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Investigating genes and neurons associated with circadian chronotype across Drosophila species

Award Number: R21NS152782
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/02/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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Investigating genes and neurons associated with circadian chronotype across Drosophila species - Project Summary Individual people exhibit variation in daily timing preferences ranging from morning “larks” to evening “owls”. These preferences represent stable chronotypes that influence health risk and daily performance. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a foundational genetic model that has yielded detailed mechanistic insight into the genes and neural circuits underlying circadian timekeeping. Under standard light–dark cycles, D. melanogaster displays two locomotor activity peaks—one near dawn and one near dusk—that are typically similar in amplitude. Because wild‑type populations of D. melanogaster show limited variation in the relative size of these peaks, they offer few opportunities for identifying genetic determinants of chronotype. To overcome this constraint, our project expands experimental focus to investigate chronotype variability across many species of the Drosophilidae family instead of a single model species. We quantified locomotor activity in 63 related drosophilid species and observed a wide spectrum of chronotypes, from strongly morning‑biased to strongly evening‑biased patterns. These results reveal substantial phenotypic variation within a single phylogenetic family, providing new opportunities to examine genes and cells that influence daily chronotype preference. High‑quality reference genome assemblies are available for all species surveyed, enabling unbiased comparative genomic analyses to identify novel chronotype‑associated genes (Aim 1). Building on decades of circadian research in D. melanogaster, we will also evaluate chronotype-associated variation between species in regulatory elements and expression of known circadian genes (Aim 2). Collectively, this project aims to identify the genetic and neural correlates of morning and evening chronotypes across Drosophilidae species. We anticipate that these findings will enable the development of genetic models to assess the influence of chronotype on physiology and behavioral performance.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $433,125 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	9/2/2026	NEW	$433,125
														Subtotal = $433,125

Grand Total All Awards = $433,125

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Investigating genes and neurons associated with circadian chronotype across Drosophila species

Award Number: R21NS152782

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/02/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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