Identifying Sleep Regulatory Genes Using aDrosophilaModel of Insomnia

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5629-08.2009
• Publication Date: 2009-06-03T17:37:34Z
• Authors: Laurent Seugnet; Yasuko Suzuki; Matthew Thimgan; Jeff Donlea; Sarah I. Gimbel; Laura Gottschalk; Steve P. Duntley; Paul J. Shaw
• Keywords: 2800 Neuroscience; Dopamine; Filamins; 612; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; Animals, Genetically Modified; 03 medical and health sciences; Contractile Proteins; 0302 clinical medicine; Avoidance Learning; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors; Animals; Drosophila Proteins; Humans; Analysis of Variance; Behavior, Animal; Gene Expression Profiling; Lipids; Circadian Rhythm; Disease Models, Animal; Cholesterol; Gene Expression Regulation; Drosophila; Female

Although it is widely accepted that sleep must serve an essential biological function, little is known about molecules that underlie sleep regulation. Given that insomnia is a common sleep disorder that disrupts the ability to initiate and maintain restorative sleep, a better understanding of its molecular underpinning may provide crucial insights into sleep regulatory processes. Thus, we created a line of flies using laboratory selection that share traits with human insomnia. After 60 generations,insomnia-like(ins-l) flies sleep 60 min a day, exhibit difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, and show evidence of daytime cognitive impairment.ins-lflies are also hyperactive and hyperresponsive to environmental perturbations. In addition, they have difficulty maintaining their balance, have elevated levels of dopamine, are short-lived, and show increased levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids. Although their core molecular clock remains intact,ins-lflies lose their ability to sleep when placed into constant darkness. Whole-genome profiling identified genes that are modified inins-lflies. Among those differentially expressed transcripts, genes involved in metabolism, neuronal activity, and sensory perception constituted over-represented categories. We demonstrate that two of these genes are upregulated in human subjects after acute sleep deprivation. Together, these data indicate that theins-lflies are a useful tool that can be used to identify molecules important for sleep regulation and may provide insights into both the causes and long-term consequences of insomnia.