Picão-Osório, J., Johnston, J., Landgraf, M., Berni, J. & Alonso, C.R. (2015) MicroRNA-encoded behavior in Drosophila.
Science, 350, 815-20. DOI:10.1126/science.aad0217 (IF2015 34,661; Q1 Multidisciplinary Sciences)The relationship between microRNA (miRNA) regulation and the specification of behavior is only beginning to be explored. We found that mutation of a single miRNA locus (miR-iab4/iab8) in Drosophila larvae affects the animal's capacity to correct its orientation if turned upside down (self-righting). One of the miRNA targets involved in this behavior is the Hox gene Ultrabithorax, whose derepression in two metameric neurons leads to self-righting defects. In vivo neural activity analysis reveals that these neurons, the self-righting node (SRN), have different activity patterns in wild type and miRNA mutants, whereas thermogenetic manipulation of SRN activity results in changes in self-righting behavior. Our work thus reveals a miRNA-encoded behavior and suggests that other miRNAs might also be involved in behavioral control in Drosophila and other species.
