Intracellular Ca2+ signaling in Drosophila flight

2010 Drosophila Image Award

Flight ability of inositol 1, 4, 5 trisphosphate receptor mutant flies is restored by introducing additional mutations in SERCA and Orai.

Air puff delivery to a wild type Drosophila elicits sustained flight with rhythmic wing beating. Flies mutant for inositol 1, 4, 5 trisphosphate receptor (itpr) are flightless and exhibit brief non-rhythmic wing flapping. The flight ability of mutant flies is restored by introducing additional mutations in SERCA (kum) and the store operated Ca2+ channel encoding gene Orai simultaneously. Real time video recording of air-puff induced flight in flies of the i) itpr mutant, ii) double mutants of itpr and kum and iii) triple mutants of itpr, Kum and orai (left to right). Following a gentle air-puff, itpr mutant flies (left) are unable to initiate wing beating, flies mutant for itpr and kum (middle) exhibit brief periods of wing beating, while flies mutant for itpr, kum and orai (right) exhibit sustained flight patterns.

Venkiteswaran, G. & Hasan, G. Intracellular Ca2+ signaling and store-operated Ca2+ entry are required in Drosophila neurons for flight. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106, 10326-10331 (2009).

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