1. Spatial patterning controls neuron numbers in the Drosophila visual system.
- Author
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Malin JA, Chen YC, Simon F, Keefer E, and Desplan C
- Subjects
- Animals, Optic Lobe, Nonmammalian metabolism, Optic Lobe, Nonmammalian cytology, Signal Transduction, Visual Pathways metabolism, Apoptosis, Bone Morphogenetic Proteins metabolism, Body Patterning, Interneurons metabolism, Interneurons cytology, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Cell Count, Cell Proliferation, Neurogenesis physiology, Drosophila Proteins metabolism, Drosophila Proteins genetics, Neurons metabolism, Neurons cytology, Drosophila melanogaster metabolism
- Abstract
Neurons must be made in the correct proportions to communicate with the appropriate synaptic partners and form functional circuits. In the Drosophila visual system, multiple subtypes of distal medulla (Dm) inhibitory interneurons are made in distinct, reproducible numbers-from 5 to 800 per optic lobe. These neurons are born from a crescent-shaped neuroepithelium called the outer proliferation center (OPC), which can be subdivided into specific domains based on transcription factor and growth factor expression. We fate mapped Dm neurons and found that more abundant neural types are born from larger neuroepithelial subdomains, while less abundant subtypes are born from smaller ones. Additionally, morphogenetic Dpp/BMP signaling provides a second layer of patterning that subdivides the neuroepithelium into smaller domains to provide more granular control of cell proportions. Apoptosis appears to play a minor role in regulating Dm neuron abundance. This work describes an underappreciated mechanism for the regulation of neuronal stoichiometry., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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