biostudies-literatureZhu HNEI NIH HHSU.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Eye InstituteNSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology at Northwestern UniversityNIGMS NIH HHS1247https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8913700biostudies-literatureUnknown13(1)During development, neural progenitors are temporally patterned to sequentially generate a variety of neural types. In Drosophila neural progenitors called neuroblasts, temporal patterning is regulated by cascades of Temporal Transcription Factors (TTFs). However, known TTFs were mostly identified through candidate approaches and may not be complete. In addition, many fundamental questions remain concerning the TTF cascade initiation, progression, and termination. In this work, we use single-cell RNA sequencing of Drosophila medulla neuroblasts of all ages to identify a list of previously unknown TTFs, and experimentally characterize their roles in temporal patterning and neuronal specification. Our study reveals a comprehensive temporal gene network that patterns medulla neuroblasts from Nature communicationsA comprehensive temporal patterning gene network in Drosophila medulla neuroblasts revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing.PMC8913700Grant 1 R01 EY026965-01A1R01 EY026965R01 GM084947Li XZhang YZhao SDZhu HRay AfalseA comprehensive temporal patterning gene network in Drosophila medulla neuroblasts revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing.During development, neural progenitors are temporally patterned to sequentially generate a variety of neural types. In Drosophila neural progenitors called neuroblasts, temporal patterning is regulated by cascades of Temporal Transcription Factors (TTFs). However, known TTFs were mostly identified through candidate approaches and may not be complete. In addition, many fundamental questions remain concerning the TTF cascade initiation, progression, and termination. In this work, we use single-cell RNA sequencing of Drosophila medulla neuroblasts of all ages to identify a list of previously unknown TTFs, and experimentally characterize their roles in temporal patterning and neuronal specification. Our study reveals a comprehensive temporal gene network that patterns medulla neuroblasts from 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Mar2026-03-27T16:41:00.112Z2025-04-06T02:23:23.837ZS-EPMC89137003527318610.1038/s41467-022-28915-3