The nuclear receptor unfulfilled is required for free-running clocks in Drosophila pacemaker neurons

An intricate neural circuit composed of multiple classes of clock neurons controls circadian locomotor rhythms in Drosophila. Evidence indicates that the small ventral lateral neurons (s-LNvs, M cells) are the dominant pacemaker neurons that synchronize the clocks throughout the circuit and drive free-running locomotor rhythms. Little is known, however, about the molecular underpinning of this unique function of the s-LNvs. Here, we show that the nuclear receptor gene unfulfilled (unf; DHR51) is required for the function of the s-LNvs. UNFULFILLED (UNF) is rhythmically expressed in the s-LNvs, and unf mutant flies are behaviorally arrhythmic. Knockdown of unf in developing LNvs irreversibly destroys the ability of adult s-LNvs to generate free-running rhythms, whereas depletion of UNF from adult LNvs dampens the rhythms of the s-LNvs only in constant darkness. These temporally controlled LNv-targeted unf knockdowns desynchronize circuit-wide molecular rhythms and disrupt behavioral rhythms. Therefore, UNF is a prerequisite for free-running clocks in the s-LNvs and for the function of the entire circadian circuit.