Population-level morphological analysis of paired CO₂- and odor-sensing olfactory neurons in D. melanogaster via volume electron microscopy.

ABSTRACT: Dendritic morphology is a defining characteristic of neuronal subtypes. In Drosophila, heterotypic olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) expressing different receptors display diverse dendritic morphologies, but whether such diversity exists among homotypic ORNs remains unclear. Using serial block-face scanning electron microscopy on cryofixed tissues, we analyzed the majority of CO₂-sensing neurons (ab1C) and their odor-sensing neighbors (ab1D) in the D. melanogaster antenna. Surprisingly, ab1C neurons featured flattened, sheet-like dendrites-distinct from the cylindrical branches typical of odor-sensing neurons-and displayed remarkable diversity, ranging from plain sheets to tube-like structures that enclose several neighboring dendrites, forming "dendrite-within-den

SUBMITTER: Choy J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11839084 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature