Project description:Drosophila reproductive behaviors are directed by fruitless neurons. A reanalysis of genomic studies shows that genes encoding dpr and DIP Immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) members are expressed in fru P1 neurons. We find that each fru P1 and dpr/DIP (fru P1 ∩ dpr/DIP) overlapping expression pattern is similar in both sexes, but there are dimorphisms in neuronal morphology and cell number. Behavioral studies of fru P1 ∩ dpr/DIP perturbation genotypes indicates that the mushroom body functions together with the lateral protocerebral complex to direct courtship behavior. A single-cell RNA-seq analysis of fru P1 neurons shows that many DIPs have high expression in a small set of neurons, whereas the dprs are often expressed in a larger set of neurons at intermediate levels, with a myriad of dpr/DIP expression combinations. Functionally, we find that perturbations of sex hierarchy genes and of DIP-ε change the sex-specific morphologies of fru P1 ∩ DIP-α neurons.
Project description:The RNA polymerase II core promoter is the site of convergence of the signals that lead to the initiation of transcription. Here, we perform a comparative analysis of the downstream core promoter region (DPR) in Drosophila and humans by using machine learning. These studies revealed a distinct human-specific version of the DPR and led to the use of the machine learning models for the identification of synthetic extreme DPR motifs with specificity for human transcription factors relative to Drosophila factors, and vice versa. More generally, machine learning models could be analogously used to design synthetic promoter elements with customized functional properties.
