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A screen for sleep and starvation resistance identifies a wake-promoting role for the auxiliary channel unc79

Summary

Scientists conducted a genetic screening study in fruit flies to understand how sleep and the body’s ability to survive without food are connected. They discovered that a gene called unc79 plays an important role in promoting wakefulness and affecting how long flies can survive starvation. Interestingly, this gene works in a brain region called the mushroom body and functions differently there than it does in controlling daily biological rhythms. These findings help explain how sleep and metabolism are linked, which could have implications for understanding human sleep disorders and metabolic diseases.

Background

Sleep and metabolism are interconnected, with dysregulation of sleep linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Diet potently impacts sleep duration and quality. Understanding how sleep, diet, and metabolic regulation interact is critical to comprehending the fundamental functions of sleep.

Objective

To identify novel genetic factors that modulate interactions between sleep and metabolic state through a genetic screen measuring sleep duration, starvation resistance, and starvation-dependent modulation of sleep.

Results

The screen identified unc79 (uncoordinated 79), an auxiliary ion channel subunit, as a regulator of both sleep and starvation resistance. Flies with unc79 knockdown or mutation showed increased sleep duration, impaired starvation-induced sleep suppression, and increased starvation resistance. Functional analysis localized unc79 activity to the mushroom body, independent of its known role in circadian rhythm regulation.

Conclusion

unc79 functions in the mushroom body to regulate sleep and metabolic function through mechanisms separate from its circadian rhythm functions. These findings reveal spatially localized, separable functions of unc79 and advance understanding of sleep-metabolism interactions.
  • Published in:G3 (Bethesda),
  • Study Type:Genetic Screen Study,
  • Source: PMID: 34849820, DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab199
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