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Action potential mutations stop a biological clock in Drosophila

Nature volume 314, pages 171–173 (1985)Cite this article

Abstract

The Drosophila melanogaster male produces a species-specific courtship song by wing vibration. The most conspicuous feature of the song is a series of pulses with a 30–40-ms interpulse interval (IPI)1,2 which oscillate in wild-type males with a period of 50–60 s (ref. 3). This short-term biological rhythm in IPI is influenced by several gene mutations at the period (per) locus, which alter the normal 24-h free-running period of the circadian clock4 and have corresponding effects on the song cycle3. The present study reveals that, under restrictive conditions, temperature-sensitive mutations which affect neuronal membrane excitability seem to stop the biological clock underlying the fruitfly's song rhythm.

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Author notes

  1. Charalambos P. Kyriacou

    Present address: Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Edinburgh University, 48 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ, UK

    Charalambos P. Kyriacou

  2. Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, 02254, USA

    Jeffrey C. Hall

Authors
  1. Charalambos P. Kyriacou
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  2. Jeffrey C. Hall
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Kyriacou, C., Hall, J. Action potential mutations stop a biological clock in Drosophila. Nature 314, 171–173 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/314171a0

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