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A single photoreceptor splits perception and entrainment by cotransmission
Na Xiao1,2,3,4,5, Shuang Xu1,2,3,4, Ze-Kai Li1,2,3,4
1State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Nature
|October 25, 2023
Summary
Fruit flies use a single photoreceptor type to process both image-forming vision and circadian light entrainment. This photoreceptor co-transmits histamine and acetylcholine, separating visual signals for distinct behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Biology
- Chronobiology
Background:
- Vision serves distinct functions: image perception (contrast-based) and circadian photoentrainment (irradiance-based).
- While specialized photoreceptors exist, image-forming ones can also influence circadian rhythms.
- Mechanisms for segregating these signal types within photoreceptors remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how photoreceptors segregate image-forming and irradiance signals.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this signal segregation in Drosophila.
- To link photoreceptor function to distinct visual behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Investigated neurotransmitter co-transmission in Drosophila R8 photoreceptors.
- Analyzed postsynaptic receptor expression and neuronal pathways.
- Examined behavioral impacts of neurotransmitter transmission disruption.
Main Results:
- Drosophila R8 photoreceptors co-transmit histamine and acetylcholine to segregate signals.
- Histamine and acetylcholine receptors on distinct downstream neurons mediate signal separation.
- Histamine provides autocrine feedback sustaining acetylcholine transmission during light exposure.
- Disrupting histamine and acetylcholine transmission impairs motion detection and circadian entrainment.
Conclusions:
- A single photoreceptor type can initiate the segregation of visual information for distinct behavioral outputs.
- This early synaptic segregation allows for parallel processing of contrast and irradiance signals.
- The findings reveal a fundamental mechanism for translating sensory input into diverse behaviors.
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