Single-cell RNA sequencing of motoneurons identifies regulators of synaptic wiring in Drosophila embryos.

ABSTRACT: The correct wiring of neuronal circuits is one of the most complex processes in development, since axons form highly specific connections out of a vast number of possibilities. Circuit structure is genetically determined in vertebrates and invertebrates, but the mechanisms guiding each axon to precisely innervate a unique pre-specified target cell are poorly understood. We investigated Drosophila embryonic motoneurons using single-cell genomics, imaging, and genetics. We show that a cell-specific combination of homeodomain transcription factors and downstream immunoglobulin domain proteins is expressed in individual cells and plays an important role in determining cell-specific connections between differentiated motoneurons and target muscles. We provide genetic evidence for a functional r

SUBMITTER: Velten J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8883443 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature