of the cell.
Taking the temperature of the no-fly zone
Flies, unlike humans, can't manipulate the temperature of their surroundings so they need to pick the best spot for flourishing. New Brandeis University research in this week's Nature reveals that they have internal thermosensors to help them.
Microsurgery on the brain of the fruit fly leads to new insights into irreparable nerve injuries
Every year, one million Europeans are confronted with potentially irreparable brain or spinal cord injuries resulting from traffic accidents.
Courtship pattern shaped by emergence of a new gene in fruit flies
When a young gene known as sphinx is inactivated in the common fruit fly, it leads to increased male-male courtship, scientists report in the May 27, 2008, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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