Abstract
Drosophila NonA and its mammalian ortholog NONO are members of the Drosophila behavior and human splicing (DBHS) family. NONO also has a strong circadian connection: it associates with the circadian repressor protein PERIOD (PER) and contributes to circadian timekeeping. Here, we investigate NonA, which is required for proper levels of evening locomotor activity as well as a normal free-running period in Drosophila. NonA is associated with the positive transcription factor CLOCK/CYCLE (CLK/CYC), interacts directly with complexin (cpx) pre-mRNA, and upregulates gene expression, including the gene cpx. Downregulation of cpx expression in circadian neurons phenocopies NonA downregulation, whereas cpx overexpression rescues the nonA RNAi phenotypes, indicating that cpx is an important NonA target gene. As the cpx protein contributes to proper neurotransmitter and neuropeptide release in response to calcium, these results and others indicate that this control is important for the normal circadian regulation of locomotor activity.
•Drosophila NonA interacts with CLOCK•NonA is required for normal circadian locomotor activities•cpx RNA is a NonA target•NonA and CPX regulate circadian neuropeptide and neurotransmitter release
Luo et al. demonstrated that NonA is required for normal circadian locomotor activities in Drosophila. NonA is associated with transcription factor CLK, and it interacts with cpx pre-mRNA and upregulates its gene expression. NonA and CPX coordinate to regulate neuropeptide release and neuronal activity in circadian neurons.
