Nuclear transcriptomes of the seven neuronal cell types that constitute the Drosophila mushroom bodies

ABSTRACT: The insect mushroom body (MB) is a conserved central brain structure that receives multi-modal inputs and plays key roles in a diverse array of behaviors. In Drosophila melanogaster, the MB has served as the primary invertebrate model to investigate how neural circuits underlie plasticity related to memory formation and storage. A vast literature describes the development, morphology, wiring, and function of each of the MB cell types as well as their inputs and outputs. MBs consist of approximately 2000 intrinsic Kenyon Cells per hemisphere that are divided into three major neuron classes — γ, α′/β′ and α/β — based on their birth order, morphology and connectivity. These classes are further sub-divided into 7 cell subtypes — γd, γm, α′/β′ap, α′/β′m, α/βp, α/βs and α/βc. A wealth of functional studies demonstrate that these 7 MB cell subtypes connect to different input and output neurons and play distinct roles in memory processing. The functional differences between these cell subtypes are presumably reflected in unique transcriptional programs, although this has not been investigated. Here, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to profile the nuclear transcriptomes of each of the 7 MB neuronal cell subtypes. We identified 350 MB class- or subtype-specific genes. These include the widely used α/β class marker Fas2 and the α′/β′ class marker trio. Immunostaining data corroborates the RNA-seq measurements at the protein level for several cases. Importantly, our data provide a full accounting of the neurotransmitter receptors, transporters, neurotransmitter biosynthetic enzymes, neuropeptides, and neuropeptide receptors expressed within each of these cell types. This high-quality, cell type-level transcriptomic catalog for the Drosophila MB provides a valuable resource for the fly neuroscience community.

ORGANISM(S): Drosophila melanogaster

PROVIDER: GSE119629 | GEO | 2018/09/10

REPOSITORIES: GEO