1
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Stürner T, Brooks P, Serratosa Capdevila L, Morris BJ, Javier A, Fang S, Gkantia M, Cachero S, Beckett IR, Marin EC, Schlegel P, Champion AS, Moitra I, Richards A, Klemm F, Kugel L, Namiki S, Cheong HSJ, Kovalyak J, Tenshaw E, Parekh R, Phelps JS, Mark B, Dorkenwald S, Bates AS, Matsliah A, Yu SC, McKellar CE, Sterling A, Seung HS, Murthy M, Tuthill JC, Lee WCA, Card GM, Costa M, Jefferis GSXE, Eichler K. Comparative connectomics of Drosophila descending and ascending neurons. Nature 2025:10.1038/s41586-025-08925-z. [PMID: 40307549 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08925-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2025] [Indexed: 05/02/2025]
Abstract
In most complex nervous systems there is a clear anatomical separation between the nerve cord, which contains most of the final motor outputs necessary for behaviour, and the brain. In insects, the neck connective is both a physical and an information bottleneck connecting the brain and the ventral nerve cord (an analogue of the spinal cord) and comprises diverse populations of descending neurons (DNs), ascending neurons (ANs) and sensory ascending neurons, which are crucial for sensorimotor signalling and control. Here, by integrating three separate electron microscopy (EM) datasets1-4, we provide a complete connectomic description of the ANs and DNs of the Drosophila female nervous system and compare them with neurons of the male nerve cord. Proofread neuronal reconstructions are matched across hemispheres, datasets and sexes. Crucially, we also match 51% of DN cell types to light-level data5 defining specific driver lines, as well as classifying all ascending populations. We use these results to reveal the anatomical and circuit logic of neck connective neurons. We observe connected chains of DNs and ANs spanning the neck, which may subserve motor sequences. We provide a complete description of sexually dimorphic DN and AN populations, with detailed analyses of selected circuits for reproductive behaviours, including male courtship6 (DNa12; also known as aSP22) and song production7 (AN neurons from hemilineage 08B) and female ovipositor extrusion8 (DNp13). Our work provides EM-level circuit analyses that span the entire central nervous system of an adult animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomke Stürner
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Paul Brooks
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Billy J Morris
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alexandre Javier
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Siqi Fang
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marina Gkantia
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sebastian Cachero
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Isabella R Beckett
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Elizabeth C Marin
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Philipp Schlegel
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew S Champion
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ilina Moitra
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alana Richards
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Finja Klemm
- Genetics Department, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Leonie Kugel
- Genetics Department, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Shigehiro Namiki
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Han S J Cheong
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
- Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julie Kovalyak
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Emily Tenshaw
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Ruchi Parekh
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Jasper S Phelps
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Brain Mind Institute and Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Brandon Mark
- Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sven Dorkenwald
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Alexander S Bates
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Arie Matsliah
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Szi-Chieh Yu
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Claire E McKellar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Amy Sterling
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - H Sebastian Seung
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - John C Tuthill
- Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Wei-Chung Allen Lee
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gwyneth M Card
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
- Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marta Costa
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gregory S X E Jefferis
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Katharina Eichler
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Genetics Department, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
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2
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Suarez GO, Kumar DS, Brunner H, Knauss A, Barrios J, Emel J, Teel J, Botero V, Broyles CN, Stahl A, Bidaye SS, Tomchik SM. Neurofibromin Deficiency Alters the Patterning and Prioritization of Motor Behaviors in a State-Dependent Manner. J Neurosci 2025; 45:e1531242025. [PMID: 39965929 PMCID: PMC12005242 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1531-24.2025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2024] [Revised: 02/05/2025] [Accepted: 02/12/2025] [Indexed: 02/20/2025] Open
Abstract
Genetic disorders such as neurofibromatosis type 1 (Nf1) increase vulnerability to cognitive and behavioral disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Nf1 results from mutations in the neurofibromin gene that can reduce levels of the neurofibromin protein. While the mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated, loss of Nf1 may alter neuronal circuit activity leading to changes in behavior and susceptibility to cognitive and behavioral comorbidities. Here we show that mutations decreasing Nf1 expression alter motor behaviors, impacting the patterning, prioritization, and behavioral state dependence in a Drosophila model of Nf1. Loss of Nf1 increased spontaneous grooming in male and female flies. This followed a nonlinear spatial pattern, with Nf1 deficiency increasing grooming of certain body parts differentially, including the abdomen, head, and wings. The increase in grooming could be overridden by hunger in foraging animals, demonstrating that the Nf1 effect is plastic and internal state dependent. Stimulus-evoked grooming patterns were altered as well, suggesting that hierarchical recruitment of grooming command circuits was altered. Yet loss of Nf1 in sensory neurons and/or grooming command neurons did not alter grooming frequency, suggesting that Nf1 affects grooming via higher-order circuit alterations. Changes in grooming coincided with alterations in walking. Flies lacking Nf1 walked with increased forward velocity on a spherical treadmill, yet there was no detectable change in leg kinematics or gait. These results demonstrate that loss of Nf1 alters the patterning and prioritization of repetitive behaviors, in a state-dependent manner, without affecting low-level motor functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genesis Omana Suarez
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
- H.L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida 33458
| | - Divya S Kumar
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, Florida 33458
| | - Hannah Brunner
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Anneke Knauss
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Jenifer Barrios
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Jalen Emel
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Jensen Teel
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, Florida 33458
| | - Valentina Botero
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Connor N Broyles
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Aaron Stahl
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Salil S Bidaye
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, Florida 33458
| | - Seth M Tomchik
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
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3
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Francis J, Gibeily CR, Smith WV, Petropoulos IS, Anderson M, Heitler WJ, Prinz AA, Pulver SR. Inhibitory circuit motifs in Drosophila larvae generate motor program diversity and variability. PLoS Biol 2025; 23:e3003094. [PMID: 40258087 PMCID: PMC12088524 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2024] [Revised: 05/19/2025] [Accepted: 03/03/2025] [Indexed: 04/23/2025] Open
Abstract
How do neural networks generate and regulate diversity and variability in motor outputs with finite cellular components? Here we examine this problem by exploring the role that inhibitory neuron motifs play in generating mixtures of motor programs in the segmentally organised Drosophila larval locomotor system. We developed a computational model that is constrained by experimental calcium imaging data. The model comprises single-compartment cells with a single voltage-gated calcium current, which are interconnected by graded excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Local excitatory and inhibitory neurons form conditional oscillators in each hemisegment. Surrounding architecture reflects key aspects of inter- and intrasegmental connectivity motifs identified in the literature. The model generates metachronal waves of activity that recapitulate key features of fictive forwards and backwards locomotion, as well as bilaterally asymmetric activity in anterior regions that represents fictive head sweeps. The statistics of inputs to competing command-like motifs, coupled with inhibitory motifs that detect activity across multiple segments generate network states that promote diversity in motor outputs, while at the same time preventing maladaptive overlap in motor programs. Overall, the model generates testable predictions for connectomics and physiological studies while providing a platform for uncovering how inhibitory circuit motifs underpin generation of diversity and variability in motor systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Francis
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Caius R. Gibeily
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - William V. Smith
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Isabel S. Petropoulos
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Anderson
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - William J. Heitler
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Astrid A. Prinz
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Stefan R. Pulver
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
- Institute for Behavioural and Neural Sciences, Centre of Biophotonics, and Centre for Biological Diversity, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
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4
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Bisen RS, Iqbal FM, Cascino-Milani F, Bockemühl T, Ache JM. Nutritional state-dependent modulation of insulin-producing cells in Drosophila. eLife 2025; 13:RP98514. [PMID: 39878318 PMCID: PMC11778929 DOI: 10.7554/elife.98514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2025] Open
Abstract
Insulin plays a key role in metabolic homeostasis. Drosophila insulin-producing cells (IPCs) are functional analogues of mammalian pancreatic beta cells and release insulin directly into circulation. To investigate the in vivo dynamics of IPC activity, we quantified the effects of nutritional and internal state changes on IPCs using electrophysiological recordings. We found that the nutritional state strongly modulates IPC activity. IPC activity decreased with increasing periods of starvation. Refeeding flies with glucose or fructose, two nutritive sugars, significantly increased IPC activity, whereas non-nutritive sugars had no effect. In contrast to feeding, glucose perfusion did not affect IPC activity. This was reminiscent of the mammalian incretin effect, where glucose ingestion drives higher insulin release than intravenous application. Contrary to IPCs, Diuretic hormone 44-expressing neurons in the pars intercerebralis (DH44PINs) responded to glucose perfusion. Functional connectivity experiments demonstrated that these DH44PINs do not affect IPC activity, while other DH44Ns inhibit them. Hence, populations of autonomously and systemically sugar-sensing neurons work in parallel to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Accordingly, activating IPCs had a small, satiety-like effect on food-searching behavior and reduced starvation-induced hyperactivity, whereas activating DH44Ns strongly increased hyperactivity. Taken together, we demonstrate that IPCs and DH44Ns are an integral part of a modulatory network that orchestrates glucose homeostasis and adaptive behavior in response to shifts in the metabolic state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rituja S Bisen
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-University of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Fathima Mukthar Iqbal
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-University of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Federico Cascino-Milani
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-University of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Till Bockemühl
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of CologneCologneGermany
| | - Jan M Ache
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-University of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
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5
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Shuai Y, Sammons M, Sterne GR, Hibbard KL, Yang H, Yang CP, Managan C, Siwanowicz I, Lee T, Rubin GM, Turner GC, Aso Y. Driver lines for studying associative learning in Drosophila. eLife 2025; 13:RP94168. [PMID: 39879130 PMCID: PMC11778931 DOI: 10.7554/elife.94168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2025] Open
Abstract
The mushroom body (MB) is the center for associative learning in insects. In Drosophila, intersectional split-GAL4 drivers and electron microscopy (EM) connectomes have laid the foundation for precise interrogation of the MB neural circuits. However, investigation of many cell types upstream and downstream of the MB has been hindered due to lack of specific driver lines. Here we describe a new collection of over 800 split-GAL4 and split-LexA drivers that cover approximately 300 cell types, including sugar sensory neurons, putative nociceptive ascending neurons, olfactory and thermo-/hygro-sensory projection neurons, interneurons connected with the MB-extrinsic neurons, and various other cell types. We characterized activation phenotypes for a subset of these lines and identified a sugar sensory neuron line most suitable for reward substitution. Leveraging the thousands of confocal microscopy images associated with the collection, we analyzed neuronal morphological stereotypy and discovered that one set of mushroom body output neurons, MBON08/MBON09, exhibits striking individuality and asymmetry across animals. In conjunction with the EM connectome maps, the driver lines reported here offer a powerful resource for functional dissection of neural circuits for associative learning in adult Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichun Shuai
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Megan Sammons
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Gabriella R Sterne
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Karen L Hibbard
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - He Yang
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Ching-Po Yang
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Claire Managan
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Igor Siwanowicz
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Tzumin Lee
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Gerald M Rubin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Glenn C Turner
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Yoshinori Aso
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
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6
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Paglione M, Restivo L, Zakhia S, Llobet Rosell A, Terenzio M, Neukomm LJ. Local translatome sustains synaptic function in impaired Wallerian degeneration. EMBO Rep 2025; 26:61-83. [PMID: 39482489 PMCID: PMC11724096 DOI: 10.1038/s44319-024-00301-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2024] [Revised: 10/07/2024] [Accepted: 10/17/2024] [Indexed: 11/03/2024] Open
Abstract
After injury, severed axons separated from their somas activate programmed axon degeneration, a conserved pathway to initiate their degeneration within a day. Conversely, severed projections deficient in programmed axon degeneration remain morphologically preserved with functional synapses for weeks to months after axotomy. How this synaptic function is sustained remains currently unknown. Here, we show that dNmnat overexpression attenuates programmed axon degeneration in distinct neuronal populations. Severed projections remain morphologically preserved for weeks. When evoked, they elicit a postsynaptic behavior, a readout for preserved synaptic function. We used ribosomal pulldown to isolate the translatome from these projections 1 week after axotomy. Translatome candidates of enriched biological classes identified by transcriptional profiling are validated in a screen using a novel automated system to detect evoked antennal grooming as a proxy for preserved synaptic function. RNAi-mediated knockdown reveals that transcripts of the mTORC1 pathway, a mediator of protein synthesis, and of candidate genes involved in protein ubiquitination and Ca2+ homeostasis are required for preserved synaptic function. Our translatome dataset also uncovers several uncharacterized Drosophila genes associated with human disease. It may offer insights into novel avenues for therapeutic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Paglione
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, 1005, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Lemanic Neuroscience Doctoral School (LNDS), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Leonardo Restivo
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, 1005, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Zakhia
- Molecular Neuroscience Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa, 904-0412, Japan
| | - Arnau Llobet Rosell
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, 1005, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marco Terenzio
- Molecular Neuroscience Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa, 904-0412, Japan
| | - Lukas J Neukomm
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, 1005, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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7
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Dai X, Le JQ, Ma D, Rosbash M. Four SpsP neurons are an integrating sleep regulation hub in Drosophila. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eads0652. [PMID: 39576867 PMCID: PMC11584021 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ads0652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2024] [Accepted: 10/23/2024] [Indexed: 11/24/2024]
Abstract
Sleep is essential and highly conserved, yet its regulatory mechanisms remain largely unknown. To identify sleep drive neurons, we imaged Drosophila brains with calcium-modulated photoactivatable ratiometric integrator (CaMPARI). The results indicate that the activity of the protocerebral bridge (PB) correlates with sleep drive. We further identified a key three-layer PB circuit, EPG-SpsP-PEcG, in which the four SpsP neurons in the PB respond to ellipsoid body (EB) signals from EPG neurons and send signals back to the EB through PEcG neurons. This circuit is strengthened by sleep deprivation, indicating a plasticity response to sleep drive. SpsP neurons also receive inputs from the sensorimotor brain region, suggesting that they may encode sleep drive by integrating sensorimotor and navigation cues. Together, our experiments show that the four SpsP neurons and their sleep regulatory circuit play an important and dynamic role in sleep regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xihuimin Dai
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brandeis University, Waltham MA 02454, USA
| | - Jasmine Quynh Le
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brandeis University, Waltham MA 02454, USA
| | - Dingbang Ma
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brandeis University, Waltham MA 02454, USA
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Michael Rosbash
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brandeis University, Waltham MA 02454, USA
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8
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Piersanti S, Salerno G, Krings W, Gorb S, Rebora M. Functional morphology of cleaning devices in the damselfly Ischnura elegans (Odonata, Coenagrionidae). BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 15:1260-1272. [PMID: 39445167 PMCID: PMC11496705 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.15.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 09/18/2024] [Indexed: 10/25/2024]
Abstract
Among the different micro- and nanostructures located on cuticular surfaces, grooming devices represent fundamental tools for insect survival. The present study describes the grooming microstructures of the damselfly Ischnura elegans (Odonata, Coenagrionidae) at the adult stage. These structures, situated on the foreleg tibiae, were observed using scanning electron microscopy, and the presence and distribution of resilin, an elastomeric protein that enhances cuticle flexibility, were analyzed using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Eye and antennal grooming behavior were analyzed to evaluate the particle removal efficiency in intact insects and in insects with ablated grooming devices. The grooming devices are constituted of long setae from which a concave cuticular lamina develops towards the medial side of the leg. Each seta shows a material gradient of resilin from its basal to the distal portion and from the seta to the cuticular lamina. The removal of the grooming devices induces a strong increase in the contaminated areas on the eyes after grooming. Further studies on insect grooming can provide valuable data on the functional morphology of insect micro- and nanostructures and can represent a starting point to develop advanced biomimetic cleaning tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Piersanti
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06121 Perugia, Italy
| | - Gianandrea Salerno
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, 06121 Perugia, Italy
| | - Wencke Krings
- Department of Cariology, Endodontology and Periodontology, Universität Leipzig, Liebigstraße 12, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 1–9, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Stanislav Gorb
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 1–9, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Manuela Rebora
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06121 Perugia, Italy
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9
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Sapkal N, Mancini N, Kumar DS, Spiller N, Murakami K, Vitelli G, Bargeron B, Maier K, Eichler K, Jefferis GSXE, Shiu PK, Sterne GR, Bidaye SS. Neural circuit mechanisms underlying context-specific halting in Drosophila. Nature 2024; 634:191-200. [PMID: 39358520 PMCID: PMC11446846 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07854-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 10/04/2024]
Abstract
Walking is a complex motor programme involving coordinated and distributed activity across the brain and the spinal cord. Halting appropriately at the correct time is a critical component of walking control. Despite progress in identifying neurons driving halting1-6, the underlying neural circuit mechanisms responsible for overruling the competing walking state remain unclear. Here, using connectome-informed models7-9 and functional studies, we explain two fundamental mechanisms by which Drosophila implement context-appropriate halting. The first mechanism ('walk-OFF') relies on GABAergic neurons that inhibit specific descending walking commands in the brain, whereas the second mechanism ('brake') relies on excitatory cholinergic neurons in the nerve cord that lead to an active arrest of stepping movements. We show that two neurons that deploy the walk-OFF mechanism inhibit distinct populations of walking-promotion neurons, leading to differential halting of forward walking or turning. The brake neurons, by constrast, override all walking commands by simultaneously inhibiting descending walking-promotion neurons and increasing the resistance at the leg joints. We characterized two behavioural contexts in which the distinct halting mechanisms were used by the animal in a mutually exclusive manner: the walk-OFF mechanism was engaged for halting during feeding and the brake mechanism was engaged for halting and stability during grooming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Sapkal
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
- International Max Planck Research School for Synapses and Circuits, Jupiter, FL, USA
- Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Nino Mancini
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Divya Sthanu Kumar
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
- International Max Planck Research School for Synapses and Circuits, Jupiter, FL, USA
- Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Nico Spiller
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Kazuma Murakami
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Gianna Vitelli
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Benjamin Bargeron
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
- Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Kate Maier
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
- Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Katharina Eichler
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gregory S X E Jefferis
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Philip K Shiu
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Gabriella R Sterne
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Salil S Bidaye
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA.
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10
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Shiu PK, Sterne GR, Spiller N, Franconville R, Sandoval A, Zhou J, Simha N, Kang CH, Yu S, Kim JS, Dorkenwald S, Matsliah A, Schlegel P, Yu SC, McKellar CE, Sterling A, Costa M, Eichler K, Bates AS, Eckstein N, Funke J, Jefferis GSXE, Murthy M, Bidaye SS, Hampel S, Seeds AM, Scott K. A Drosophila computational brain model reveals sensorimotor processing. Nature 2024; 634:210-219. [PMID: 39358519 PMCID: PMC11446845 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07763-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 10/04/2024]
Abstract
The recent assembly of the adult Drosophila melanogaster central brain connectome, containing more than 125,000 neurons and 50 million synaptic connections, provides a template for examining sensory processing throughout the brain1,2. Here we create a leaky integrate-and-fire computational model of the entire Drosophila brain, on the basis of neural connectivity and neurotransmitter identity3, to study circuit properties of feeding and grooming behaviours. We show that activation of sugar-sensing or water-sensing gustatory neurons in the computational model accurately predicts neurons that respond to tastes and are required for feeding initiation4. In addition, using the model to activate neurons in the feeding region of the Drosophila brain predicts those that elicit motor neuron firing5-a testable hypothesis that we validate by optogenetic activation and behavioural studies. Activating different classes of gustatory neurons in the model makes accurate predictions of how several taste modalities interact, providing circuit-level insight into aversive and appetitive taste processing. Additionally, we applied this model to mechanosensory circuits and found that computational activation of mechanosensory neurons predicts activation of a small set of neurons comprising the antennal grooming circuit, and accurately describes the circuit response upon activation of different mechanosensory subtypes6-10. Our results demonstrate that modelling brain circuits using only synapse-level connectivity and predicted neurotransmitter identity generates experimentally testable hypotheses and can describe complete sensorimotor transformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip K Shiu
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Eon Systems, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Gabriella R Sterne
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Biomedical Genetics, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nico Spiller
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | | | - Andrea Sandoval
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Joie Zhou
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Neha Simha
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Chan Hyuk Kang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Seongbong Yu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Jinseop S Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Sven Dorkenwald
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Arie Matsliah
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Philipp Schlegel
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Szi-Chieh Yu
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Claire E McKellar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Amy Sterling
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Marta Costa
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Katharina Eichler
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Alexander Shakeel Bates
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Neurobiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Jan Funke
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Gregory S X E Jefferis
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Salil S Bidaye
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Stefanie Hampel
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Andrew M Seeds
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Kristin Scott
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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11
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Gibbons M, Pasquini E, Kowalewska A, Read E, Gibson S, Crump A, Solvi C, Versace E, Chittka L. Noxious stimulation induces self-protective behavior in bumblebees. iScience 2024; 27:110440. [PMID: 39104408 PMCID: PMC11298632 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
It has been widely stated that insects do not show self-protective behavior toward noxiously-stimulated body parts, but this claim has never been empirically tested. Here, we tested whether an insect species displays a type of self-protective behavior: self-grooming a noxiously-stimulated site. We touched bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) on an antenna with a noxiously heated (65°C) probe and found that, in the first 2 min after this stimulus, bees groomed their touched antenna more than their untouched antenna, and more than bees that were touched with an unheated probe or not touched at all did. Our results present evidence that bumblebees display self-protective behavior. We discuss the potential neural mechanisms of this behavior and the implications for whether insects feel pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilda Gibbons
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Elisa Pasquini
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto 38068, Italy
| | - Amelia Kowalewska
- School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
- Academic Training Team, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Eva Read
- Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, UK
| | - Sam Gibson
- Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, UK
| | - Andrew Crump
- Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, UK
- Department of Pathobiology & Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London NW1 0TU, UK
| | - Cwyn Solvi
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province 510515, China
| | - Elisabetta Versace
- School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Lars Chittka
- School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
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12
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Suarez GO, Kumar DS, Brunner H, Emel J, Teel J, Knauss A, Botero V, Broyles CN, Stahl A, Bidaye SS, Tomchik SM. Neurofibromin deficiency alters the patterning and prioritization of motor behaviors in a state-dependent manner. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.08.607070. [PMID: 39149363 PMCID: PMC11326213 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.08.607070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Genetic disorders such as neurofibromatosis type 1 increase vulnerability to cognitive and behavioral disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Neurofibromatosis type 1 results from loss-of-function mutations in the neurofibromin gene and subsequent reduction in the neurofibromin protein (Nf1). While the mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated, loss of Nf1 may alter neuronal circuit activity leading to changes in behavior and susceptibility to cognitive and behavioral comorbidities. Here we show that mutations decreasing Nf1 expression alter motor behaviors, impacting the patterning, prioritization, and behavioral state dependence in a Drosophila model of neurofibromatosis type 1. Loss of Nf1 increases spontaneous grooming in a nonlinear spatial and temporal pattern, differentially increasing grooming of certain body parts, including the abdomen, head, and wings. This increase in grooming could be overridden by hunger in food-deprived foraging animals, demonstrating that the Nf1 effect is plastic and internal state-dependent. Stimulus-evoked grooming patterns were altered as well, with nf1 mutants exhibiting reductions in wing grooming when coated with dust, suggesting that hierarchical recruitment of grooming command circuits was altered. Yet loss of Nf1 in sensory neurons and/or grooming command neurons did not alter grooming frequency, suggesting that Nf1 affects grooming via higher-order circuit alterations. Changes in grooming coincided with alterations in walking. Flies lacking Nf1 walked with increased forward velocity on a spherical treadmill, yet there was no detectable change in leg kinematics or gait. Thus, loss of Nf1 alters motor function without affecting overall motor coordination, in contrast to other genetic disorders that impair coordination. Overall, these results demonstrate that loss of Nf1 alters the patterning and prioritization of repetitive behaviors, in a state-dependent manner, without affecting motor coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genesis Omana Suarez
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- H.L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Divya S. Kumar
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Hannah Brunner
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Jalen Emel
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Jensen Teel
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Anneke Knauss
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Valentina Botero
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Connor N. Broyles
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Aaron Stahl
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Salil S. Bidaye
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Seth M. Tomchik
- Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- H.L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
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13
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Medeiros AM, Hobbiss AF, Borges G, Moita M, Mendes CS. Mechanosensory bristles mediate avoidance behavior by triggering sustained local motor activity in Drosophila melanogaster. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2812-2830.e5. [PMID: 38861987 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
During locomotion, most vertebrates-and invertebrates such as Drosophila melanogaster-are able to quickly adapt to terrain irregularities or avoid physical threats by integrating sensory information along with motor commands. Key to this adaptability are leg mechanosensory structures, which assist in motor coordination by transmitting external cues and proprioceptive information to motor centers in the central nervous system. Nevertheless, how different mechanosensory structures engage these locomotor centers remains poorly understood. Here, we tested the role of mechanosensory structures in movement initiation by optogenetically stimulating specific classes of leg sensory structures. We found that stimulation of leg mechanosensory bristles (MsBs) and the femoral chordotonal organ (ChO) is sufficient to initiate forward movement in immobile animals. While the stimulation of the ChO required brain centers to induce forward movement, unexpectedly, brief stimulation of leg MsBs triggered a fast response and sustained motor activity dependent only on the ventral nerve cord (VNC). Moreover, this leg-MsB-mediated movement lacked inter- and intra-leg coordination but preserved antagonistic muscle activity within joints. Finally, we show that leg-MsB activation mediates strong avoidance behavior away from the stimulus source, which is preserved even in the absence of a central brain. Overall, our data show that mechanosensory stimulation can elicit a fast motor response, independently of central brain commands, to evade potentially harmful stimuli. In addition, it sheds light on how specific sensory circuits modulate motor control, including initiation of movement, allowing a better understanding of how different levels of coordination are controlled by the VNC and central brain locomotor circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Medeiros
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS|FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Anna F Hobbiss
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS|FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal; Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Gonçalo Borges
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS|FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Marta Moita
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - César S Mendes
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS|FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal.
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14
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Stürner T, Brooks P, Capdevila LS, Morris BJ, Javier A, Fang S, Gkantia M, Cachero S, Beckett IR, Champion AS, Moitra I, Richards A, Klemm F, Kugel L, Namiki S, Cheong HS, Kovalyak J, Tenshaw E, Parekh R, Schlegel P, Phelps JS, Mark B, Dorkenwald S, Bates AS, Matsliah A, Yu SC, McKellar CE, Sterling A, Seung S, Murthy M, Tuthill J, Lee WCA, Card GM, Costa M, Jefferis GS, Eichler K. Comparative connectomics of the descending and ascending neurons of the Drosophila nervous system: stereotypy and sexual dimorphism. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.04.596633. [PMID: 38895426 PMCID: PMC11185702 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.04.596633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
In most complex nervous systems there is a clear anatomical separation between the nerve cord, which contains most of the final motor outputs necessary for behaviour, and the brain. In insects, the neck connective is both a physical and information bottleneck connecting the brain and the ventral nerve cord (VNC, spinal cord analogue) and comprises diverse populations of descending (DN), ascending (AN) and sensory ascending neurons, which are crucial for sensorimotor signalling and control. Integrating three separate EM datasets, we now provide a complete connectomic description of the ascending and descending neurons of the female nervous system of Drosophila and compare them with neurons of the male nerve cord. Proofread neuronal reconstructions have been matched across hemispheres, datasets and sexes. Crucially, we have also matched 51% of DN cell types to light level data defining specific driver lines as well as classifying all ascending populations. We use these results to reveal the general architecture, tracts, neuropil innervation and connectivity of neck connective neurons. We observe connected chains of descending and ascending neurons spanning the neck, which may subserve motor sequences. We provide a complete description of sexually dimorphic DN and AN populations, with detailed analysis of circuits implicated in sex-related behaviours, including female ovipositor extrusion (DNp13), male courtship (DNa12/aSP22) and song production (AN hemilineage 08B). Our work represents the first EM-level circuit analyses spanning the entire central nervous system of an adult animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomke Stürner
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Paul Brooks
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Billy J. Morris
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alexandre Javier
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Siqi Fang
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marina Gkantia
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sebastian Cachero
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Andrew S. Champion
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ilina Moitra
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alana Richards
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Finja Klemm
- Genetics Department, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Leonie Kugel
- Genetics Department, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Shigehiro Namiki
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Han S.J. Cheong
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
- Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Julie Kovalyak
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Emily Tenshaw
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Ruchi Parekh
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Philipp Schlegel
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jasper S. Phelps
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Brain Mind Institute & Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Brandon Mark
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sven Dorkenwald
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, USA
| | - Alexander S. Bates
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, The University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK
| | - Arie Matsliah
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Szi-chieh Yu
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | | | - Amy Sterling
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - Sebastian Seung
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, USA
| | - John Tuthill
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Wei-Chung A. Lee
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gwyneth M. Card
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
- Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Marta Costa
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gregory S.X.E. Jefferis
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Katharina Eichler
- Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Genetics Department, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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15
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Braun J, Hurtak F, Wang-Chen S, Ramdya P. Descending networks transform command signals into population motor control. Nature 2024; 630:686-694. [PMID: 38839968 PMCID: PMC11186778 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07523-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
To convert intentions into actions, movement instructions must pass from the brain to downstream motor circuits through descending neurons (DNs). These include small sets of command-like neurons that are sufficient to drive behaviours1-the circuit mechanisms for which remain unclear. Here we show that command-like DNs in Drosophila directly recruit networks of additional DNs to orchestrate behaviours that require the active control of numerous body parts. Specifically, we found that command-like DNs previously thought to drive behaviours alone2-4 in fact co-activate larger populations of DNs. Connectome analyses and experimental manipulations revealed that this functional recruitment can be explained by direct excitatory connections between command-like DNs and networks of interconnected DNs in the brain. Descending population recruitment is necessary for behavioural control: DNs with many downstream descending partners require network co-activation to drive complete behaviours and drive only simple stereotyped movements in their absence. These DN networks reside within behaviour-specific clusters that inhibit one another. These results support a mechanism for command-like descending control in which behaviours are generated through the recruitment of increasingly large DN networks that compose behaviours by combining multiple motor subroutines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Braun
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Femke Hurtak
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sibo Wang-Chen
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pavan Ramdya
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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16
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Yoshikawa S, Tang P, Simpson JH. Mechanosensory and command contributions to the Drosophila grooming sequence. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2066-2076.e3. [PMID: 38657610 PMCID: PMC11179149 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Flies groom in response to competing mechanosensory cues in an anterior-to-posterior order using specific legs. From behavior screens, we identified a pair of cholinergic command-like neurons, Mago-no-Te (MGT), whose optogenetic activation elicits thoracic grooming by the back legs. Thoracic grooming is typically composed of body sweeps and leg rubs in alternation, but clonal analysis coupled with amputation experiments revealed that MGT activation only commands the body sweeps: initiation of leg rubbing requires contact between the leg and thorax. With new electron microscopy (EM) connectome data for the ventral nerve cord (VNC), we uncovered a circuit-based explanation for why stimulation of posterior thoracic mechanosensory bristles initiates cleaning by the back legs. Our previous work showed that flies weigh mechanosensory inputs across the body to select which part to groom, but we did not know why the thorax was always cleaned last. Here, the connectome for the VNC enabled us to identify a pair of GABAergic inhibitory neurons, UMGT1, that receives diverse sensory inputs and synapses onto both MGT and components of its downstream circuits. Optogenetic activation of UMGT1 suppresses thoracic cleaning, representing a mechanism by which mechanosensory stimuli on other body parts could take precedence in the grooming hierarchy. We also anatomically mapped the pre-motor circuit downstream of MGT, including inhibitory feedback connections that may enable rhythmicity and coordination of limb movement during thoracic grooming. The combination of behavioral screens and connectome analysis allowed us to identify a neural circuit connecting sensory-to-motor neurons that contributes to thoracic grooming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shingo Yoshikawa
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Paul Tang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Julie H Simpson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
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17
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Ringo JM, Segal D. Altered Grooming Cycles in Transgenic Drosophila. Behav Genet 2024; 54:290-301. [PMID: 38536593 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-024-10180-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Head grooming in Drosophila consists of repeated sweeps of the legs across the head, comprising regular cycles. We used the GAL4-UAS system to study the effects of overexpressing shibirets1 and of Adar knockdown via RNA interference, on the period of head-grooming cycles in Drosophila. Overexpressing shibirets1 interferes with synaptic vesicle recycling and thus with cell communication, while Adar knockdown reduces RNA editing of neuronal transcripts for a large number of genes. All transgenic flies and their controls were tested at 22° to avoid temperature effects; in wild type, cycle frequency varied with temperature with a Q10 of 1.3. Two experiments were performed with transgenic shibirets1: (1) each fly was heat-shocked for 10 min at 30° immediately before testing at 22° and (2) flies were not heat shocked. In both experiments, cycle period was increased when shibirets1 was overexpressed in all neurons, but was not increased when shibirets1 was overexpressed in motoneurons alone. We hypothesize that grooming cycles in flies overexpressing shibirets1 are lengthened because of synaptic impairment in neural circuits that control head-grooming cycles. In flies with constitutive, pan-neuronal Adar knockdown, cycle period was more variable within individuals, but mean cycle period was not significantly altered. We conclude that RNA editing is essential for the maintenance of within-individual stereotypy of head-grooming cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Ringo
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04473, USA.
| | - Daniel Segal
- Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Sagol School of Neuroscience, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
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18
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Cowley BR, Calhoun AJ, Rangarajan N, Ireland E, Turner MH, Pillow JW, Murthy M. Mapping model units to visual neurons reveals population code for social behaviour. Nature 2024; 629:1100-1108. [PMID: 38778103 PMCID: PMC11136655 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07451-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The rich variety of behaviours observed in animals arises through the interplay between sensory processing and motor control. To understand these sensorimotor transformations, it is useful to build models that predict not only neural responses to sensory input1-5 but also how each neuron causally contributes to behaviour6,7. Here we demonstrate a novel modelling approach to identify a one-to-one mapping between internal units in a deep neural network and real neurons by predicting the behavioural changes that arise from systematic perturbations of more than a dozen neuronal cell types. A key ingredient that we introduce is 'knockout training', which involves perturbing the network during training to match the perturbations of the real neurons during behavioural experiments. We apply this approach to model the sensorimotor transformations of Drosophila melanogaster males during a complex, visually guided social behaviour8-11. The visual projection neurons at the interface between the optic lobe and central brain form a set of discrete channels12, and prior work indicates that each channel encodes a specific visual feature to drive a particular behaviour13,14. Our model reaches a different conclusion: combinations of visual projection neurons, including those involved in non-social behaviours, drive male interactions with the female, forming a rich population code for behaviour. Overall, our framework consolidates behavioural effects elicited from various neural perturbations into a single, unified model, providing a map from stimulus to neuronal cell type to behaviour, and enabling future incorporation of wiring diagrams of the brain15 into the model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin R Cowley
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.
| | - Adam J Calhoun
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | - Elise Ireland
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Maxwell H Turner
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan W Pillow
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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19
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Atsoniou K, Giannopoulou E, Georganta EM, Skoulakis EMC. Drosophila Contributions towards Understanding Neurofibromatosis 1. Cells 2024; 13:721. [PMID: 38667335 PMCID: PMC11048932 DOI: 10.3390/cells13080721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a multisymptomatic disorder with highly variable presentations, which include short stature, susceptibility to formation of the characteristic benign tumors known as neurofibromas, intense freckling and skin discoloration, and cognitive deficits, which characterize most children with the condition. Attention deficits and Autism Spectrum manifestations augment the compromised learning presented by most patients, leading to behavioral problems and school failure, while fragmented sleep contributes to chronic fatigue and poor quality of life. Neurofibromin (Nf1) is present ubiquitously during human development and postnatally in most neuronal, oligodendrocyte, and Schwann cells. Evidence largely from animal models including Drosophila suggests that the symptomatic variability may reflect distinct cell-type-specific functions of the protein, which emerge upon its loss, or mutations affecting the different functional domains of the protein. This review summarizes the contributions of Drosophila in modeling multiple NF1 manifestations, addressing hypotheses regarding the cell-type-specific functions of the protein and exploring the molecular pathways affected upon loss of the highly conserved fly homolog dNf1. Collectively, work in this model not only has efficiently and expediently modelled multiple aspects of the condition and increased understanding of its behavioral manifestations, but also has led to pharmaceutical strategies towards their amelioration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalliopi Atsoniou
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, 16672 Athens, Greece; (K.A.); (E.G.)
- Laboratory of Experimental Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Giannopoulou
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, 16672 Athens, Greece; (K.A.); (E.G.)
| | - Eirini-Maria Georganta
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, 16672 Athens, Greece; (K.A.); (E.G.)
| | - Efthimios M. C. Skoulakis
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, 16672 Athens, Greece; (K.A.); (E.G.)
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20
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Eichler K, Hampel S, Alejandro-García A, Calle-Schuler SA, Santana-Cruz A, Kmecova L, Blagburn JM, Hoopfer ED, Seeds AM. Somatotopic organization among parallel sensory pathways that promote a grooming sequence in Drosophila. eLife 2024; 12:RP87602. [PMID: 38634460 PMCID: PMC11026096 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Mechanosensory neurons located across the body surface respond to tactile stimuli and elicit diverse behavioral responses, from relatively simple stimulus location-aimed movements to complex movement sequences. How mechanosensory neurons and their postsynaptic circuits influence such diverse behaviors remains unclear. We previously discovered that Drosophila perform a body location-prioritized grooming sequence when mechanosensory neurons at different locations on the head and body are simultaneously stimulated by dust (Hampel et al., 2017; Seeds et al., 2014). Here, we identify nearly all mechanosensory neurons on the Drosophila head that individually elicit aimed grooming of specific head locations, while collectively eliciting a whole head grooming sequence. Different tracing methods were used to reconstruct the projections of these neurons from different locations on the head to their distinct arborizations in the brain. This provides the first synaptic resolution somatotopic map of a head, and defines the parallel-projecting mechanosensory pathways that elicit head grooming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Eichler
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences CampusSan JuanPuerto Rico
| | - Stefanie Hampel
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences CampusSan JuanPuerto Rico
| | - Adrián Alejandro-García
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences CampusSan JuanPuerto Rico
| | - Steven A Calle-Schuler
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences CampusSan JuanPuerto Rico
| | - Alexis Santana-Cruz
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences CampusSan JuanPuerto Rico
| | - Lucia Kmecova
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences CampusSan JuanPuerto Rico
| | - Jonathan M Blagburn
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences CampusSan JuanPuerto Rico
| | - Eric D Hoopfer
- Neuroscience Program, Carleton CollegeNorthfieldUnited States
| | - Andrew M Seeds
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences CampusSan JuanPuerto Rico
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21
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Rush ER, Heckman C, Jayaram K, Humbert JS. Neural dynamics of robust legged robots. Front Robot AI 2024; 11:1324404. [PMID: 38699630 PMCID: PMC11063321 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2024.1324404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Legged robot control has improved in recent years with the rise of deep reinforcement learning, however, much of the underlying neural mechanisms remain difficult to interpret. Our aim is to leverage bio-inspired methods from computational neuroscience to better understand the neural activity of robust robot locomotion controllers. Similar to past work, we observe that terrain-based curriculum learning improves agent stability. We study the biomechanical responses and neural activity within our neural network controller by simultaneously pairing physical disturbances with targeted neural ablations. We identify an agile hip reflex that enables the robot to regain its balance and recover from lateral perturbations. Model gradients are employed to quantify the relative degree that various sensory feedback channels drive this reflexive behavior. We also find recurrent dynamics are implicated in robust behavior, and utilize sampling-based ablation methods to identify these key neurons. Our framework combines model-based and sampling-based methods for drawing causal relationships between neural network activity and robust embodied robot behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene R. Rush
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Christoffer Heckman
- Department of Computer Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Kaushik Jayaram
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - J. Sean Humbert
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
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22
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Simpson JH. Descending control of motor sequences in Drosophila. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 84:102822. [PMID: 38096757 PMCID: PMC11215313 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
The descending neurons connecting the fly's brain to its ventral nerve cord respond to sensory stimuli and evoke motor programs of varying complexity. Anatomical characterization of the descending neurons and their synaptic connections suggests how these circuits organize movements, while optogenetic manipulation of their activity reveals what behaviors they can induce. Monitoring their responses to sensory stimuli or during behavior performance indicates what information they may encode. Recent advances in all three approaches make the descending neurons an excellent place to better understand the sensorimotor integration and transformation required for nervous systems to govern the motor sequences that constitute animal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie H Simpson
- Dept. Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology and Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, USA.
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23
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Ko BS, Han MH, Kwon MJ, Cha DG, Ji Y, Park ES, Jeon MJ, Kim S, Lee K, Choi YH, Lee J, Torras-Llort M, Yoon KJ, Lee H, Kim JK, Lee SB. Baf-mediated transcriptional regulation of teashirt is essential for the development of neural progenitor cell lineages. Exp Mol Med 2024; 56:422-440. [PMID: 38374207 PMCID: PMC10907700 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-024-01169-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence hints heterochromatin anchoring to the inner nuclear membrane as an upstream regulatory process of gene expression. Given that the formation of neural progenitor cell lineages and the subsequent maintenance of postmitotic neuronal cell identity critically rely on transcriptional regulation, it seems possible that the development of neuronal cells is influenced by cell type-specific and/or context-dependent programmed regulation of heterochromatin anchoring. Here, we explored this possibility by genetically disrupting the evolutionarily conserved barrier-to-autointegration factor (Baf) in the Drosophila nervous system. Through single-cell RNA sequencing, we demonstrated that Baf knockdown induces prominent transcriptomic changes, particularly in type I neuroblasts. Among the differentially expressed genes, our genetic analyses identified teashirt (tsh), a transcription factor that interacts with beta-catenin, to be closely associated with Baf knockdown-induced phenotypes that were suppressed by the overexpression of tsh or beta-catenin. We also found that Baf and tsh colocalized in a region adjacent to heterochromatin in type I NBs. Notably, the subnuclear localization pattern remained unchanged when one of these two proteins was knocked down, indicating that both proteins contribute to the anchoring of heterochromatin to the inner nuclear membrane. Overall, this study reveals that the Baf-mediated transcriptional regulation of teashirt is a novel molecular mechanism that regulates the development of neural progenitor cell lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byung Su Ko
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Myeong Hoon Han
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Jee Kwon
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Gon Cha
- Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Yuri Ji
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Seo Park
- Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Jae Jeon
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Somi Kim
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeongho Lee
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
- Convergence Research Advanced Centre for Olfaction, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Ha Choi
- Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jusung Lee
- Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Ki-Jun Yoon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyosang Lee
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
- Convergence Research Advanced Centre for Olfaction, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Kyoung Kim
- Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sung Bae Lee
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea.
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24
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Rubin GM, Aso Y. New genetic tools for mushroom body output neurons in Drosophila. eLife 2024; 12:RP90523. [PMID: 38270577 PMCID: PMC10945696 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
How memories of past events influence behavior is a key question in neuroscience. The major associative learning center in Drosophila, the mushroom body (MB), communicates to the rest of the brain through mushroom body output neurons (MBONs). While 21 MBON cell types have their dendrites confined to small compartments of the MB lobes, analysis of EM connectomes revealed the presence of an additional 14 MBON cell types that are atypical in having dendritic input both within the MB lobes and in adjacent brain regions. Genetic reagents for manipulating atypical MBONs and experimental data on their functions have been lacking. In this report we describe new cell-type-specific GAL4 drivers for many MBONs, including the majority of atypical MBONs that extend the collection of MBON driver lines we have previously generated (Aso et al., 2014a; Aso et al., 2016; Aso et al., 2019). Using these genetic reagents, we conducted optogenetic activation screening to examine their ability to drive behaviors and learning. These reagents provide important new tools for the study of complex behaviors in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald M Rubin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Yoshinori Aso
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
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25
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Eichler K, Hampel S, Alejandro-García A, Calle-Schuler SA, Santana-Cruz A, Kmecova L, Blagburn JM, Hoopfer ED, Seeds AM. Somatotopic organization among parallel sensory pathways that promote a grooming sequence in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.11.528119. [PMID: 36798384 PMCID: PMC9934617 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.11.528119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/14/2023]
Abstract
Mechanosensory neurons located across the body surface respond to tactile stimuli and elicit diverse behavioral responses, from relatively simple stimulus location-aimed movements to complex movement sequences. How mechanosensory neurons and their postsynaptic circuits influence such diverse behaviors remains unclear. We previously discovered that Drosophila perform a body location-prioritized grooming sequence when mechanosensory neurons at different locations on the head and body are simultaneously stimulated by dust (Hampel et al., 2017; Seeds et al., 2014). Here, we identify nearly all mechanosensory neurons on the Drosophila head that individually elicit aimed grooming of specific head locations, while collectively eliciting a whole head grooming sequence. Different tracing methods were used to reconstruct the projections of these neurons from different locations on the head to their distinct arborizations in the brain. This provides the first synaptic resolution somatotopic map of a head, and defines the parallel-projecting mechanosensory pathways that elicit head grooming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Eichler
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Contributed equally
| | - Stefanie Hampel
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Contributed equally
| | - Adrián Alejandro-García
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Contributed equally
| | - Steven A Calle-Schuler
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Alexis Santana-Cruz
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Lucia Kmecova
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Neuroscience Program, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota
- Contributed equally
| | - Jonathan M Blagburn
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Eric D Hoopfer
- Neuroscience Program, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota
| | - Andrew M Seeds
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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26
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Oliveira-Ferreira C, Gaspar M, Vasconcelos ML. Neuronal substrates of egg-laying behaviour at the abdominal ganglion of Drosophila melanogaster. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21941. [PMID: 38081887 PMCID: PMC10713638 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48109-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Egg-laying in Drosophila is the product of post-mating physiological and behavioural changes that culminate in a stereotyped sequence of actions. Egg-laying harbours a great potential as a paradigm to uncover how the appropriate motor circuits are organized and activated to generate behaviour. To study this programme, we first describe the different phases of the egg-laying programme and the specific actions associated with each phase. Using a combination of neuronal activation and silencing experiments, we identify neurons (OvAbg) in the abdominal ganglion as key players in egg-laying. To generate and functionally characterise subsets of OvAbg, we used an intersectional approach with neurotransmitter specific lines-VGlut, Cha and Gad1. We show that OvAbg/VGlut neurons promote initiation of egg deposition in a mating status dependent way. OvAbg/Cha neurons are required in exploration and egg deposition phases, though activation leads specifically to egg expulsion. Experiments with the OvAbg/Gad1 neurons show they participate in egg deposition. We further show a functional connection of OvAbg neurons with brain neurons. This study provides insight into the organization of neuronal circuits underlying complex motor behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Miguel Gaspar
- Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
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27
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Büschges A, Gorostiza EA. Neurons with names: Descending control and sensorimotor processing in insect motor control. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 83:102766. [PMID: 37865029 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Technical and methodological advances in recent years have brought new ways to tackle major classical questions in insect motor control. Particularly, significant advancements were achieved in comprehending brain descending control by characterizing descending neurons, their targets in the ventral nerve cord (VNC), and how local networks there integrate sensory information. While physiological experiments in larger insects brought us a better understanding of how sensory modalities are processed locally in the VNC, the development and improvement of genetic tools, principally in Drosophila, opened the door to individually characterize actors at these three levels of information flow in behavioral control. This brief review brings together the names and roles of some of those actors, by highlighting the most significant findings from our perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ansgar Büschges
- Institute of Zoology, Biocenter Cologne, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
| | - E Axel Gorostiza
- Institute of Zoology, Biocenter Cologne, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
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28
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Tanaka R, Zhou B, Agrochao M, Badwan BA, Au B, Matos NCB, Clark DA. Neural mechanisms to incorporate visual counterevidence in self-movement estimation. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4960-4979.e7. [PMID: 37918398 PMCID: PMC10848174 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
In selecting appropriate behaviors, animals should weigh sensory evidence both for and against specific beliefs about the world. For instance, animals measure optic flow to estimate and control their own rotation. However, existing models of flow detection can be spuriously triggered by visual motion created by objects moving in the world. Here, we show that stationary patterns on the retina, which constitute evidence against observer rotation, suppress inappropriate stabilizing rotational behavior in the fruit fly Drosophila. In silico experiments show that artificial neural networks (ANNs) that are optimized to distinguish observer movement from external object motion similarly detect stationarity and incorporate negative evidence. Employing neural measurements and genetic manipulations, we identified components of the circuitry for stationary pattern detection, which runs parallel to the fly's local motion and optic-flow detectors. Our results show how the fly brain incorporates negative evidence to improve heading stability, exemplifying how a compact brain exploits geometrical constraints of the visual world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Tanaka
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Baohua Zhou
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Margarida Agrochao
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Bara A Badwan
- School of Engineering and Applied Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Braedyn Au
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Natalia C B Matos
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Damon A Clark
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Quantitative Biology Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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29
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Yoshikawa S, Tang P, Simpson JH. Mechanosensory and command contributions to the Drosophila grooming sequence. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.19.567707. [PMID: 38045358 PMCID: PMC10690200 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.19.567707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Flies groom in response to competing mechanosensory cues in an anterior to posterior order using specific legs. From behavior screens, we identified a pair of cholinergic command-like neurons, Mago-no-Te (MGT), whose optogenetic activation elicits thoracic grooming by hind legs. Thoracic grooming is typically composed of body sweeps and leg rubs in alternation, but clonal analysis coupled with amputation experiments revealed that MGT activation only commands the body sweeps: initiation of leg rubbing requires contact between leg and thorax. With new electron microscopy (EM) connectome data for the ventral nerve cord (VNC), we uncovered a circuit-based explanation for why stimulation of posterior thoracic mechanosensory bristles initiates cleaning by the hind legs. Our previous work showed that flies weigh mechanosensory inputs across the body to select which part to groom, but we did not know why the thorax was always cleaned last. Here, the connectome for the VNC enabled us to identify a pair of GABAergic inhibitory neurons, UMGT1, that receive diverse sensory inputs and synapse onto both MGT and components of its downstream pre-motor circuits. Optogenetic activation of UMGT1 suppresses thoracic cleaning, representing a mechanism by which mechanosensory stimuli on other body parts could take precedence in the grooming hierarchy. We also mapped the pre-motor circuit downstream of MGT, including inhibitory feedback connections that may enable rhythmicity and coordination of limb movement during thoracic grooming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shingo Yoshikawa
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Paul Tang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Julie H. Simpson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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30
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Huang Z, Sun Z, Liu J, Ju X, Xia H, Yang Y, Chen K, Wang Q. Insect transient receptor potential vanilloid channels as potential targets of insecticides. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2023; 148:104899. [PMID: 37531974 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2023.104899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Chordotonal organs are miniature sensory organs present in insects. Chordotonal organs depend on transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. Transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels are the only TRPs identified that can act as targets of insecticides. By binding with TRPV channels, insecticides targeting the chordotonal organs trigger the inflow of calcium ions, resulting in abnormal function of the chordotonal organ to achieve the goal of eliminating pests. TRPV channels are highly expressed in various developmental stages and tissue parts of insects and play an important role in the whole life history of insects. In this review, we will discuss the structure and types of TRPV channels as well as their genetic relationships in different species. We also systematically reviewed the recent progress of TRPV channels as insecticide targets, demonstrating that TRPV channels can be used as the target of new high-efficiency insecticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zengqing Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Zhonghe Sun
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Jiayi Liu
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212013, PR China
| | - Xiaoli Ju
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212013, PR China
| | - Hengchuan Xia
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Yanhua Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Keping Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Qiang Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, PR China.
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31
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Evans CG, Barry MA, Perkins MH, Jing J, Weiss KR, Cropper EC. Variable task switching in the feeding network of Aplysia is a function of differential command input. J Neurophysiol 2023; 130:941-952. [PMID: 37671445 PMCID: PMC10648941 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00190.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Command systems integrate sensory information and then activate the interneurons and motor neurons that mediate behavior. Much research has established that the higher-order projection neurons that constitute these systems can play a key role in specifying the nature of the motor activity induced, or determining its parametric features. To a large extent, these insights have been obtained by contrasting activity induced by stimulating one neuron (or set of neurons) to activity induced by stimulating a different neuron (or set of neurons). The focus of our work differs. We study one type of motor program, ingestive feeding in the mollusc Aplysia californica, which can either be triggered when a single projection neuron (CBI-2) is repeatedly stimulated or can be triggered by projection neuron coactivation (e.g., activation of CBI-2 and CBI-3). We ask why this might be an advantageous arrangement. The cellular/molecular mechanisms that configure motor activity are different in the two situations because the released neurotransmitters differ. We focus on an important consequence of this arrangement, the fact that a persistent state can be induced with repeated CBI-2 stimulation that is not necessarily induced by CBI-2/3 coactivation. We show that this difference can have consequences for the ability of the system to switch from one type of activity to another.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We study a type of motor program that can be induced either by stimulating a higher-order projection neuron that induces a persistent state, or by coactivating projection neurons that configure activity but do not produce a state change. We show that when an activity is configured without a state change, it is possible to immediately return to an intermediate state that subsequently can be converted to any type of motor program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin G Evans
- Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
| | - Michael A Barry
- Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
| | - Matthew H Perkins
- Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
| | - Jian Jing
- Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute for Brain Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Klaudiusz R Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
| | - Elizabeth C Cropper
- Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
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32
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Schaffer ES, Mishra N, Whiteway MR, Li W, Vancura MB, Freedman J, Patel KB, Voleti V, Paninski L, Hillman EMC, Abbott LF, Axel R. The spatial and temporal structure of neural activity across the fly brain. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5572. [PMID: 37696814 PMCID: PMC10495430 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41261-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
What are the spatial and temporal scales of brainwide neuronal activity? We used swept, confocally-aligned planar excitation (SCAPE) microscopy to image all cells in a large volume of the brain of adult Drosophila with high spatiotemporal resolution while flies engaged in a variety of spontaneous behaviors. This revealed neural representations of behavior on multiple spatial and temporal scales. The activity of most neurons correlated (or anticorrelated) with running and flailing over timescales that ranged from seconds to a minute. Grooming elicited a weaker global response. Significant residual activity not directly correlated with behavior was high dimensional and reflected the activity of small clusters of spatially organized neurons that may correspond to genetically defined cell types. These clusters participate in the global dynamics, indicating that neural activity reflects a combination of local and broadly distributed components. This suggests that microcircuits with highly specified functions are provided with knowledge of the larger context in which they operate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan S Schaffer
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Neeli Mishra
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Matthew R Whiteway
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Statistics and the Grossman Center for the Statistics of Mind, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Wenze Li
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Michelle B Vancura
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jason Freedman
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Kripa B Patel
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Venkatakaushik Voleti
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Liam Paninski
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Statistics and the Grossman Center for the Statistics of Mind, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Elizabeth M C Hillman
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Radiology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - L F Abbott
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Richard Axel
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
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33
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Yamanouchi HM, Tanaka R, Kamikouchi A. Piezo-mediated mechanosensation contributes to stabilizing copulation posture and reproductive success in Drosophila males. iScience 2023; 26:106617. [PMID: 37250311 PMCID: PMC10214400 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
In internal fertilization animals, reproductive success depends on maintaining copulation until gametes are transported from male to female. In Drosophila melanogaster, mechanosensation in males likely contributes to copulation maintenance, but its molecular underpinning remains to be identified. Here we show that the mechanosensory gene piezo and its' expressing neurons are responsible for copulation maintenance. An RNA-seq database search and subsequent mutant analysis revealed the importance of piezo for maintaining male copulation posture. piezo-GAL4-positive signals were found in the sensory neurons of male genitalia bristles, and optogenetic inhibition of piezo-expressing neurons in the posterior side of the male body during copulation destabilized posture and terminated copulation. Our findings suggest that the mechanosensory system of male genitalia through Piezo channels plays a key role in copulation maintenance and indicate that Piezo may increase male fitness during copulation in flies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ryoya Tanaka
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
| | - Azusa Kamikouchi
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
- Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
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34
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Shiu PK, Sterne GR, Spiller N, Franconville R, Sandoval A, Zhou J, Simha N, Kang CH, Yu S, Kim JS, Dorkenwald S, Matsliah A, Schlegel P, Szi-chieh Y, McKellar CE, Sterling A, Costa M, Eichler K, Jefferis GS, Murthy M, Bates AS, Eckstein N, Funke J, Bidaye SS, Hampel S, Seeds AM, Scott K. A leaky integrate-and-fire computational model based on the connectome of the entire adult Drosophila brain reveals insights into sensorimotor processing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.02.539144. [PMID: 37205514 PMCID: PMC10187186 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.02.539144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The forthcoming assembly of the adult Drosophila melanogaster central brain connectome, containing over 125,000 neurons and 50 million synaptic connections, provides a template for examining sensory processing throughout the brain. Here, we create a leaky integrate-and-fire computational model of the entire Drosophila brain, based on neural connectivity and neurotransmitter identity, to study circuit properties of feeding and grooming behaviors. We show that activation of sugar-sensing or water-sensing gustatory neurons in the computational model accurately predicts neurons that respond to tastes and are required for feeding initiation. Computational activation of neurons in the feeding region of the Drosophila brain predicts those that elicit motor neuron firing, a testable hypothesis that we validate by optogenetic activation and behavioral studies. Moreover, computational activation of different classes of gustatory neurons makes accurate predictions of how multiple taste modalities interact, providing circuit-level insight into aversive and appetitive taste processing. Our computational model predicts that the sugar and water pathways form a partially shared appetitive feeding initiation pathway, which our calcium imaging and behavioral experiments confirm. Additionally, we applied this model to mechanosensory circuits and found that computational activation of mechanosensory neurons predicts activation of a small set of neurons comprising the antennal grooming circuit that do not overlap with gustatory circuits, and accurately describes the circuit response upon activation of different mechanosensory subtypes. Our results demonstrate that modeling brain circuits purely from connectivity and predicted neurotransmitter identity generates experimentally testable hypotheses and can accurately describe complete sensorimotor transformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip K. Shiu
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Gabriella R. Sterne
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Biomedical Genetics
| | - Nico Spiller
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | | | - Andrea Sandoval
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Joie Zhou
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Neha Simha
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Chan Hyuk Kang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, South Korea
| | - Seongbong Yu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, South Korea
| | - Jinseop S. Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, South Korea
| | - Sven Dorkenwald
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Computer Science Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Arie Matsliah
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Philipp Schlegel
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge
| | - Yu Szi-chieh
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Claire E. McKellar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Amy Sterling
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Marta Costa
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
| | | | - Gregory S.X.E. Jefferis
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Alexander Shakeel Bates
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, The University of Oxford
- Department of Neurobiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Jan Funke
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, USA
| | - Salil S. Bidaye
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Stefanie Hampel
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Andrew M. Seeds
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Kristin Scott
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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35
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Aimon S, Cheng KY, Gjorgjieva J, Grunwald Kadow IC. Global change in brain state during spontaneous and forced walk in Drosophila is composed of combined activity patterns of different neuron classes. eLife 2023; 12:e85202. [PMID: 37067152 PMCID: PMC10168698 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Movement-correlated brain activity has been found across species and brain regions. Here, we used fast whole brain lightfield imaging in adult Drosophila to investigate the relationship between walk and brain-wide neuronal activity. We observed a global change in activity that tightly correlated with spontaneous bouts of walk. While imaging specific sets of excitatory, inhibitory, and neuromodulatory neurons highlighted their joint contribution, spatial heterogeneity in walk- and turning-induced activity allowed parsing unique responses from subregions and sometimes individual candidate neurons. For example, previously uncharacterized serotonergic neurons were inhibited during walk. While activity onset in some areas preceded walk onset exclusively in spontaneously walking animals, spontaneous and forced walk elicited similar activity in most brain regions. These data suggest a major contribution of walk and walk-related sensory or proprioceptive information to global activity of all major neuronal classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Aimon
- School of Life Sciences, Technical University of MunichFreisingGermany
| | - Karen Y Cheng
- School of Life Sciences, Technical University of MunichFreisingGermany
- University of Bonn, Medical Faculty (UKB), Institute of Physiology IIBonnGermany
| | - Julijana Gjorgjieva
- School of Life Sciences, Technical University of MunichFreisingGermany
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Computation in Neural CircuitsFrankfurtGermany
| | - Ilona C Grunwald Kadow
- School of Life Sciences, Technical University of MunichFreisingGermany
- University of Bonn, Medical Faculty (UKB), Institute of Physiology IIBonnGermany
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36
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Chen CL, Aymanns F, Minegishi R, Matsuda VDV, Talabot N, Günel S, Dickson BJ, Ramdya P. Ascending neurons convey behavioral state to integrative sensory and action selection brain regions. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:682-695. [PMID: 36959417 PMCID: PMC10076225 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01281-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Knowing one's own behavioral state has long been theorized as critical for contextualizing dynamic sensory cues and identifying appropriate future behaviors. Ascending neurons (ANs) in the motor system that project to the brain are well positioned to provide such behavioral state signals. However, what ANs encode and where they convey these signals remains largely unknown. Here, through large-scale functional imaging in behaving animals and morphological quantification, we report the behavioral encoding and brain targeting of hundreds of genetically identifiable ANs in the adult fly, Drosophila melanogaster. We reveal that ANs encode behavioral states, specifically conveying self-motion to the anterior ventrolateral protocerebrum, an integrative sensory hub, as well as discrete actions to the gnathal ganglia, a locus for action selection. Additionally, AN projection patterns within the motor system are predictive of their encoding. Thus, ascending populations are well poised to inform distinct brain hubs of self-motion and ongoing behaviors and may provide an important substrate for computations that are required for adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chin-Lin Chen
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Florian Aymanns
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ryo Minegishi
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Victor D V Matsuda
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Talabot
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Computer Vision Laboratory, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Semih Günel
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Computer Vision Laboratory, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Barry J Dickson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Pavan Ramdya
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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37
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Liu X, Yang S, Sun L, Xie G, Chen W, Liu Y, Wang G, Yin X, Zhao X. Distribution and Organization of Descending Neurons in the Brain of Adult Helicoverpa armigera (Insecta). INSECTS 2023; 14:63. [PMID: 36661991 PMCID: PMC9862761 DOI: 10.3390/insects14010063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The descending neurons (DNs) of insects connect the brain and thoracic ganglia and play a key role in controlling insect behaviors. Here, a comprehensive investigation of the distribution and organization of the DNs in the brain of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) was made by using backfilling from the neck connective combined with immunostaining techniques. The maximum number of DN somata labeled in H. armigera was about 980 in males and 840 in females, indicating a sexual difference in DNs. All somata of DNs in H. armigera were classified into six different clusters, and the cluster of DNd was only found in males. The processes of stained neurons in H. armigera were mainly found in the ventral central brain, including in the posterior slope, ventral lateral protocerebrum, lateral accessory lobe, antennal mechanosensory and motor center, gnathal ganglion and other small periesophageal neuropils. These results indicate that the posterior ventral part of the brain is vital for regulating locomotion in insects. These findings provide a detailed description of DNs in the brain that could contribute to investigations on the neural mechanism of moth behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolan Liu
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Green Pest Control, College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Disease and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Shufang Yang
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Green Pest Control, College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Longlong Sun
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Green Pest Control, College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Guiying Xie
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Green Pest Control, College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Wenbo Chen
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Green Pest Control, College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Disease and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Guirong Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Disease and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xinming Yin
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Green Pest Control, College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Xincheng Zhao
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Green Pest Control, College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
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38
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Aymanns F, Chen CL, Ramdya P. Descending neuron population dynamics during odor-evoked and spontaneous limb-dependent behaviors. eLife 2022; 11:e81527. [PMID: 36286408 PMCID: PMC9605690 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Deciphering how the brain regulates motor circuits to control complex behaviors is an important, long-standing challenge in neuroscience. In the fly, Drosophila melanogaster, this is coordinated by a population of ~ 1100 descending neurons (DNs). Activating only a few DNs is known to be sufficient to drive complex behaviors like walking and grooming. However, what additional role the larger population of DNs plays during natural behaviors remains largely unknown. For example, they may modulate core behavioral commands or comprise parallel pathways that are engaged depending on sensory context. We evaluated these possibilities by recording populations of nearly 100 DNs in individual tethered flies while they generated limb-dependent behaviors, including walking and grooming. We found that the largest fraction of recorded DNs encode walking while fewer are active during head grooming and resting. A large fraction of walk-encoding DNs encode turning and far fewer weakly encode speed. Although odor context does not determine which behavior-encoding DNs are recruited, a few DNs encode odors rather than behaviors. Lastly, we illustrate how one can identify individual neurons from DN population recordings by using their spatial, functional, and morphological properties. These results set the stage for a comprehensive, population-level understanding of how the brain's descending signals regulate complex motor actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Aymanns
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFLLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Chin-Lin Chen
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFLLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Pavan Ramdya
- Neuroengineering Laboratory, Brain Mind Institute & Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering, EPFLLausanneSwitzerland
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39
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Tanaka R, Clark DA. Neural mechanisms to exploit positional geometry for collision avoidance. Curr Biol 2022; 32:2357-2374.e6. [PMID: 35508172 PMCID: PMC9177691 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Visual motion provides rich geometrical cues about the three-dimensional configuration of the world. However, how brains decode the spatial information carried by motion signals remains poorly understood. Here, we study a collision-avoidance behavior in Drosophila as a simple model of motion-based spatial vision. With simulations and psychophysics, we demonstrate that walking Drosophila exhibit a pattern of slowing to avoid collisions by exploiting the geometry of positional changes of objects on near-collision courses. This behavior requires the visual neuron LPLC1, whose tuning mirrors the behavior and whose activity drives slowing. LPLC1 pools inputs from object and motion detectors, and spatially biased inhibition tunes it to the geometry of collisions. Connectomic analyses identified circuitry downstream of LPLC1 that faithfully inherits its response properties. Overall, our results reveal how a small neural circuit solves a specific spatial vision task by combining distinct visual features to exploit universal geometrical constraints of the visual world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Tanaka
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Damon A Clark
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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40
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Robson DN, Li JM. A dynamical systems view of neuroethology: Uncovering stateful computation in natural behaviors. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 73:102517. [PMID: 35217311 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
State-dependent computation is key to cognition in both biological and artificial systems. Alan Turing recognized the power of stateful computation when he created the Turing machine with theoretically infinite computational capacity in 1936. Independently, by 1950, ethologists such as Tinbergen and Lorenz also began to implicitly embed rudimentary forms of state-dependent computation to create qualitative models of internal drives and naturally occurring animal behaviors. Here, we reformulate core ethological concepts in explicitly dynamical systems terms for stateful computation. We examine, based on a wealth of recent neural data collected during complex innate behaviors across species, the neural dynamics that determine the temporal structure of internal states. We will also discuss the degree to which the brain can be hierarchically partitioned into nested dynamical systems and the need for a multi-dimensional state-space model of the neuromodulatory system that underlies motivational and affective states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew N Robson
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Jennifer M Li
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen, Germany.
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41
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A pair of commissural command neurons induces Drosophila wing grooming. iScience 2022; 25:103792. [PMID: 35243214 PMCID: PMC8859526 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.103792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In many behaviors such walking and swimming, animals need to coordinate their left and right limbs. In Drosophila, wing grooming can be induced by activation of sensory organs called campaniform sensilla. Flies usually clean one wing at a time, coordinating their left and right hind legs to sweep the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the wing. Here, we identify a pair of interneurons located in the ventral nerve cord that we name wing projection neurons 1 (wPN1) whose optogenetic activation induces wing grooming. Inhibition of wPN1 activity reduces wing grooming. They receive synaptic input from ipsilateral wing campaniform sensilla and wing mechanosensory bristle neurons, and they extend axonal arbors to the hind leg neuropils. Although they project contralaterally, their activation induces ipsilateral wing grooming. Anatomical and behavioral data support a role for wPN1 as command neurons coordinating both hind legs to work together to clean the stimulated wing. A pair of ventral cord neurons, wPN1, is sufficient and necessary for wing grooming wPN1 receive contacts from two types of wing mechanosensors wPN1 are cholinergic and have commissural projections Single-side activation of wPN1 drives both hind legs to clean the ipsilateral wing
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Guo L, Zhang N, Simpson JH. Descending neurons coordinate anterior grooming behavior in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2022; 32:823-833.e4. [PMID: 35120659 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.12.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The brain coordinates the movements that constitute behavior, but how descending neurons convey the myriad of commands required to activate the motor neurons of the limbs in the right order and combinations to produce those movements is not well understood. For anterior grooming behavior in the fly, we show that its component head sweeps and leg rubs can be initiated separately, or as a set, by different descending neurons. Head sweeps and leg rubs are mutually exclusive movements of the front legs that normally alternate, and we show that circuits in the ventral nerve cord as well as in the brain can resolve competing commands. Finally, the left and right legs must work together to remove debris. The coordination for leg rubs can be achieved by unilateral activation of a single descending neuron, while a similar manipulation of a different descending neuron decouples the legs to produce single-sided head sweeps. Taken together, these results demonstrate that distinct descending neurons orchestrate the complex alternation between the movements that make up anterior grooming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Guo
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Neil Zhang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Julie H Simpson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
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43
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Mueller JM, Zhang N, Carlson JM, Simpson JH. Variation and Variability in Drosophila Grooming Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:769372. [PMID: 35087385 PMCID: PMC8787196 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.769372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioral differences can be observed between species or populations (variation) or between individuals in a genetically similar population (variability). Here, we investigate genetic differences as a possible source of variation and variability in Drosophila grooming. Grooming confers survival and social benefits. Grooming features of five Drosophila species exposed to a dust irritant were analyzed. Aspects of grooming behavior, such as anterior to posterior progression, were conserved between and within species. However, significant differences in activity levels, proportion of time spent in different cleaning movements, and grooming syntax were identified between species. All species tested showed individual variability in the order and duration of action sequences. Genetic diversity was not found to correlate with grooming variability within a species: melanogaster flies bred to increase or decrease genetic heterogeneity exhibited similar variability in grooming syntax. Individual flies observed on consecutive days also showed grooming sequence variability. Standardization of sensory input using optogenetics reduced but did not eliminate this variability. In aggregate, these data suggest that sequence variability may be a conserved feature of grooming behavior itself. These results also demonstrate that large genetic differences result in distinguishable grooming phenotypes (variation), but that genetic heterogeneity within a population does not necessarily correspond to an increase in the range of grooming behavior (variability).
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M. Mueller
- Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Dynamical Neuroscience, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Neil Zhang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jean M. Carlson
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Julie H. Simpson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Julie H. Simpson,
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44
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Llobet Rosell A, Paglione M, Gilley J, Kocia M, Perillo G, Gasparrini M, Cialabrini L, Raffaelli N, Angeletti C, Orsomando G, Wu PH, Coleman MP, Loreto A, Neukomm LJ. The NAD + precursor NMN activates dSarm to trigger axon degeneration in Drosophila. eLife 2022; 11:80245. [PMID: 36476387 PMCID: PMC9788811 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Axon degeneration contributes to the disruption of neuronal circuit function in diseased and injured nervous systems. Severed axons degenerate following the activation of an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway, which culminates in the activation of SARM1 in mammals to execute the pathological depletion of the metabolite NAD+. SARM1 NADase activity is activated by the NAD+ precursor nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). In mammals, keeping NMN levels low potently preserves axons after injury. However, it remains unclear whether NMN is also a key mediator of axon degeneration and dSarm activation in flies. Here, we demonstrate that lowering NMN levels in Drosophila through the expression of a newly generated prokaryotic NMN-Deamidase (NMN-D) preserves severed axons for months and keeps them circuit-integrated for weeks. NMN-D alters the NAD+ metabolic flux by lowering NMN, while NAD+ remains unchanged in vivo. Increased NMN synthesis by the expression of mouse nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (mNAMPT) leads to faster axon degeneration after injury. We also show that NMN-induced activation of dSarm mediates axon degeneration in vivo. Finally, NMN-D delays neurodegeneration caused by loss of the sole NMN-consuming and NAD+-synthesizing enzyme dNmnat. Our results reveal a critical role for NMN in neurodegeneration in the fly, which extends beyond axonal injury. The potent neuroprotection by reducing NMN levels is similar to the interference with other essential mediators of axon degeneration in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnau Llobet Rosell
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Maria Paglione
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Jonathan Gilley
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Magdalena Kocia
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Giulia Perillo
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Massimiliano Gasparrini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of MarcheAnconaItaly
| | - Lucia Cialabrini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of MarcheAnconaItaly
| | - Nadia Raffaelli
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of MarcheAnconaItaly
| | - Carlo Angeletti
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, Polytechnic University of MarcheAnconaItaly
| | - Giuseppe Orsomando
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, Polytechnic University of MarcheAnconaItaly
| | - Pei-Hsuan Wu
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Michael P Coleman
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Andrea Loreto
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Lukas Jakob Neukomm
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
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45
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Lu J, Behbahani AH, Hamburg L, Westeinde EA, Dawson PM, Lyu C, Maimon G, Dickinson MH, Druckmann S, Wilson RI. Transforming representations of movement from body- to world-centric space. Nature 2022; 601:98-104. [PMID: 34912123 PMCID: PMC10759448 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04191-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
When an animal moves through the world, its brain receives a stream of information about the body's translational velocity from motor commands and sensory feedback signals. These incoming signals are referenced to the body, but ultimately, they must be transformed into world-centric coordinates for navigation1,2. Here we show that this computation occurs in the fan-shaped body in the brain of Drosophila melanogaster. We identify two cell types, PFNd and PFNv3-5, that conjunctively encode translational velocity and heading as a fly walks. In these cells, velocity signals are acquired from locomotor brain regions6 and are multiplied with heading signals from the compass system. PFNd neurons prefer forward-ipsilateral movement, whereas PFNv neurons prefer backward-contralateral movement, and perturbing PFNd neurons disrupts idiothetic path integration in walking flies7. Downstream, PFNd and PFNv neurons converge onto hΔB neurons, with a connectivity pattern that pools together heading and translation direction combinations corresponding to the same movement in world-centric space. This network motif effectively performs a rotation of the brain's representation of body-centric translational velocity according to the current heading direction. Consistent with our predictions, we observe that hΔB neurons form a representation of translational velocity in world-centric coordinates. By integrating this representation over time, it should be possible for the brain to form a working memory of the path travelled through the environment8-10.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Lu
- Department of Neurobiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amir H Behbahani
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Lydia Hamburg
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Elena A Westeinde
- Department of Neurobiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul M Dawson
- Department of Neurobiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cheng Lyu
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gaby Maimon
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael H Dickinson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Shaul Druckmann
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Rachel I Wilson
- Department of Neurobiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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46
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Gruntman E, Reimers P, Romani S, Reiser MB. Non-preferred contrast responses in the Drosophila motion pathways reveal a receptive field structure that explains a common visual illusion. Curr Biol 2021; 31:5286-5298.e7. [PMID: 34672960 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Diverse sensory systems, from audition to thermosensation, feature a separation of inputs into ON (increments) and OFF (decrements) signals. In the Drosophila visual system, separate ON and OFF pathways compute the direction of motion, yet anatomical and functional studies have identified some crosstalk between these channels. We used this well-studied circuit to ask whether the motion computation depends on ON-OFF pathway crosstalk. Using whole-cell electrophysiology, we recorded visual responses of T4 (ON) and T5 (OFF) cells, mapped their composite ON-OFF receptive fields, and found that they share a similar spatiotemporal structure. We fit a biophysical model to these receptive fields that accurately predicts directionally selective T4 and T5 responses to both ON and OFF moving stimuli. This model also provides a detailed mechanistic explanation for the directional preference inversion in response to the prominent reverse-phi illusion. Finally, we used the steering responses of tethered flying flies to validate the model's predicted effects of varying stimulus parameters on the behavioral turning inversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eyal Gruntman
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, USA.
| | - Pablo Reimers
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Sandro Romani
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Michael B Reiser
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, USA.
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47
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Sterne GR, Otsuna H, Dickson BJ, Scott K. Classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult Drosophila brain. eLife 2021; 10:e71679. [PMID: 34473057 PMCID: PMC8445619 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural circuits carry out complex computations that allow animals to evaluate food, select mates, move toward attractive stimuli, and move away from threats. In insects, the subesophageal zone (SEZ) is a brain region that receives gustatory, pheromonal, and mechanosensory inputs and contributes to the control of diverse behaviors, including feeding, grooming, and locomotion. Despite its importance in sensorimotor transformations, the study of SEZ circuits has been hindered by limited knowledge of the underlying diversity of SEZ neurons. Here, we generate a collection of split-GAL4 lines that provides precise genetic targeting of 138 different SEZ cell types in adult Drosophila melanogaster, comprising approximately one third of all SEZ neurons. We characterize the single-cell anatomy of these neurons and find that they cluster by morphology into six supergroups that organize the SEZ into discrete anatomical domains. We find that the majority of local SEZ interneurons are not classically polarized, suggesting rich local processing, whereas SEZ projection neurons tend to be classically polarized, conveying information to a limited number of higher brain regions. This study provides insight into the anatomical organization of the SEZ and generates resources that will facilitate further study of SEZ neurons and their contributions to sensory processing and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella R Sterne
- University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Hideo Otsuna
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Barry J Dickson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of QueenslandQueenslandAustralia
| | - Kristin Scott
- University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
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48
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Redolfi N, García-Casas P, Fornetto C, Sonda S, Pizzo P, Pendin D. Lighting Up Ca 2+ Dynamics in Animal Models. Cells 2021; 10:2133. [PMID: 34440902 PMCID: PMC8392631 DOI: 10.3390/cells10082133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcium (Ca2+) signaling coordinates are crucial processes in brain physiology. Particularly, fundamental aspects of neuronal function such as synaptic transmission and neuronal plasticity are regulated by Ca2+, and neuronal survival itself relies on Ca2+-dependent cascades. Indeed, impaired Ca2+ homeostasis has been reported in aging as well as in the onset and progression of neurodegeneration. Understanding the physiology of brain function and the key processes leading to its derangement is a core challenge for neuroscience. In this context, Ca2+ imaging represents a powerful tool, effectively fostered by the continuous amelioration of Ca2+ sensors in parallel with the improvement of imaging instrumentation. In this review, we explore the potentiality of the most used animal models employed for Ca2+ imaging, highlighting their application in brain research to explore the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelly Redolfi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy; (N.R.); (P.G.-C.); (C.F.); (S.S.); (P.P.)
| | - Paloma García-Casas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy; (N.R.); (P.G.-C.); (C.F.); (S.S.); (P.P.)
| | - Chiara Fornetto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy; (N.R.); (P.G.-C.); (C.F.); (S.S.); (P.P.)
| | - Sonia Sonda
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy; (N.R.); (P.G.-C.); (C.F.); (S.S.); (P.P.)
| | - Paola Pizzo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy; (N.R.); (P.G.-C.); (C.F.); (S.S.); (P.P.)
- Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Diana Pendin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy; (N.R.); (P.G.-C.); (C.F.); (S.S.); (P.P.)
- Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), 35131 Padua, Italy
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49
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Karim MR. A Method to Quantify Drosophila Behavioral Activities Induced by GABA A Agonist Muscimol. Bio Protoc 2021; 11:e3982. [PMID: 34124286 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.3982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscimol is a psychoactive isoxazole derived from the mushroom Amanita muscaria. As a potent GABAA receptor agonist, muscimol suppresses the activity of the central nervous system, reduces anxiety and induces sleep. We investigated the effects of muscimol on Drosophila behavior. Drosophila behavioral assays are powerful tools that are used to assess neural functions by focusing on specific changes in selected behavior, with the hypothesis that this behavioral change is due to alteration of the underlying neural function of interest. In this study, we developed a comparatively simple and cost-effective method for feeding adult flies muscimol, a pharmacologically active compound, and for quantifying the phenotypes of "resting" and "grooming+walking". This protocol may provide researchers with a convenient method to characterize small molecule-induced behavioral output in flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rezaul Karim
- Division of Food Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.,Laboratory for Cancer Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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50
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The Divider Assay is a high-throughput pipeline for aggression analysis in Drosophila. Commun Biol 2021; 4:85. [PMID: 33469118 PMCID: PMC7815768 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01617-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggression is a complex social behavior that remains poorly understood. Drosophila has become a powerful model system to study the underlying biology of aggression but lack of high throughput screening and analysis continues to be a barrier for comprehensive mutant and circuit discovery. Here we developed the Divider Assay, a simplified experimental procedure to make aggression analysis in Drosophila fast and accurate. In contrast to existing methods, we can analyze aggression over long time intervals and in complete darkness. While aggression is reduced in the dark, flies are capable of intense fighting without seeing their opponent. Twenty-four-hour behavioral analysis showed a peak in fighting during the middle of the day, a drastic drop at night, followed by re-engagement with a further increase in aggression in anticipation of the next day. Our pipeline is easy to implement and will facilitate high throughput screening for mechanistic dissection of aggression.
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