Early-life nutrition interacts with developmental genes to shape the brain and sleep behavior inDrosophila melanogaster

Abstract

The genetic variation of complex behaviors depends on the variation of brain structure and organization. The mechanisms by which the genome interacts with the nutritional environment during development to shape the brain and behaviors of adults are not well understood. Here we use the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel to identify genes and pathways underlying this interaction in sleep behavior and mushroom bodies morphology.We identify genes associated with sleep sensitivity to early nutrition, from which protein networks responsible for translation, endocytosis regulation, ubiquitination, lipid metabolism, and neural development emerge. We confirm that genes regulating neural development and insulin signaling in mushroom bodies contribute to the variable response to nutrition. We propose that natural variation in genes that control the development of the brain interact with early-life malnutrition to contribute to variation of adult sleep behavior.