An Ionic Sensor acts in Parallel to dSarm to Promote Neurodegeneration.

How neurons to sense when they are terminally dysfunctional and activate neurodegeneration remains poorly defined. The pro-degenerative NAD hydrolase dSarm/SARM1 can act as a metabolic sensor by detecting pathological changes in NAD /NMN and subsequently induce catastrophic axon degeneration. Here we show with-no-lysine kinase (dWnk), which can directly sense Cl , K and osmotic pressure, is required for neurodegeneration induced by depletion of the NAD biosynthetic enzyme dNmnat.

and constitute a gene regulatory network essential for the development of functional proprioceptors.

Coordinated animal locomotion depends on the development of functional proprioceptors. While early cell-fate determination processes are well characterized, little is known about the terminal differentiation of cells within the proprioceptive lineage and the genetic networks that control them. In this work we describe a gene regulatory network consisting of three transcription factors-Prospero (Pros), D-Pax2, and Delilah (Dei)-that dictates two alternative differentiation programs within the proprioceptive lineage in .

Accurate elimination of superfluous attachment cells is critical for the construction of functional multicellular proprioceptors in Drosophila.

Here, we show for the first time that developmental cell death plays a critical role in the morphogenesis of multicellular proprioceptors in Drosophila. The most prominent multicellular proprioceptive organ in the fly larva, the pentascolopidial (LCh5) organ, consists of a cluster of five stretch-responsive sensory organs that are anchored to the cuticle via specialized attachment cells. Stable attachment of the organ to the cuticle is critical for its ability to perceive mechanical stimuli arising from muscle contractions and the resulting displacement of its attachment sites.

An RNAi Screen Identifies New Genes Required for Normal Morphogenesis of Larval Chordotonal Organs.

The proprioceptive chordotonal organs (ChO) of a fly larva respond to mechanical stimuli generated by muscle contractions and consequent deformations of the cuticle. The ability of the ChO to sense the relative displacement of its epidermal attachment sites likely depends on the correct mechanical properties of the accessory (cap and ligament) and attachment cells that connect the sensory unit (neuron and scolopale cell) to the cuticle. The genetic programs dictating the development of ChO cells with unique morphologies and mechanical properties are largely unknown.