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Pigment-dispersing hormone (PDH)-immunoreactive neurons form a direct coupling pathway between the bilaterally symmetric circadian pacemakers of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae

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Abstract

Circadian locomotor activity rhythms of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae are driven by two bilaterally paired and mutually coupled pacemakers that reside in the optic lobes of the brain. Transplantation studies have shown that this circadian pacemaker is located in the accessory medulla (AMe), a small neuropil of the medulla of the optic lobe. The AMe is densely innervated by about 12 anterior pigment-dispersing-hormone-immunoreactive (PDH-ir) medulla (PDHMe) neurons. PDH-ir neurons are circadian pacemaker candidates in the fruitfly and cockroach. A subpopulation of these neurons also appears to connect both optic lobes and may constitute at least one of the circadian coupling pathways. To determine whether PDHMe neurons directly connect both accessory medullae, we injected rhodamine-labeled dextran as neuronal tracer into one AMe and performed PDH immunocytochemistry. Double-labeled fibers in the anterior, shell, and internodular neuropil of the AMe contralaterally to the injection site showed that PDH-ir fibers directly connect both accessory medullae. This connection is formed by three anterior PDHMe neurons of each optic lobe, which, thus, fulfill morphological criteria for a direct circadian coupling pathway. Our double-label studies also showed that all except one of the midbrain projection areas of anterior PDHMe neurons were innervated ipsilaterally and contralaterally. Thus, anterior PDHMe neurons seem to play multiple roles in generating circadian rhythms. They also deliver timing information output and perform mutual pacemaker coupling in L. maderae.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Heinrich Dircksen (University of Stockholm, Sweden) for providing the anti-β-PDH antiserum.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg August University of Göttingen, Berliner Strasse 28, 37073, Göttingen, Germany

    Thomas Reischig

  2. Institute of Biology and Preclinical Medicine, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany

    Bernhard Petri

  3. Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Biology, Philipps University, Karl von Frisch Strasse, 35032, Marburg, Germany

    Monika Stengl

Authors
  1. Thomas Reischig
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  2. Bernhard Petri
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  3. Monika Stengl
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Correspondence to Monika Stengl.

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This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) grants STE 531/7-1, 2, 3, and Human Science Frontier

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Reischig, T., Petri, B. & Stengl, M. Pigment-dispersing hormone (PDH)-immunoreactive neurons form a direct coupling pathway between the bilaterally symmetric circadian pacemakers of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae. Cell Tissue Res 318, 553–564 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-004-0927-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-004-0927-1

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