The Impact of Altered Amounts of RhoBTB on Fruit Fly Behavior
(A) Flies overexpressing RhoBTB pan-neuronally (UAS_RhoBTB_2) showed bang-sensitivity phenotypes after vortexing. All ten flies, paralyzed and with spasms, were at the bottom of the vial, whereas flies from the corresponding genetic background line already started to walk up the sides (see also ).
(B) Quantification of the number of flies (either overexpressing RhoBTB or upon knockdown) shaking on the bottom of the vial 5 s after vortexing. The diagram shows the mean value from a minimum number of 100 flies tested per genotype ± SEM.
(C–E) Flies overexpressing RhoBTB in motoneurons (C), in all neurons (D), or in glia (E) (black bars) showed significant locomotor impairment in the negative geotaxis assay, as measured by the amount of time that 70% of flies in a vial needed to crawl up 8.8 cm after being tapped down. Only knockdown in all neurons (D), but not in motoneurons or glia (C and E; gray bars), resulted in significant locomotor impairment. Data represent the mean from a minimum of 300 flies tested per genotype ± SEM. Asterisks indicate statistical significance (∗∗p < 0.01, ∗∗∗p < 0.001).