Yoali Banda
Research Mentor: Ravi Allada
Mentor Department: Anesthesiology/MNI, Medicine
Author(s): Not Available
Session: Session 2 (10:00 AM – 10:50 AM)
Presentation Type:
Abstract
Sleep is a conserved biological process essential for memory consolidation, metabolic regulation, and overall health. Although neural circuits involved in sleep have been extensively studied, the genetic mechanisms regulating sleep within specific neuronal populations remain less understood. Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model for studying sleep genetics due to its conserved sleep behaviors and the availability of versatile genetic tools for manipulating gene expression. This project investigates the role of sleep-sensitive genes in GABAergic neurons, which are known to promote sleep behavior. Using the GAL4/UAS system, RNA interference (RNAi) constructs targeting candidate genes were expressed in GABAergic neurons using the vGAT-GAL4 driver line. Sleep behavior was quantified using the Drosophila Activity Monitor (DAM) system, where sleep is defined as periods of at least 5 minutes of inactivity. Behavioral data was analyzed using SLEEPMAT to measure total sleep duration, sleep bout number, bout length, total activity per day, and sleep latency. Across multiple RNAi screening runs, most gene knockdowns did not significantly alter total sleep duration. However, several candidate genes produced significant changes in sleep architecture. Some knockdowns increased sleep bout length, indicating enhanced sleep consolidation, while others altered sleep latency or increased activity levels. These findings suggest that specific genes regulate distinct aspects of sleep architecture rather than overall sleep quantity.
