Classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult Drosophila brain

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 t...

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Main Authors: Gabriella R Sterne, Hideo Otsuna, Barry J Dickson, Kristin Scott
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2021-09-01
Series:eLife
Subjects:
Online Access:https://elifesciences.org/articles/71679
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spelling doaj-83b5cd8b9a414823831c7417d11d68382021-09-16T07:15:56ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2021-09-011010.7554/eLife.71679Classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult Drosophila brainGabriella R Sterne0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7221-648XHideo Otsuna1Barry J Dickson2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0715-892XKristin Scott3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3150-7210University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, United States; Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United StatesJanelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United StatesJanelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States; Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Queensland, AustraliaUniversity of California Berkeley, Berkeley, United StatesNeural 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.https://elifesciences.org/articles/71679D. melanogasterneurosciencesplit-GAL4subesophageal zonebrainanatomy
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Gabriella R Sterne
Hideo Otsuna
Barry J Dickson
Kristin Scott
spellingShingle Gabriella R Sterne
Hideo Otsuna
Barry J Dickson
Kristin Scott
Classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult Drosophila brain
eLife
D. melanogaster
neuroscience
split-GAL4
subesophageal zone
brain
anatomy
author_facet Gabriella R Sterne
Hideo Otsuna
Barry J Dickson
Kristin Scott
author_sort Gabriella R Sterne
title Classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult Drosophila brain
title_short Classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult Drosophila brain
title_full Classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult Drosophila brain
title_fullStr Classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult Drosophila brain
title_full_unstemmed Classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult Drosophila brain
title_sort classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult drosophila brain
publisher eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
series eLife
issn 2050-084X
publishDate 2021-09-01
description 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.
topic D. melanogaster
neuroscience
split-GAL4
subesophageal zone
brain
anatomy
url https://elifesciences.org/articles/71679
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