Genetic Transformation of Structural and Functional Circuitry Rewires The
RESEARCH ARTICLE elifesciences.org Genetic transformation of structural and functional circuitry rewires the Drosophila brain Sonia Sen1,2, Deshou Cao3, Ramveer Choudhary1,4, Silvia Biagini1,4, Jing W Wang3, Heinrich Reichert5, K VijayRaghavan1* 1Department of Developmental Biology and Genetics, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India; 2Manipal University, Manipal, India; 3Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States; 4Institute for Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy; 5Department of Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland Abstract Acquisition of distinct neuronal identities during development is critical for the assembly of diverse functional neural circuits in the brain. In both vertebrates and invertebrates, intrinsic determinants are thought to act in neural progenitors to specify their identity and the identity of their neuronal progeny. However, the extent to which individual factors can contribute to this is poorly understood. We investigate the role of orthodenticle in the specification of an identified neuroblast (neuronal progenitor) lineage in the Drosophila brain. Loss of orthodenticle from this neuroblast affects molecular properties, neuroanatomical features, and functional inputs of progeny neurons, such that an entire central complex lineage transforms into a functional olfactory projection neuron lineage. This ability to change functional macrocircuitry of the brain through changes in gene expression in a single neuroblast reveals a surprising capacity for novel circuit formation in the brain and provides a paradigm for large-scale evolutionary modification of circuitry. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.04407.001 *For correspondence: vijay@ Introduction ncbs.res.in Animals display a wide repertoire of complex and adaptable behaviours executed by equally complex Competing interests: See page 25 nervous systems.
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