The CCHamide1 neuropeptide expressed in the anterior dorsal neuron 1 conveys a circadian signal to the ventral lateral neurons in Drosophila melanogaster

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster possesses approximately 150 brain clock neurons that control circadian behavioral rhythms. Even though individual clock neurons have self-sustaining oscillators, they interact and synchronize with each other through a network. However, little is known regarding the factors responsible for these network interactions. In this study, we investigated the role of CCHamide1 (CCHa1), a neuropeptide expressed in the anterior dorsal neuron 1 (DN_1a), in intercellular communication of the clock neurons. We observed that CCHa1 connects the DN_1a clock neurons to the ventral lateral clock neurons (LN_v) via the CCHa1 receptor, which is a homolog of the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor playing a role in circadian intercellular communications in mammals. CCHa1 knockout or knockdown flies have a generally low activity level with a special reduction of morning activity. In addition, they exhibit advanced morning activity under light-dark cycles and delayed activity under constant dark conditions, which correlates with an advance/delay of PAR domain Protein 1 (PDP1) oscillations in the small-LN_v (s-LN_v) neurons that control morning activity. The terminals of the s-LN_v neurons show rather high levels of Pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) in the evening, when PDF is low in control flies, suggesting that the knockdown of CCHa1 leads to increased PDF release; PDF signals the other clock neurons and evidently increases the amplitude of their PDP1 cycling. A previous study showed that high-amplitude PDP1 cycling increases the siesta of the flies, and indeed, CCHa1 knockout or knockdown flies exhibit a longer siesta than control flies. The DN_1a neurons are known to be receptive to PDF signaling from the s-LN_v neurons; thus, our results suggest that the DN_1a and s-LN_v clock neurons are reciprocally coupled via the neuropeptides CCHa1 and PDF, and this interaction fine-tunes the timing of activity and sleep.