D-5
Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
Role of Serotonin in the Adaptive Response to Acute Stress in Drosophila melanogaster
María Inés Fernández1,2, Andrea Beltrán Terán1,2, Pablo Bochicchio3,4, Diego Bodin4, Maximiliano Katz1,2,3
1. Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay (IFIBIO Houssay). Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
3. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET).
4. Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Laboratorio de Neuroetología de Insectos. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Presenting Author:
ines.fernandez@campus.fmed.uba.ar
Vital physiological functions are sustained through the interaction of specialized structures coordinated by tightly regulated signaling pathways. This homeostasis can be disrupted by internal or external stressors, triggering the release of neurotransmitters essential for systemic adaptation. Among these, serotonin (5-HT) plays a critical yet poorly characterized role in adaptive stress responses. Here, we used Drosophila melanogaster, a model lacking endogenous thermoregulatory mechanisms, to investigate the cellular processes underlying serotonergic involvement in the locomotor response to thermal stress. Control flies exposed to elevated temperatures exhibited a characteristic increase in locomotor activity. To map the specific components of this pathway, we subjected flies deficient in tryptophan hydroxylase, the serotonin transporter (SerT), and individual receptors (5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, and 5-HT7) to an acute thermal stress protocol and monitored their locomotor patterns. These preliminary results demonstrate a functional role for serotonin signaling in orchestrating the behavioral and physiological response to thermal stress.
