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Delaney Long | Serotonin suppresses Drosophila serotonergic axon development in vitro

Serotonergic neurons modulate brain activity by releasing the neurotransmitter serotonin onto other neurons through long cable-like processes called axons. In order to successfully do this, axons from serotonergic neurons must precisely reach target neurons. If not achieved, malformed serotonergic axons can cause behavioral disorders impacting mood, sleep, and appetite. Assisting in this, serotonin regulates the development of axon structure in addition to its role as a neurotransmitter. Neurons unable to synthesize serotonin develop more branches and longer axons, suggesting it normally limits branching and elongation. Despite this observation, the molecular mechanism of this process, termed serotonin autoregulation, remains unknown. Here we developed a novel culture method allowing identification and analysis of developing primary Drosophila serotonergic neurons. To validate the utility of the culture system, we treated them with extracellular serotonin and found that high levels of serotonin inhibited axon growth. This is the first demonstration of serotonin autoregulation in a culture system, and combined with the powerful genetic tools available in Drosophila will provide exciting new insights into the molecular mechanism of serotonin autoregulation of serotonergic axon development.

Faculty Mentor: Douglas Roossien

Department of Biology

Graduate Student

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