The development of the Drosophila olfactory system is a striking example of how genetic programs specify a large number of different neuron types and assemble them into functional circuits. To ensure precise odorant perception, each sensory neuron has to not only select a single olfactory receptor (OR) type out of a large genomic repertoire but also segregate its synaptic connections in the brain according to the OR class identity. Specification and patterning of second-order interneurons in the olfactory brain center occur largely independent of sensory input, followed by a precise point-to-point matching of sensory and relay neurons. Here we describe recent progress in the understanding of how cell-intrinsic differentiation programs and context-dependent cellular interactions generate a stereotyped sensory map in the Drosophila brain. Recent findings revealed an astonishing morphological diversity among members of the same interneuron class, suggesting an unexpected variability in local microcircuits involved in insect sensory processing.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2010.11.001 | DOI Listing |
Insects
January 2025
Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy.
severely damages the production of berry and stone fruits in large parts of the world. Unlike , which reproduces on overripe and fermenting fruits on the ground, prefers to lay its eggs in ripening fruits still on the plants. Flies locate fruit hosts by their odorant volatiles, which are detected and encoded by a highly specialised olfactory system before being translated into behaviour.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2025
Immunology Laboratory (UMF), Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Los Barrios No. 1, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla 54090, Mexico.
Sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is commonly used to treat various psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety due to its ability to increase serotonin availability in the brain. Recent findings suggest that sertraline may also influence the expression of genes related to synaptic plasticity and neuronal signaling pathways. Alternative splicing, a process that allows a single gene to produce multiple protein isoforms, plays a crucial role in the regulation of neuronal functions and plasticity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Metab
January 2025
Energy & Memory, Brain Plasticity Unit, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
Astrocytes help protect neurons from potential damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). While ROS can also exert beneficial effects, it remains unknown how neuronal ROS signalling is activated during memory formation, and whether astrocytes play a role in this process. Here we discover an astrocyte-to-neuron HO signalling cascade in Drosophila that is essential for long-term memory formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenetics
January 2025
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1M1.
The Drosophila TRIM-NHL RNA-binding protein (RBP), MEI-P26, has previously been shown to suppress tumor formation in the germline. Here we show that, in the Drosophila larval central brain, cell-type specific expression of MEI-P26 plays a vital role in regulating neural development. MEI-P26 and another TRIM-NHL RBP, Brain tumor (BRAT), have distinct expression patterns in Type I neuroblast (NB) lineages: While both proteins are expressed in NBs, BRAT is expressed in ganglion mother cells (GMCs) but not neurons whereas MEI-P26 is expressed in neurons but not GMCs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElife
January 2025
Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States.
Techniques that enable precise manipulations of subsets of neurons in the fly central nervous system (CNS) have greatly facilitated our understanding of the neural basis of behavior. Split-GAL4 driver lines allow specific targeting of cell types in and other species. We describe here a collection of 3060 lines targeting a range of cell types in the adult CNS and 1373 lines characterized in third-instar larvae.
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