Most sleep does not serve a vital function: Evidence from Drosophila melanogaster

Quentin Geissmann; Esteban J. Beckwith; Giorgio F. Gilestro

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aau9253

Most sleep does not serve a vital function: Evidence from Drosophila melanogaster

Quentin Geissmann, Esteban J. Beckwith, Giorgio F. Gilestro^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

50 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Sleep appears to be a universally conserved phenomenon among the animal kingdom, but whether this notable evolutionary conservation underlies a basic vital function is still an open question. Using a machine learning–based video-tracking technology, we conducted a detailed high-throughput analysis of sleep in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, coupled with a lifelong chronic and specific sleep restriction. Our results show that some wild-type flies are virtually sleepless in baseline conditions and that complete, forced sleep restriction is not necessarily a lethal treatment in wild-type D. melanogaster. We also show that circadian drive, and not homeostatic regulation, is the main contributor to sleep pressure in flies. These results offer a new perspective on the biological role of sleep in Drosophila and, potentially, in other species.

Original language	English
Article number	eaau9253
Journal	Science Advances
Volume	5
Issue	2
ISSN	2375-2548
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau9253
Publication status	Published - Feb 2019
Externally published	Yes

Access to Document

10.1126/sciadv.aau9253

Cite this

@article{166fed7800d24d4db1f26a12e55dfeea,

title = "Most sleep does not serve a vital function: Evidence from Drosophila melanogaster",

abstract = "Sleep appears to be a universally conserved phenomenon among the animal kingdom, but whether this notable evolutionary conservation underlies a basic vital function is still an open question. Using a machine learning–based video-tracking technology, we conducted a detailed high-throughput analysis of sleep in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, coupled with a lifelong chronic and specific sleep restriction. Our results show that some wild-type flies are virtually sleepless in baseline conditions and that complete, forced sleep restriction is not necessarily a lethal treatment in wild-type D. melanogaster. We also show that circadian drive, and not homeostatic regulation, is the main contributor to sleep pressure in flies. These results offer a new perspective on the biological role of sleep in Drosophila and, potentially, in other species.",

author = "Quentin Geissmann and Beckwith, {Esteban J.} and Gilestro, {Giorgio F.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2019 The Authors.",

year = "2019",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1126/sciadv.aau9253",

language = "English",

volume = "5",

journal = "Science Advances",

issn = "2375-2548",

publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Most sleep does not serve a vital function

T2 - Evidence from Drosophila melanogaster

AU - Geissmann, Quentin

AU - Beckwith, Esteban J.

AU - Gilestro, Giorgio F.

PY - 2019/2

Y1 - 2019/2

N2 - Sleep appears to be a universally conserved phenomenon among the animal kingdom, but whether this notable evolutionary conservation underlies a basic vital function is still an open question. Using a machine learning–based video-tracking technology, we conducted a detailed high-throughput analysis of sleep in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, coupled with a lifelong chronic and specific sleep restriction. Our results show that some wild-type flies are virtually sleepless in baseline conditions and that complete, forced sleep restriction is not necessarily a lethal treatment in wild-type D. melanogaster. We also show that circadian drive, and not homeostatic regulation, is the main contributor to sleep pressure in flies. These results offer a new perspective on the biological role of sleep in Drosophila and, potentially, in other species.

AB - Sleep appears to be a universally conserved phenomenon among the animal kingdom, but whether this notable evolutionary conservation underlies a basic vital function is still an open question. Using a machine learning–based video-tracking technology, we conducted a detailed high-throughput analysis of sleep in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, coupled with a lifelong chronic and specific sleep restriction. Our results show that some wild-type flies are virtually sleepless in baseline conditions and that complete, forced sleep restriction is not necessarily a lethal treatment in wild-type D. melanogaster. We also show that circadian drive, and not homeostatic regulation, is the main contributor to sleep pressure in flies. These results offer a new perspective on the biological role of sleep in Drosophila and, potentially, in other species.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85062093944&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1126/sciadv.aau9253

DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aau9253

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 30801012

AN - SCOPUS:85062093944

SN - 2375-2548

VL - 5

JO - Science Advances

JF - Science Advances

IS - 2

M1 - eaau9253

ER -

Most sleep does not serve a vital function: Evidence from Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this