RESUMO
Members of the class B1 family of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) whose ligands are neuropeptides have been implicated in regulation of circadian rhythms and sleep in diverse metazoan clades. This review discusses the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which class B1 GPCRs, especially the mammalian VPAC2 receptor and its functional homologue PDFR in Drosophila and C. elegans, regulate arousal and daily rhythms of sleep and wake. There are remarkable parallels in the cellular and molecular roles played by class B1 intercellular signaling pathways in coordinating arousal and circadian timekeeping across multiple cells and tissues in these very different genetic model organisms.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Ritmo Circadiano/fisiologia , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/metabolismo , Sono/fisiologia , Animais , Caenorhabditis elegans/fisiologia , Drosophila/fisiologia , Humanos , Filogenia , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/genéticaRESUMO
Cajal's careful observations of the anatomy of the nervous system led him to some lesser-known predictions about the function of glia as mediators of sleep. Reporting over 120 years later in BMC Biology, Bellesi et al. examine changes in gene expression and morphology of astrocytes with sleep. Their results provide support for and revisions to Cajal's predictions.See research article: doi: 10.1186/s12915-015-0176-7 .