Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; BRaIN Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Gregory Artiushin
Neuroscience Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
Yongjun Li
Biology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
Daryan Chitsaz
Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Sally Li
Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; BRaIN Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada
How the brain controls the need and acquisition of recovery sleep after prolonged wakefulness is an important issue in sleep research. The monoamines serotonin and dopamine are key regulators of sleep in mammals and in Drosophila. We found that the enzyme arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase 1 (AANAT1) is expressed by Drosophila astrocytes and specific subsets of neurons in the adult brain. AANAT1 acetylates monoamines and inactivates them, and we found that AANAT1 limited the accumulation of serotonin and dopamine in the brain upon sleep deprivation (SD). Loss of AANAT1 from astrocytes, but not from neurons, caused flies to increase their daytime recovery sleep following overnight SD. Together, these findings demonstrate a crucial role for AANAT1 and astrocytes in the regulation of monoamine bioavailability and homeostatic sleep.
