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Lebek T, Malaguti M, Boezio GL, Zoupi L, Briscoe J, Elfick A, Lowell S. PUFFFIN: an ultra-bright, customisable, single-plasmid system for labelling cell neighbourhoods. EMBO J 2024; 43:4110-4135. [PMID: 38997504 PMCID: PMC11405414 DOI: 10.1038/s44318-024-00154-w] [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: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell communication coordinates developmental processes, maintains homeostasis, and contributes to disease. Therefore, understanding the relationship between cells in a shared environment is crucial. Here we introduce Positive Ultra-bright Fluorescent Fusion For Identifying Neighbours (PUFFFIN), a cell neighbour-labelling system based upon secretion and uptake of positively supercharged fluorescent protein s36GFP. We fused s36GFP to mNeonGreen or to a HaloTag, facilitating ultra-bright, sensitive, colour-of-choice labelling. Secretor cells transfer PUFFFIN to neighbours while retaining nuclear mCherry, making identification, isolation, and investigation of live neighbours straightforward. PUFFFIN can be delivered to cells, tissues, or embryos on a customisable single-plasmid construct composed of interchangeable components with the option to incorporate any transgene. This versatility enables the manipulation of cell properties, while simultaneously labelling surrounding cells, in cell culture or in vivo. We use PUFFFIN to ask whether pluripotent cells adjust the pace of differentiation to synchronise with their neighbours during exit from naïve pluripotency. PUFFFIN offers a simple, sensitive, customisable approach to profile non-cell-autonomous responses to natural or induced changes in cell identity or behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamina Lebek
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Mattias Malaguti
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK
- Centre for Engineering Biology, Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK
| | | | - Lida Zoupi
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | | | - Alistair Elfick
- Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 3DW, UK
- UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Sally Lowell
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, UK.
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McKim TH, Gera J, Gayban AJ, Reinhard N, Manoli G, Hilpert S, Helfrich-Förster C, Zandawala M. Synaptic connectome of a neurosecretory network in the Drosophila brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.28.609616. [PMID: 39257829 PMCID: PMC11384003 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.28.609616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2024]
Abstract
Hormones mediate inter-organ signaling which is crucial in orchestrating diverse behaviors and physiological processes including sleep and activity, feeding, growth, metabolism and reproduction. The pars intercerebralis and pars lateralis in insects represent major hubs which contain neurosecretory cells (NSC) that produce various hormones. To obtain insight into how hormonal signaling is regulated, we have characterized the synaptic connectome of NSC in the adult Drosophila brain. Identification of neurons providing inputs to multiple NSC subtypes implicates diuretic hormone 44-expressing NSC as a major coordinator of physiology and behavior. Surprisingly, despite most NSC having dendrites in the subesophageal zone (primary taste processing center), gustatory inputs to NSC are largely indirect. We also deciphered pathways via which diverse olfactory inputs are relayed to NSC. Further, our analyses revealed substantial inputs from descending neurons to NSC, suggesting that descending neurons regulate both endocrine and motor output to synchronize physiological changes with appropriate behaviors. In contrast to NSC inputs, synaptic output from NSC is sparse and mostly mediated by corazonin NSC. Therefore, we additionally determine putative paracrine interconnectivity between NSC subtypes and hormonal pathways from NSC to peripheral tissues by analyzing single-cell transcriptomic datasets. Our comprehensive characterization of the Drosophila neurosecretory network connectome provides a platform to understand complex hormonal networks and how they orchestrate animal behaviors and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa H McKim
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, 89557, NV, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, 89557, NV, USA
| | - Jayati Gera
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ariana J Gayban
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, 89557, NV, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, 89557, NV, USA
| | - Nils Reinhard
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Giulia Manoli
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Selina Hilpert
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Charlotte Helfrich-Förster
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Meet Zandawala
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, 89557, NV, USA
- Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, 89557, NV, USA
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Bonanno SL, Sanfilippo P, Eamani A, Sampson MM, Kandagedon B, Li K, Burns GD, Makar ME, Zipursky SL, Krantz DE. Constitutive and Conditional Epitope Tagging of Endogenous G-Protein-Coupled Receptors in Drosophila. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e2377232024. [PMID: 38937100 PMCID: PMC11326870 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2377-23.2024] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
To visualize the cellular and subcellular localization of neuromodulatory G-protein-coupled receptors in Drosophila, we implement a molecular strategy recently used to add epitope tags to ionotropic receptors at their endogenous loci. Leveraging evolutionary conservation to identify sites more likely to permit insertion of a tag, we generated constitutive and conditional tagged alleles for Drosophila 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, Oct β 1R, Oct β 2R, two isoforms of OAMB, and mGluR The conditional alleles allow for the restricted expression of tagged receptor in specific cell types, an option not available for any previous reagents to label these proteins. We show expression patterns for these receptors in female brains and that 5-HT1A and 5-HT2B localize to the mushroom bodies (MBs) and central complex, respectively, as predicted by their roles in sleep. By contrast, the unexpected enrichment of Octβ1R in the central complex and of 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A to nerve terminals in lobular columnar cells in the visual system suggest new hypotheses about their functions at these sites. Using an additional tagged allele of the serotonin transporter, a marker of serotonergic tracts, we demonstrate diverse spatial relationships between postsynaptic 5-HT receptors and presynaptic 5-HT neurons, consistent with the importance of both synaptic and volume transmission. Finally, we use the conditional allele of 5-HT1A to show that it localizes to distinct sites within the MBs as both a postsynaptic receptor in Kenyon cells and a presynaptic autoreceptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivan L Bonanno
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Piero Sanfilippo
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Aditya Eamani
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Maureen M Sampson
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Binu Kandagedon
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Kenneth Li
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Giselle D Burns
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Marylyn E Makar
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - S Lawrence Zipursky
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - David E Krantz
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
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Castaneda AN, Huda A, Whitaker IBM, Reilly JE, Shelby GS, Bai H, Ni L. Functional labeling of individualized postsynaptic neurons using optogenetics and trans-Tango in Drosophila (FLIPSOT). PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011190. [PMID: 38483970 PMCID: PMC10965055 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011190] [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: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
A population of neurons interconnected by synapses constitutes a neural circuit, which performs specific functions upon activation. It is essential to identify both anatomical and functional entities of neural circuits to comprehend the components and processes necessary for healthy brain function and the changes that characterize brain disorders. To date, few methods are available to study these two aspects of a neural circuit simultaneously. In this study, we developed FLIPSOT, or functional labeling of individualized postsynaptic neurons using optogenetics and trans-Tango. FLIPSOT uses (1) trans-Tango to access postsynaptic neurons genetically, (2) optogenetic approaches to activate (FLIPSOTa) or inhibit (FLIPSOTi) postsynaptic neurons in a random and sparse manner, and (3) fluorescence markers tagged with optogenetic genes to visualize these neurons. Therefore, FLIPSOT allows using a presynaptic driver to identify the behavioral function of individual postsynaptic neurons. It is readily applied to identify functions of individual postsynaptic neurons and has the potential to be adapted for use in mammalian circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison N. Castaneda
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Ainul Huda
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Iona B. M. Whitaker
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Julianne E. Reilly
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Grace S. Shelby
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Hua Bai
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Lina Ni
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
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Malaguti M, Lebek T, Blin G, Lowell S. Enabling neighbour labelling: using synthetic biology to explore how cells influence their neighbours. Development 2024; 151:dev201955. [PMID: 38165174 PMCID: PMC10820747 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201955] [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: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Cell-cell interactions are central to development, but exploring how a change in any given cell relates to changes in the neighbour of that cell can be technically challenging. Here, we review recent developments in synthetic biology and image analysis that are helping overcome this problem. We highlight the opportunities presented by these advances and discuss opportunities and limitations in applying them to developmental model systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattias Malaguti
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Tamina Lebek
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Guillaume Blin
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Sally Lowell
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
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Bonanno SL, Sanfilippo P, Eamani A, Sampson MM, Binu K, Li K, Burns GD, Makar ME, Zipursky SL, Krantz DE. Constitutive and conditional epitope-tagging of endogenous G protein coupled receptors in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.27.573472. [PMID: 38234787 PMCID: PMC10793450 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.27.573472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
To visualize the cellular and subcellular localization of neuromodulatory G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in Drosophila , we implement a molecular strategy recently used to add epitope tags to ionotropic receptors at their endogenous loci. Leveraging evolutionary conservation to identify sites more likely to permit insertion of a tag, we generated constitutive and conditional tagged alleles for Drosophila 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, Octβ1R, Octβ2R, two isoforms of OAMB, and mGluR. The conditional alleles allow for the restricted expression of tagged receptor in specific cell types, an option not available for any previous reagents to label these proteins. We show that 5-HT1A and 5-HT2B localize to the mushroom bodies and central complex respectively, as predicted by their roles in sleep. By contrast, the unexpected enrichment of Octβ1R in the central complex and of 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A to nerve terminals in lobular columnar cells in the visual system suggest new hypotheses about their function at these sites. Using an additional tagged allele of the serotonin transporter, a marker of serotonergic tracts, we demonstrate diverse spatial relationships between postsynaptic 5-HT receptors and presynaptic 5-HT neurons, consistent with the importance of both synaptic and volume transmission. Finally, we use the conditional allele of 5-HT1A to show that it localizes to distinct sites within the mushroom bodies as both a postsynaptic receptor in Kenyon cells and a presynaptic autoreceptor. Significance Statement In Drosophila , despite remarkable advances in both connectomic and genomic studies, antibodies to many aminergic GPCRs are not available. We have overcome this obstacle using evolutionary conservation to identify loci in GPCRs amenable to epitope-tagging, and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to generated eight novel lines. This method also may be applied to other GPCRs and allows cell-specific expression of the tagged locus. We have used the tagged alleles we generated to address several questions that remain poorly understood. These include the relationship between pre- and post-synaptic sites that express the same receptor, and the use of relatively distant targets by pre-synaptic release sites that may employ volume transmission as well as standard synaptic signaling.
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