Behavioral Neurogenetics of Drosophila Larva
This meeting focuses on Drosophila larval neuroanatomy, behavior, and development. The types of larval behavior and physiological responses under investigation have been steadily increasing. These include different forms of movement (peristalsis, crawling, digging), feeding behavior and growth, ecdysis behavior, social behaviors (aggregation, selection of pupation sites), escape responses, reaction to sensory stimuli of diverse modalities, and learning and memory. Because of their relatively simplified nervous system, fly larvae provide distinct advantages over adults for linking behavior to underlying neural circuits. The projections of most classes of sensory and motor neurons have been described, which greatly facilitates identification of interneuronal components of distinct behavioral circuits. Electrophysiological studies of larval motor and sensory neurons are possible, and tools are becoming available for automated tracking of behavior of entire populations of larvae. Therefore, a great opportunity exists for attributing specific behaviors to clearly identifiable circuits and for altering and monitoring the activity of circuits at a fine cellular resolution. In addition, the larval nervous system provides unique insights into how hormones influence circuit growth and remodeling, and how identified stem cells relate to defined circuit components. Coupled with the powerful genetic tools available in Drosophila this is an excellent model system for investigating the way in which genes act in defined neuronal circuits to specify behavior.
Organizers
Michael Pankratz, University of Bonn
Jim Truman, HHMI/Janelia Research Campus
Marta Zlatic, Columbia University
Invited Participants
Richard Baines, University of Manchester
Michael Bate, University of Cambridge
Kendal Broadie, Vanderbilt University
John Carlson, Yale University
Matthew Cobb, University of Manchester
Mario de Bono, Medical Research Council
Chris Doe, HHMI/University of Oregon
Bertram Gerber, University of Wuerzburg
Raul Godoy-Herrera, Universidad de Chile
Wes Grueber, Columbia University
Volker Hartenstein, University of California, Los Angeles
Yuh-Nung Jan, University of California, San Francisco
Matthieu Louis, University of California, Los Angeles
Eric Rulifson, University of California, San Francisco
William Schafer, Medical Research Council
Ping Shen, University of Georgia
Marla Sokolowski, University of Toronto at Mississauga
Reinhard Stocker, University of Fribourg
Dan Tracey, Duke University
Christian Wegener, Philipps-Universität Marburg
Rachel Wilson, Harvard Medical School
