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Huang Z, Sun Y, Liu S, Chen X, Ping J, Fei P, Gong Z, Zheng N. A machine learning based method for tracking of simultaneously imaged neural activity and body posture of freely moving maggot. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 727:150290. [PMID: 38941792 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 06/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
To understand neural basis of animal behavior, it is necessary to monitor neural activity and behavior in freely moving animal before building relationship between them. Here we use light sheet fluorescence microscope (LSFM) combined with microfluidic chip to simultaneously capture neural activity and body movement in small freely behaving Drosophila larva. We develop a transfer learning based method to simultaneously track the continuously changing body posture and activity of neurons that move together using a sub-region tracking network with a precise landmark estimation network for the inference of target landmark trajectory. Based on the tracking of each labelled neuron, the activity of the neuron indicated by fluorescent intensity is calculated. For each video, annotation of only 20 frames in a video is sufficient to yield human-level accuracy for all other frames. The validity of this method is further confirmed by reproducing the activity pattern of PMSIs (period-positive median segmental interneurons) and larval movement as previously reported. Using this method, we disclosed the correlation between larval movement and left-right asymmetry in activity of a group of unidentified neurons labelled by R52H01-Gal4 and further confirmed the roles of these neurons in bilateral balance of body contraction during larval crawling by genetic inhibition of these neurons. Our method provides a new tool for accurate extraction of neural activities and movement of freely behaving small-size transparent animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zenan Huang
- Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China; Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310007, China
| | - Yixuan Sun
- Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China; Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Affiliated Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | | | - Xiaopeng Chen
- Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China; School of Optical and Electronic Information-Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong, University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Junyu Ping
- School of Optical and Electronic Information-Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong, University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Peng Fei
- School of Optical and Electronic Information-Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong, University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Zhefeng Gong
- Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China; Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Affiliated Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Nenggan Zheng
- Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China; Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310007, China
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Hoagland A, Newman ZL, Cai Z, Isacoff EY. Circuit firing homeostasis following synaptic perturbation ensures robust behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.27.609984. [PMID: 39253468 PMCID: PMC11383027 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.27.609984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Homeostatic regulation of excitability and synaptic transmission ensures stable neural circuit output under changing conditions. We find that pre- or postsynaptic weakening of motor neuron (MN) to muscle glutamatergic transmission in Drosophila larva has little impact on locomotion, suggesting non-synaptic compensatory mechanisms. In vivo imaging of MN to muscle synaptic transmission and MN activity both show that synaptic weakening increases activity in tonic type Ib MNs, but not in the phasic type Is MN that innervate the same muscles. Additionally, an inhibitory class of pre-MNs that innervates type Ib-but not Is-MNs decreases activity. Our experiments suggest that weakening of MN evoked synaptic release onto the muscle is compensated for by an increase in MN firing due to a combined cell-autonomous increase in excitability and decreased inhibitory central drive. Selectivity for type Ib MNs may serve to restore tonic drive while absence of firing adjustment in the convergent Is MN can maintain the contraction wave dynamics needed for locomotion.
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3
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Zhao Q, Li X, Wen J, He Y, Zheng N, Li W, Cardona A, Gong Z. A two-layer neural circuit controls fast forward locomotion in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3439-3453.e5. [PMID: 39053465 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Fast forward locomotion is critical for animal hunting and escaping behaviors. However, how the underlying neural circuit is wired at synaptic resolution to decide locomotion direction and speed remains poorly understood. Here, we identified in the ventral nerve cord (VNC) a set of ascending cholinergic neurons (AcNs) to be command neurons capable of initiating fast forward peristaltic locomotion in Drosophila larvae. Targeted manipulations revealed that AcNs are necessary and sufficient for fast forward locomotion. AcNs can activate their postsynaptic partners, A01j and A02j; both are interneurons with locomotory rhythmicity. Activated A01j neurons form a posterior-anteriorly descendent gradient in output activity along the VNC to launch forward locomotion from the tail. Activated A02j neurons exhibit quicker intersegmental transmission in activity that enables fast propagation of motor waves. Our work revealed a global neural mechanism that coordinately controls the launch direction and propagation speed of Drosophila locomotion, furthering the understanding of the strategy for locomotion control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianhui Zhao
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Xinhang Li
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Jun Wen
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Yinhui He
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Nenggan Zheng
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Wenchang Li
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Albert Cardona
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.
| | - Zhefeng Gong
- Department of neurology of the fourth Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, 1369 West Wenyi Road, Hangzhou 311121, China; NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China.
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4
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Odierna GL, Kerwin SK, Shin GJE, Millard SS. Drosophila larval motor patterning relies on regulated alternative splicing of Dscam2. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1415207. [PMID: 39092203 PMCID: PMC11292952 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1415207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent studies capitalizing on the newly complete nanometer-resolution Drosophila larval connectome have made significant advances in identifying the structural basis of motor patterning. However, the molecular mechanisms utilized by neurons to wire these circuits remain poorly understood. In this study we explore how cell-specific expression of two Dscam2 isoforms, which mediate isoform-specific homophilic binding, contributes to motor patterning and output of Drosophila larvae. Ablating Dscam2 isoform diversity resulted in impaired locomotion. Electrophysiological assessment at the neuromuscular junction during fictive locomotion indicated that this behavioral defect was largely caused by weaker bouts of motor neuron activity. Morphological analyses of single motor neurons using MultiColour FlpOut revealed severe errors in dendrite arborization and assessment of cholinergic and GABAergic projections to the motor domain revealed altered morphology of interneuron processes. Loss of Dscam2 did not affect locomotor output, motor neuron activation or dendrite targeting. Our findings thus suggest that locomotor circuit phenotypes arise specifically from inappropriate Dscam2 interactions between premotor interneurons and motor neurons when they express the same isoform. Indeed, we report here that first-order premotor interneurons express Dscam2A. Since motor neurons express Dscam2B, our results provide evidence that Dscam2 isoform expression alternates between synaptic partners in the nerve cord. Our study demonstrates the importance of cell-specific alternative splicing in establishing the circuitry that underlies neuromotor patterning without inducing unwanted intercellular interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Lorenzo Odierna
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sarah K. Kerwin
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Grace Ji-eun Shin
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, United States
- The Neuroscience Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - S. Sean Millard
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Huang S, Guo X, Xie JJ, Lau KYS, Liu R, Mak ADP, Cheung VCK, Chan RHM. Rectified Latent Variable Model-Based EMG Factorization of Inhibitory Muscle Synergy Components Related to Aging, Expertise and Force-Tempo Variations. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 24:2820. [PMID: 38732926 PMCID: PMC11086352 DOI: 10.3390/s24092820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Muscle synergy has been widely acknowledged as a possible strategy of neuromotor control, but current research has ignored the potential inhibitory components in muscle synergies. Our study aims to identify and characterize the inhibitory components within motor modules derived from electromyography (EMG), investigate the impact of aging and motor expertise on these components, and better understand the nervous system's adaptions to varying task demands. We utilized a rectified latent variable model (RLVM) to factorize motor modules with inhibitory components from EMG signals recorded from ten expert pianists when they played scales and pieces at different tempo-force combinations. We found that older participants showed a higher proportion of inhibitory components compared with the younger group. Senior experts had a higher proportion of inhibitory components on the left hand, and most inhibitory components became less negative with increased tempo or decreased force. Our results demonstrated that the inhibitory components in muscle synergies could be shaped by aging and expertise, and also took part in motor control for adapting to different conditions in complex tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subing Huang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (S.H.); (X.G.); (R.L.)
| | - Xiaoyu Guo
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (S.H.); (X.G.); (R.L.)
| | - Jodie J. Xie
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (J.J.X.); (K.Y.S.L.); (V.C.K.C.)
- Gerald Choa Neuroscience Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kelvin Y. S. Lau
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (J.J.X.); (K.Y.S.L.); (V.C.K.C.)
- Gerald Choa Neuroscience Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Richard Liu
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (S.H.); (X.G.); (R.L.)
| | - Arthur D. P. Mak
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China;
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge CB21 5EF, UK
| | - Vincent C. K. Cheung
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (J.J.X.); (K.Y.S.L.); (V.C.K.C.)
- Gerald Choa Neuroscience Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Rosa H. M. Chan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (S.H.); (X.G.); (R.L.)
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6
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Hu J, Bi R, Luo Y, Wu K, Jin S, Liu Z, Jia Y, Mao CX. The gut microbiome promotes locomotion of Drosophila larvae via octopamine signaling. INSECT SCIENCE 2024. [PMID: 38643372 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
The gut microbiome is a key partner of animals, influencing various aspects of their physiology and behaviors. Among the diverse behaviors regulated by the gut microbiome, locomotion is vital for survival and reproduction, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we reveal that the gut microbiome modulates the locomotor behavior of Drosophila larvae via a specific neuronal type in the brain. The crawling speed of germ-free (GF) larvae was significantly reduced compared to the conventionally reared larvae, while feeding and excretion behaviors were unaffected. Recolonization with Acetobacter and Lactobacillus can fully and partially rescue the locomotor defects in GF larvae, respectively, probably due to the highest abundance of Acetobacter as a symbiotic bacterium in the larval gut, followed by Lactobacillus. Moreover, the gut microbiome promoted larval locomotion, not by nutrition, but rather by enhancing the brain levels of tyrosine decarboxylase 2 (Tdc2), which is an enzyme that synthesizes octopamine (OA). Overexpression of Tdc2 rescued locomotion ability in GF larvae. These findings together demonstrate that the gut microbiome specifically modulates larval locomotor behavior through the OA signaling pathway, revealing a new mechanism underlying larval locomotion regulated by the gut microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juncheng Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ran Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuxuan Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Kaihong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shan Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhihua Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yicong Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chuan-Xi Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
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7
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Gowda SBM, Banu A, Hussain S, Mohammad F. Neuronal mechanisms regulating locomotion in adult Drosophila. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25332. [PMID: 38646942 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The coordinated action of multiple leg joints and muscles is required even for the simplest movements. Understanding the neuronal circuits and mechanisms that generate precise movements is essential for comprehending the neuronal basis of the locomotion and to infer the neuronal mechanisms underlying several locomotor-related diseases. Drosophila melanogaster provides an excellent model system for investigating the neuronal circuits underlying motor behaviors due to its simple nervous system and genetic accessibility. This review discusses current genetic methods for studying locomotor circuits and their function in adult Drosophila. We highlight recently identified neuronal pathways that modulate distinct forward and backward locomotion and describe the underlying neuronal control of leg swing and stance phases in freely moving flies. We also report various automated leg tracking methods to measure leg motion parameters and define inter-leg coordination, gait and locomotor speed of freely moving adult flies. Finally, we emphasize the role of leg proprioceptive signals to central motor circuits in leg coordination. Together, this review highlights the utility of adult Drosophila as a model to uncover underlying motor circuitry and the functional organization of the leg motor system that governs correct movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swetha B M Gowda
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
| | - Ayesha Banu
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
| | - Sadam Hussain
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
| | - Farhan Mohammad
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
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Chakravorty A, Sheeba V, Manjithaya R. Drosophila melanogaster Neuromuscular Junction as a Model to Study Synaptopathies and Neuronal Autophagy. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2761:97-120. [PMID: 38427233 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3662-6_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Neuronal synapse dysfunction is a key characteristic of several neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, spinocerebellar ataxias, and Huntington's disease. Modeling these disorders to study synaptic dysfunction requires a robust and reproducible method for assaying the subtle changes associated with synaptopathies in terms of structure and function of the synapses. Drosophila melanogaster neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) serve as good models to study such alterations. Further, modifications in the microenvironment of synapses can sometimes reflect in the behavior of the animal, which can also be assayed in a high-throughput manner. The methods outlined in this chapter highlight assays to study the behavioral changes associated with synaptic dysfunction in a spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) model. Further, molecular assessment of alterations in NMJ structure and function is also summarized, followed by effects of autophagy pathway upregulation in providing neuroprotection. These methods can be further extended and modified to study the therapeutic effects of drugs or small molecules in providing neuroprotection for any synaptopathy models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anushka Chakravorty
- Autophagy Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Vasu Sheeba
- Chronobiology and Behavioural Neurogenetics Laboratory, Neuroscience Unit, Bangalore, India.
| | - Ravi Manjithaya
- Autophagy Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India.
- Chronobiology and Behavioural Neurogenetics Laboratory, Neuroscience Unit, Bangalore, India.
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9
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Cooney PC, Huang Y, Li W, Perera DM, Hormigo R, Tabachnik T, Godage IS, Hillman EMC, Grueber WB, Zarin AA. Neuromuscular basis of Drosophila larval rolling escape behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2303641120. [PMID: 38096410 PMCID: PMC10743538 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303641120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
When threatened by dangerous or harmful stimuli, animals engage in diverse forms of rapid escape behaviors. In Drosophila larvae, one type of escape response involves C-shaped bending and lateral rolling followed by rapid forward crawling. The sensory circuitry that promotes larval escape has been extensively characterized; however, the motor programs underlying rolling are unknown. Here, we characterize the neuromuscular basis of rolling escape behavior. We used high-speed, volumetric, Swept Confocally Aligned Planar Excitation (SCAPE) microscopy to image muscle activity during larval rolling. Unlike sequential peristaltic muscle contractions that progress from segment to segment during forward and backward crawling, muscle activity progresses circumferentially during bending and rolling escape behavior. We propose that progression of muscular contraction around the larva's circumference results in a transient misalignment between weight and the ground support forces, which generates a torque that induces stabilizing body rotation. Therefore, successive cycles of slight misalignment followed by reactive aligning rotation lead to continuous rolling motion. Supporting our biomechanical model, we found that disrupting the activity of muscle groups undergoing circumferential contraction progression leads to rolling defects. We use EM connectome data to identify premotor to motor connectivity patterns that could drive rolling behavior and perform neural silencing approaches to demonstrate the crucial role of a group of glutamatergic premotor neurons in rolling. Our data reveal body-wide muscle activity patterns and putative premotor circuit organization for execution of the rolling escape response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia C. Cooney
- Grueber Laboratory, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
| | - Yuhan Huang
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77843
- Zarin Laboratory, Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77843
| | - Wenze Li
- Laboratory for Functional Optical Imaging, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
| | - Dulanjana M. Perera
- Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77843
| | - Richard Hormigo
- Grueber Laboratory, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
| | - Tanya Tabachnik
- Grueber Laboratory, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
| | - Isuru S. Godage
- Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77843
- Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77843
- J. Mike Walker ‘66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77843
| | - Elizabeth M. C. Hillman
- Laboratory for Functional Optical Imaging, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
- Laboratory for Functional Optical Imaging, Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY10032
| | - Wesley B. Grueber
- Grueber Laboratory, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Jerome L. Greene Science Center, New York, NY10027
| | - Aref A. Zarin
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77843
- Zarin Laboratory, Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX77843
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10
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Kohsaka H. Linking neural circuits to the mechanics of animal behavior in Drosophila larval locomotion. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1175899. [PMID: 37711343 PMCID: PMC10499525 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1175899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The motions that make up animal behavior arise from the interplay between neural circuits and the mechanical parts of the body. Therefore, in order to comprehend the operational mechanisms governing behavior, it is essential to examine not only the underlying neural network but also the mechanical characteristics of the animal's body. The locomotor system of fly larvae serves as an ideal model for pursuing this integrative approach. By virtue of diverse investigation methods encompassing connectomics analysis and quantification of locomotion kinematics, research on larval locomotion has shed light on the underlying mechanisms of animal behavior. These studies have elucidated the roles of interneurons in coordinating muscle activities within and between segments, as well as the neural circuits responsible for exploration. This review aims to provide an overview of recent research on the neuromechanics of animal locomotion in fly larvae. We also briefly review interspecific diversity in fly larval locomotion and explore the latest advancements in soft robots inspired by larval locomotion. The integrative analysis of animal behavior using fly larvae could establish a practical framework for scrutinizing the behavior of other animal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Kohsaka
- Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
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11
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Liu Y, Hasegawa E, Nose A, Zwart MF, Kohsaka H. Synchronous multi-segmental activity between metachronal waves controls locomotion speed in Drosophila larvae. eLife 2023; 12:e83328. [PMID: 37551094 PMCID: PMC10409504 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to adjust the speed of locomotion is essential for survival. In limbed animals, the frequency of locomotion is modulated primarily by changing the duration of the stance phase. The underlying neural mechanisms of this selective modulation remain an open question. Here, we report a neural circuit controlling a similarly selective adjustment of locomotion frequency in Drosophila larvae. Drosophila larvae crawl using peristaltic waves of muscle contractions. We find that larvae adjust the frequency of locomotion mostly by varying the time between consecutive contraction waves, reminiscent of limbed locomotion. A specific set of muscles, the lateral transverse (LT) muscles, co-contract in all segments during this phase, the duration of which sets the duration of the interwave phase. We identify two types of GABAergic interneurons in the LT neural network, premotor neuron A26f and its presynaptic partner A31c, which exhibit segmentally synchronized activity and control locomotor frequency by setting the amplitude and duration of LT muscle contractions. Altogether, our results reveal an inhibitory central circuit that sets the frequency of locomotion by controlling the duration of the period in between peristaltic waves. Further analysis of the descending inputs onto this circuit will help understand the higher control of this selective modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingtao Liu
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of TokyoTokyoJapan
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of TokyoKashiwaJapan
| | - Eri Hasegawa
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of TokyoKashiwaJapan
| | - Akinao Nose
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of TokyoTokyoJapan
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of TokyoKashiwaJapan
| | - Maarten F Zwart
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, Centre of Biophotonics, University of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUnited Kingdom
| | - Hiroshi Kohsaka
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of TokyoKashiwaJapan
- Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-CommunicationsTokyoJapan
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12
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Patel AA, Cardona A, Cox DN. Neural substrates of cold nociception in Drosophila larva. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.31.551339. [PMID: 37577520 PMCID: PMC10418107 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.31.551339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Metazoans detect and differentiate between innocuous (non-painful) and/or noxious (harmful) environmental cues using primary sensory neurons, which serve as the first node in a neural network that computes stimulus specific behaviors to either navigate away from injury-causing conditions or to perform protective behaviors that mitigate extensive injury. The ability of an animal to detect and respond to various sensory stimuli depends upon molecular diversity in the primary sensors and the underlying neural circuitry responsible for the relevant behavioral action selection. Recent studies in Drosophila larvae have revealed that somatosensory class III multidendritic (CIII md) neurons function as multimodal sensors regulating distinct behavioral responses to innocuous mechanical and nociceptive thermal stimuli. Recent advances in circuit bases of behavior have identified and functionally validated Drosophila larval somatosensory circuitry involved in innocuous (mechanical) and noxious (heat and mechanical) cues. However, central processing of cold nociceptive cues remained unexplored. We implicate multisensory integrators (Basins), premotor (Down-and-Back) and projection (A09e and TePns) neurons as neural substrates required for cold-evoked behavioral and calcium responses. Neural silencing of cell types downstream of CIII md neurons led to significant reductions in cold-evoked behaviors and neural co-activation of CIII md neurons plus additional cell types facilitated larval contraction (CT) responses. We further demonstrate that optogenetic activation of CIII md neurons evokes calcium increases in these neurons. Collectively, we demonstrate how Drosophila larvae process cold stimuli through functionally diverse somatosensory circuitry responsible for generating stimulus specific behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atit A. Patel
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Albert Cardona
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, USA
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniel N. Cox
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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13
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Bloomquist JR, Coquerel QRR, Hulbert D, Norris ER. Neurophysiological action of centrally-acting spider toxin polypeptides derived from Hadronyche versuta and Tegenaria agrestis venoms. PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 192:105416. [PMID: 37105624 DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2023.105416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Established dogma concerning the action of insecticidal arthropod-derived peptides (e.g., scorpion toxins), was that they acted on the peripheral nervous system and were excluded from the central nervous system (CNS) by barrier systems. Initial evidence for a CNS-directed toxicological effect following parenteral administration was for a novel peptide from the Hobo spider, Tegeneria agrestis. This toxin was inactive on peripheral sensory and motor nerves, but had a potent excitatory effect on the CNS of larval Musca domestica. Recently, a commercialized formulation of GS-omega/kappa-Hxtx-Hv1a (HXTX), derived from the venom of the Australian blue mountain funnel web spider (Hadronyche versuta) was introduced for use in agriculture by Vestaron Corp. Its primary mode of action was found to be central neuroexcitation via positive allosteric modulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAchR) of cockroach neurons. In the present study, this peptide showed hyperexcitation followed by a decrease in firing of the Drosophila melanogaster larval CNS that was prevented by co-exposure to 100 nM α-bungarotoxin (α-BGTX), a classical nAchR noncompetitive antagonist. This effect was mirrored in isobologram analysis, which showed clear antagonism between the two toxins when injected into adult houseflies. Interestingly, U1-agatoxin-Ta1b-QA derived from Tegeneria agrestis (VST-7304) had a similar biphasic action, but showed increased nerve discharge when co-exposed with 100 nM α-BGTX, and had additive effects when injected together with α-BGTX in isobologram analyses. Binary mixtures of HXTX or VST-7304 with 30 nM nicotine showed clear evidence of synergized nerve block, which was also observed for mixtures of HXTX and VST-7304. Taken together, these data suggest that HXTX and VST-7304 have somewhat different and complementary modes of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Bloomquist
- Entomology & Nematology Department, Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100009, 2055 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
| | - Q R R Coquerel
- Entomology & Nematology Department, Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100009, 2055 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
| | - D Hulbert
- Vestaron Corp., 4717 Campus Dr., Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA.
| | - E R Norris
- Entomology & Nematology Department, Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100009, 2055 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; USDA/ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
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14
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Thane M, Paisios E, Stöter T, Krüger AR, Gläß S, Dahse AK, Scholz N, Gerber B, Lehmann DJ, Schleyer M. High-resolution analysis of individual Drosophila melanogaster larvae uncovers individual variability in locomotion and its neurogenetic modulation. Open Biol 2023; 13:220308. [PMID: 37072034 PMCID: PMC10113034 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.220308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronally orchestrated muscular movement and locomotion are defining faculties of multicellular animals. Due to its simple brain and genetic accessibility, the larva of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster allows one to study these processes at tractable levels of complexity. However, although the faculty of locomotion clearly pertains to the individual, most studies of locomotion in larvae use measurements aggregated across animals, or animals tested one by one, an extravagance for larger-scale analyses. This prevents grasping the inter- and intra-individual variability in locomotion and its neurogenetic determinants. Here, we present the IMBA (individual maggot behaviour analyser) for analysing the behaviour of individual larvae within groups, reliably resolving individual identity across collisions. We use the IMBA to systematically describe the inter- and intra-individual variability in locomotion of wild-type animals, and how the variability is reduced by associative learning. We then report a novel locomotion phenotype of an adhesion GPCR mutant. We further investigated the modulation of locomotion across repeated activations of dopamine neurons in individual animals, and the transient backward locomotion induced by brief optogenetic activation of the brain-descending 'mooncrawler' neurons. In summary, the IMBA is an easy-to-use toolbox allowing an unprecedentedly rich view of the behaviour and its variability of individual larvae, with utility in multiple biomedical research contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Thane
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Simulation and Graphics, Otto von Guerike University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Emmanouil Paisios
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Torsten Stöter
- Combinatorial NeuroImaging Core Facility, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anna-Rosa Krüger
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sebastian Gläß
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anne-Kristin Dahse
- Division of General Biochemistry, Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicole Scholz
- Division of General Biochemistry, Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bertram Gerber
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dirk J. Lehmann
- Department of Simulation and Graphics, Otto von Guerike University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department for Information Engineering, Faculty of Computer Science, Ostfalia University of Applied Science, Brunswick-Wolfenbuettel, Germany
| | - Michael Schleyer
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
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15
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Winding M, Pedigo BD, Barnes CL, Patsolic HG, Park Y, Kazimiers T, Fushiki A, Andrade IV, Khandelwal A, Valdes-Aleman J, Li F, Randel N, Barsotti E, Correia A, Fetter RD, Hartenstein V, Priebe CE, Vogelstein JT, Cardona A, Zlatic M. The connectome of an insect brain. Science 2023; 379:eadd9330. [PMID: 36893230 PMCID: PMC7614541 DOI: 10.1126/science.add9330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 89.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Brains contain networks of interconnected neurons and so knowing the network architecture is essential for understanding brain function. We therefore mapped the synaptic-resolution connectome of an entire insect brain (Drosophila larva) with rich behavior, including learning, value computation, and action selection, comprising 3016 neurons and 548,000 synapses. We characterized neuron types, hubs, feedforward and feedback pathways, as well as cross-hemisphere and brain-nerve cord interactions. We found pervasive multisensory and interhemispheric integration, highly recurrent architecture, abundant feedback from descending neurons, and multiple novel circuit motifs. The brain's most recurrent circuits comprised the input and output neurons of the learning center. Some structural features, including multilayer shortcuts and nested recurrent loops, resembled state-of-the-art deep learning architectures. The identified brain architecture provides a basis for future experimental and theoretical studies of neural circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Winding
- University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology, Cambridge, UK
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, UK
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Benjamin D. Pedigo
- Johns Hopkins University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christopher L. Barnes
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, UK
- University of Cambridge, Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, Cambridge, UK
| | - Heather G. Patsolic
- Johns Hopkins University, Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Accenture, Arlington, VA, USA
| | - Youngser Park
- Johns Hopkins University, Center for Imaging Science, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tom Kazimiers
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
- kazmos GmbH, Dresden, Germany
| | - Akira Fushiki
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ingrid V. Andrade
- University of California Los Angeles, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Avinash Khandelwal
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Javier Valdes-Aleman
- University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology, Cambridge, UK
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Feng Li
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Nadine Randel
- University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology, Cambridge, UK
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, UK
| | - Elizabeth Barsotti
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, UK
- University of Cambridge, Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ana Correia
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, UK
- University of Cambridge, Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, Cambridge, UK
| | - Richard D. Fetter
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
- Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Volker Hartenstein
- University of California Los Angeles, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carey E. Priebe
- Johns Hopkins University, Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Johns Hopkins University, Center for Imaging Science, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joshua T. Vogelstein
- Johns Hopkins University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Johns Hopkins University, Center for Imaging Science, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Albert Cardona
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, UK
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
- University of Cambridge, Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marta Zlatic
- University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology, Cambridge, UK
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neurobiology Division, Cambridge, UK
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
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16
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Yoshida S, Takaki K, Yamawaki Y. Roles of muscle activities in foreleg movements during predatory strike of the mantis. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 145:104474. [PMID: 36596320 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2022.104474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Foreleg trajectory in the mantis strike varies depending on prey distance. To examine how muscle activities affect foreleg trajectory, we recorded strike behaviours of the Chinese mantis with a high-speed camera and electromyograms of the foreleg trochanteral extensor and flexor. At the approach phase of the mantis strike, the prothorax-coxa (P-C) joint elevated and the femur-tibia (F-T) joint extended. At the sweep phase, the coxa-trochanter (C-T) joint rapidly extended, then, the F-T joint rapidly flexed to capture the prey. At capture initiation, the C-T joint extended more with greater prey distance. After cutting the tendon of the trochanteral flexor, the C-T joint extended similarly to that of the intact foreleg but did not flex after it reached its peak angle. After cutting the tendon of the trochanteral extensor, the C-T joint did not extend as much as that of the intact foreleg. During rapid extension of the C-T joint, a burst of spikes from the coxal trochanteral extensor was observed in electromyograms. Among several parameters, burst duration was the best predictor of C-T joint angular change during strike. Unexpectedly, trochanteral flexor activity was also observed during rapid extension of the C-T joint. These results indicated that the coxal trochanteral extensor mainly contributed to the rapid C-T extension during strike, but other muscles also contributed at the beginning of extension. The trochanteral flexor appeared to contribute to C-T flexion by countering the rapid extension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeki Yoshida
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Keigo Takaki
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Yoshifumi Yamawaki
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
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17
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Fukumasu K, Nose A, Kohsaka H. Extraction of bouton-like structures from neuropil calcium imaging data. Neural Netw 2022; 156:218-238. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2022.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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18
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Ghosh AC, Hu Y, Tattikota SG, Liu Y, Comjean A, Perrimon N. Modeling exercise using optogenetically contractible Drosophila larvae. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:623. [PMID: 36042416 PMCID: PMC9425970 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08845-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathophysiological effects of a number of metabolic and age-related disorders can be prevented to some extent by exercise and increased physical activity. However, the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the beneficial effects of muscle activity remain poorly explored. Availability of a fast, inexpensive, and genetically tractable model system for muscle activity and exercise will allow the rapid identification and characterization of molecular mechanisms that mediate the beneficial effects of exercise. Here, we report the development and characterization of an optogenetically-inducible muscle contraction (OMC) model in Drosophila larvae that we used to study acute exercise-like physiological responses. To characterize muscle-specific transcriptional responses to acute exercise, we performed bulk mRNA-sequencing, revealing striking similarities between acute exercise-induced genes in flies and those previously identified in humans. Our larval muscle contraction model opens a path for rapid identification and characterization of exercise-induced factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpan C Ghosh
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Yifang Liu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aram Comjean
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
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19
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Sun X, Liu Y, Liu C, Mayumi K, Ito K, Nose A, Kohsaka H. A neuromechanical model for Drosophila larval crawling based on physical measurements. BMC Biol 2022; 20:130. [PMID: 35701821 PMCID: PMC9199175 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01336-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal locomotion requires dynamic interactions between neural circuits, the body (typically muscles), and surrounding environments. While the neural circuitry of movement has been intensively studied, how these outputs are integrated with body mechanics (neuromechanics) is less clear, in part due to the lack of understanding of the biomechanical properties of animal bodies. Here, we propose an integrated neuromechanical model of movement based on physical measurements by taking Drosophila larvae as a model of soft-bodied animals. RESULTS We first characterized the kinematics of forward crawling in Drosophila larvae at a segmental and whole-body level. We then characterized the biomechanical parameters of fly larvae, namely the contraction forces generated by neural activity, and passive elastic and viscosity of the larval body using a stress-relaxation test. We established a mathematical neuromechanical model based on the physical measurements described above, obtaining seven kinematic values characterizing crawling locomotion. By optimizing the parameters in the neural circuit, our neuromechanical model succeeded in quantitatively reproducing the kinematics of larval locomotion that were obtained experimentally. This model could reproduce the observation of optogenetic studies reported previously. The model predicted that peristaltic locomotion could be exhibited in a low-friction condition. Analysis of floating larvae provided results consistent with this prediction. Furthermore, the model predicted a significant contribution of intersegmental connections in the central nervous system, which contrasts with a previous study. This hypothesis allowed us to make a testable prediction for the variability in intersegmental connection in sister species of the genus Drosophila. CONCLUSIONS We generated a neurochemical model based on physical measurement to provide a new foundation to study locomotion in soft-bodied animals and soft robot engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyang Sun
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, the University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
| | - Yingtao Liu
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 133-0033, Japan
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
| | - Koichi Mayumi
- Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
| | - Kohzo Ito
- Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
| | - Akinao Nose
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, the University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan.,Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 133-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kohsaka
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, the University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan. .,Division of General Education, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1, Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo, 182-8585, Japan.
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20
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Jonaitis J, MacLeod J, Pulver SR. Localization of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-dependent rhythm-generating modules in the Drosophila larval locomotor network. J Neurophysiol 2022; 127:1098-1116. [PMID: 35294308 PMCID: PMC9018013 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00106.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms of rhythm generation have been extensively studied in motor systems that control locomotion over terrain in limbed animals; however, much less is known about rhythm generation in soft-bodied terrestrial animals. Here we explored how muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR)-modulated rhythm-generating networks are distributed in the central nervous system (CNS) of soft-bodied Drosophila larvae. We measured fictive motor patterns in isolated CNS preparations, using a combination of Ca2+ imaging and electrophysiology while manipulating mAChR signaling pharmacologically. Bath application of the mAChR agonist oxotremorine potentiated bilaterally asymmetric activity in anterior thoracic regions and promoted bursting in posterior abdominal regions. Application of the mAChR antagonist scopolamine suppressed rhythm generation in these regions and blocked the effects of oxotremorine. Oxotremorine triggered fictive forward crawling in preparations without brain lobes. Oxotremorine also potentiated rhythmic activity in isolated posterior abdominal CNS segments as well as isolated anterior brain and thoracic regions, but it did not induce rhythmic activity in isolated anterior abdominal segments. Bath application of scopolamine to reduced preparations lowered baseline Ca2+ levels and abolished rhythmic activity. Overall, these results suggest that mAChR signaling plays a role in enabling rhythm generation at multiple sites in the larval CNS. This work furthers our understanding of motor control in soft-bodied locomotion and provides a foundation for study of rhythm-generating networks in an emerging genetically tractable locomotor system.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Using a combination of pharmacology, electrophysiology, and Ca2+ imaging, we find that signaling through mACh receptors plays a critical role in rhythmogenesis in different regions of the Drosophila larval CNS. mAChR-dependent rhythm generators reside in distal regions of the larval CNS and provide functional substrates for central pattern-generating networks (CPGs) underlying headsweep behavior and forward locomotion. This provides new insights into locomotor CPG operation in soft-bodied animals that navigate over terrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julius Jonaitis
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - James MacLeod
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Stefan R Pulver
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
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21
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Guo L, Zhang N, Simpson JH. Descending neurons coordinate anterior grooming behavior in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2022; 32:823-833.e4. [PMID: 35120659 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.12.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The brain coordinates the movements that constitute behavior, but how descending neurons convey the myriad of commands required to activate the motor neurons of the limbs in the right order and combinations to produce those movements is not well understood. For anterior grooming behavior in the fly, we show that its component head sweeps and leg rubs can be initiated separately, or as a set, by different descending neurons. Head sweeps and leg rubs are mutually exclusive movements of the front legs that normally alternate, and we show that circuits in the ventral nerve cord as well as in the brain can resolve competing commands. Finally, the left and right legs must work together to remove debris. The coordination for leg rubs can be achieved by unilateral activation of a single descending neuron, while a similar manipulation of a different descending neuron decouples the legs to produce single-sided head sweeps. Taken together, these results demonstrate that distinct descending neurons orchestrate the complex alternation between the movements that make up anterior grooming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Guo
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Neil Zhang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Julie H Simpson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
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22
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Heckman EL, Doe CQ. Presynaptic contact and activity opposingly regulate postsynaptic dendrite outgrowth. eLife 2022; 11:82093. [PMID: 36448675 PMCID: PMC9728994 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The organization of neural circuits determines nervous system function. Variability can arise during neural circuit development (e.g. neurite morphology, axon/dendrite position). To ensure robust nervous system function, mechanisms must exist to accommodate variation in neurite positioning during circuit formation. Previously, we developed a model system in the Drosophila ventral nerve cord to conditionally induce positional variability of a proprioceptive sensory axon terminal, and used this model to show that when we altered the presynaptic position of the sensory neuron, its major postsynaptic interneuron partner modified its dendritic arbor to match the presynaptic contact, resulting in functional synaptic input (Sales et al., 2019). Here, we investigate the cellular mechanisms by which the interneuron dendrites detect and match variation in presynaptic partner location and input strength. We manipulate the presynaptic sensory neuron by (a) ablation; (b) silencing or activation; or (c) altering its location in the neuropil. From these experiments we conclude that there are two opposing mechanisms used to establish functional connectivity in the face of presynaptic variability: presynaptic contact stimulates dendrite outgrowth locally, whereas presynaptic activity inhibits postsynaptic dendrite outgrowth globally. These mechanisms are only active during an early larval critical period for structural plasticity. Collectively, our data provide new insights into dendrite development, identifying mechanisms that allow dendrites to flexibly respond to developmental variability in presynaptic location and input strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L Heckman
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Chris Q Doe
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
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23
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Williamson M, Mitchell A, Condron B. Birth temperature followed by a visual critical period determines cooperative group membership. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2021; 207:739-746. [PMID: 34611741 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01512-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cooperative behavior often arises when a common exploitable resource is generated. Cooperation can provide equitable distribution and protection from raiding of a common resource such as processed food. Under crowded conditions in liquid food, Drosophila larvae adopt synchronized feeding behavior which provides a fitness benefit. A key for this synchronized feeding behavior is the visually guided alignment of a 1-2 s locomotion stride between adjacent larvae in a feeding cluster. The locomotion stride is thought to be set by embryonic incubation temperature. This raises a question as to whether sib larvae will only cluster efficiently if they hatch at the same temperature. To test this, larvae were first collected and incubated in outdoor conditions. Morning hatched lower temperature larvae move slower than their afternoon higher temperature sibs. Both temperature types synchronize but tend to exclude the other type of larvae from their clusters. In addition, fitness, as measured by adult wing size, is highest when larvae cluster with their own temperature type. Thus, the temperature at which an egg is laid sets a type of behavioral stamp or password which locks in membership for later cooperative feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Williamson
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22901, USA
| | - Alexandra Mitchell
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22901, USA
| | - Barry Condron
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22901, USA.
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24
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Matsuo Y, Nose A, Kohsaka H. Interspecies variation of larval locomotion kinematics in the genus Drosophila and its relation to habitat temperature. BMC Biol 2021; 19:176. [PMID: 34470643 PMCID: PMC8411537 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01110-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Speed and trajectory of locomotion are the characteristic traits of individual species. Locomotion kinematics may have been shaped during evolution towards increased survival in the habitats of each species. Although kinematics of locomotion is thought to be influenced by habitats, the quantitative relation between the kinematics and environmental factors has not been fully revealed. Here, we performed comparative analyses of larval locomotion in 11 Drosophila species. RESULTS We found that larval locomotion kinematics are divergent among the species. The diversity is not correlated to the body length but is correlated instead to the habitat temperature of the species. Phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian inference suggest that the evolutionary rate of the kinematics is diverse among phylogenetic tree branches. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study imply that the kinematics of larval locomotion has diverged in the evolutionary history of the genus Drosophila and evolved under the effects of the ambient temperature of habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji Matsuo
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
| | - Akinao Nose
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 133-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kohsaka
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan.
- School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1, Chofugaoka, Chofu-shi, Tokyo, 182-8585, Japan.
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25
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Hunter I, Coulson B, Zarin AA, Baines RA. The Drosophila Larval Locomotor Circuit Provides a Model to Understand Neural Circuit Development and Function. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:684969. [PMID: 34276315 PMCID: PMC8282269 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.684969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is difficult to answer important questions in neuroscience, such as: "how do neural circuits generate behaviour?," because research is limited by the complexity and inaccessibility of the mammalian nervous system. Invertebrate model organisms offer simpler networks that are easier to manipulate. As a result, much of what we know about the development of neural circuits is derived from work in crustaceans, nematode worms and arguably most of all, the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This review aims to demonstrate the utility of the Drosophila larval locomotor network as a model circuit, to those who do not usually use the fly in their work. This utility is explored first by discussion of the relatively complete connectome associated with one identified interneuron of the locomotor circuit, A27h, and relating it to similar circuits in mammals. Next, it is developed by examining its application to study two important areas of neuroscience research: critical periods of development and interindividual variability in neural circuits. In summary, this article highlights the potential to use the larval locomotor network as a "generic" model circuit, to provide insight into mammalian circuit development and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain Hunter
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Bramwell Coulson
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Aref Arzan Zarin
- Department of Biology, The Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Richard A Baines
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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26
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Hiramoto A, Jonaitis J, Niki S, Kohsaka H, Fetter RD, Cardona A, Pulver SR, Nose A. Regulation of coordinated muscular relaxation in Drosophila larvae by a pattern-regulating intersegmental circuit. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2943. [PMID: 34011945 PMCID: PMC8134441 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23273-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Typical patterned movements in animals are achieved through combinations of contraction and delayed relaxation of groups of muscles. However, how intersegmentally coordinated patterns of muscular relaxation are regulated by the neural circuits remains poorly understood. Here, we identify Canon, a class of higher-order premotor interneurons, that regulates muscular relaxation during backward locomotion of Drosophila larvae. Canon neurons are cholinergic interneurons present in each abdominal neuromere and show wave-like activity during fictive backward locomotion. Optogenetic activation of Canon neurons induces relaxation of body wall muscles, whereas inhibition of these neurons disrupts timely muscle relaxation. Canon neurons provide excitatory outputs to inhibitory premotor interneurons. Canon neurons also connect with each other to form an intersegmental circuit and regulate their own wave-like activities. Thus, our results demonstrate how coordinated muscle relaxation can be realized by an intersegmental circuit that regulates its own patterned activity and sequentially terminates motor activities along the anterior-posterior axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsuki Hiramoto
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Julius Jonaitis
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Sawako Niki
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kohsaka
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
| | | | - Albert Cardona
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, USA
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Stefan R Pulver
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Akinao Nose
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan.
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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27
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Inhibition Underlies Fast Undulatory Locomotion in Caenorhabditis elegans. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0241-20.2020. [PMID: 33361147 PMCID: PMC7986531 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0241-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibition plays important roles in modulating the neural activities of sensory and motor systems at different levels from synapses to brain regions. To achieve coordinated movement, motor systems produce alternating contractions of antagonist muscles, whether along the body axis or within and among limbs, which often involves direct or indirect cross-inhibitory pathways. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a small network involving excitatory cholinergic and inhibitory GABAergic motoneurons generates the dorsoventral alternation of body-wall muscles that supports undulatory locomotion. Inhibition has been suggested to be necessary for backward undulation because mutants that are defective in GABA transmission exhibit a shrinking phenotype in response to a harsh touch to the head, whereas wild-type animals produce a backward escape response. Here, we demonstrate that the shrinking phenotype is exhibited by wild-type as well as mutant animals in response to harsh touch to the head or tail, but only GABA transmission mutants show slow locomotion after stimulation. Impairment of GABA transmission, either genetically or optogenetically, induces lower undulation frequency and lower translocation speed during crawling and swimming in both directions. The activity patterns of GABAergic motoneurons are different during low-frequency and high-frequency undulation. During low-frequency undulation, GABAergic VD and DD motoneurons show correlated activity patterns, while during high-frequency undulation, their activity alternates. The experimental results suggest at least three non-mutually exclusive roles for inhibition that could underlie fast undulatory locomotion in C. elegans, which we tested with computational models: cross-inhibition or disinhibition of body-wall muscles, or neuronal reset.
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28
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Belalcazar HM, Hendricks EL, Zamurrad S, Liebl FLW, Secombe J. The histone demethylase KDM5 is required for synaptic structure and function at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108753. [PMID: 33596422 PMCID: PMC7945993 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the genes encoding the lysine demethylase 5 (KDM5) family of histone demethylases are observed in individuals with intellectual disability (ID). Despite clear evidence linking KDM5 function to neurodevelopmental pathways, how this family of proteins impacts transcriptional programs to mediate synaptic structure and activity remains unclear. Using the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ), we show that KDM5 is required presynaptically for neuroanatomical development and synaptic function. The Jumonji C (JmjC) domain-encoded histone demethylase activity of KDM5, which is expected to be diminished by many ID-associated alleles, is required for appropriate synaptic morphology and neurotransmission. The activity of the C5HC2 zinc finger is also required, as an ID-associated mutation in this motif reduces NMJ bouton number, increases bouton size, and alters microtubule dynamics. KDM5 therefore uses demethylase-dependent and independent mechanisms to regulate NMJ structure and activity, highlighting the complex nature by which this chromatin modifier carries out its neuronal gene-regulatory programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen M Belalcazar
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Emily L Hendricks
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 44 Circle Drive, Edwardsville, IL 62026, USA
| | - Sumaira Zamurrad
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Faith L W Liebl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 44 Circle Drive, Edwardsville, IL 62026, USA
| | - Julie Secombe
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1410 Pelham Parkway South, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
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29
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Gowda SBM, Salim S, Mohammad F. Anatomy and Neural Pathways Modulating Distinct Locomotor Behaviors in Drosophila Larva. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:90. [PMID: 33504061 PMCID: PMC7910854 DOI: 10.3390/biology10020090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The control of movements is a fundamental feature shared by all animals. At the most basic level, simple movements are generated by coordinated neural activity and muscle contraction patterns that are controlled by the central nervous system. How behavioral responses to various sensory inputs are processed and integrated by the downstream neural network to produce flexible and adaptive behaviors remains an intense area of investigation in many laboratories. Due to recent advances in experimental techniques, many fundamental neural pathways underlying animal movements have now been elucidated. For example, while the role of motor neurons in locomotion has been studied in great detail, the roles of interneurons in animal movements in both basic and noxious environments have only recently been realized. However, the genetic and transmitter identities of many of these interneurons remains unclear. In this review, we provide an overview of the underlying circuitry and neural pathways required by Drosophila larvae to produce successful movements. By improving our understanding of locomotor circuitry in model systems such as Drosophila, we will have a better understanding of how neural circuits in organisms with different bodies and brains lead to distinct locomotion types at the organism level. The understanding of genetic and physiological components of these movements types also provides directions to understand movements in higher organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Farhan Mohammad
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health & Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha 34110, Qatar; (S.B.M.G.); (S.S.)
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30
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Kohsaka H, Nose A. Optogenetics in Drosophila. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1293:309-320. [PMID: 33398822 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-8763-4_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, an insect 4 mm long, has served as the experimental subject in a wide range of biological research, including neuroscience. In this chapter, we briefly introduce optogenetic applications in Drosophila neuroscience research. First, we describe the development of Drosophila from egg to adult. In fly neuroscience, temperature-controlled perturbation of neural activity, sometimes called "thermogenetics," has been an invaluable tool that predates the advent of optogenetics. After briefly introducing this perturbation technique, we describe the process of generating transgenic flies that express optogenetic probes in a specific group of cells. Transgenic techniques are crucial in the application of optogenetics in Drosophila neuroscience; here we introduce the transposon P-elements, ϕC31 integrase, and CRISPR-Cas9 methods. As for cell-specific gene expression techniques, the binary expression systems utilizing Gal4-UAS, LexA-lexAop, and Q-system are described. We also present a short and basic optogenetic experiment with Drosophila larvae as a practical example. Finally, we review a few recent studies in Drosophila neuroscience that made use of optogenetics. In this overview of fly development, transgenic methods, and applications of optogenetics, we present an introductory background to optogenetics in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Kohsaka
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha, Chiba, Japan.
| | - Akinao Nose
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha, Chiba, Japan.,Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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31
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Wrapping glia regulates neuronal signaling speed and precision in the peripheral nervous system of Drosophila. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4491. [PMID: 32901033 PMCID: PMC7479103 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18291-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The functionality of the nervous system requires transmission of information along axons with high speed and precision. Conductance velocity depends on axonal diameter whereas signaling precision requires a block of electrical crosstalk between axons, known as ephaptic coupling. Here, we use the peripheral nervous system of Drosophila larvae to determine how glia regulates axonal properties. We show that wrapping glial differentiation depends on gap junctions and FGF-signaling. Abnormal glial differentiation affects axonal diameter and conductance velocity and causes mild behavioral phenotypes that can be rescued by a sphingosine-rich diet. Ablation of wrapping glia does not further impair axonal diameter and conductance velocity but causes a prominent locomotion phenotype that cannot be rescued by sphingosine. Moreover, optogenetically evoked locomotor patterns do not depend on conductance speed but require the presence of wrapping glial processes. In conclusion, our data indicate that wrapping glia modulates both speed and precision of neuronal signaling.
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32
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Poovathumkadavil P, Jagla K. Genetic Control of Muscle Diversification and Homeostasis: Insights from Drosophila. Cells 2020; 9:cells9061543. [PMID: 32630420 PMCID: PMC7349286 DOI: 10.3390/cells9061543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, the larval somatic muscles or the adult thoracic flight and leg muscles are the major voluntary locomotory organs. They share several developmental and structural similarities with vertebrate skeletal muscles. To ensure appropriate activity levels for their functions such as hatching in the embryo, crawling in the larva, and jumping and flying in adult flies all muscle components need to be maintained in a functionally stable or homeostatic state despite constant strain. This requires that the muscles develop in a coordinated manner with appropriate connections to other cell types they communicate with. Various signaling pathways as well as extrinsic and intrinsic factors are known to play a role during Drosophila muscle development, diversification, and homeostasis. In this review, we discuss genetic control mechanisms of muscle contraction, development, and homeostasis with particular emphasis on the contractile unit of the muscle, the sarcomere.
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33
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Kohsaka H, Nose A. Interneurons for Specific Animal Behavior. CYTOLOGIA 2020. [DOI: 10.1508/cytologia.85.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Kohsaka
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo
| | - Akinao Nose
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo
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34
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Mantziaris C, Bockemühl T, Büschges A. Central pattern generating networks in insect locomotion. Dev Neurobiol 2020; 80:16-30. [PMID: 32128970 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Central pattern generators (CPGs) are neural circuits that based on their connectivity can generate rhythmic and patterned output in the absence of rhythmic external inputs. This property makes CPGs crucial elements in the generation of many kinds of rhythmic motor behaviors in insects, such as flying, walking, swimming, or crawling. Arguably representing the most diverse group of animals, insects utilize at least one of these types of locomotion during one stage of their ontogenesis. Insects have been extensively used to study the neural basis of rhythmic motor behaviors, and particularly the structure and operation of CPGs involved in locomotion. Here, we review insect locomotion with regard to flying, walking, and crawling, and we discuss the contribution of central pattern generation to these three forms of locomotion. In each case, we compare and contrast the topology and structure of the CPGs, and we point out how these factors are involved in the generation of the respective motor pattern. We focus on the importance of sensory information for establishing a functional motor output and we indicate behavior-specific adaptations. Furthermore, we report on the mechanisms underlying coordination between different body parts. Last but not least, by reviewing the state-of-the-art knowledge concerning the role of CPGs in insect locomotion, we endeavor to create a common ground, upon which future research in the field of motor control in insects can build.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charalampos Mantziaris
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Till Bockemühl
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ansgar Büschges
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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35
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Hernandez E, MacNamee SE, Kaplan LR, Lance K, Garcia-Verdugo HD, Farhadi DS, Deer C, Lee SW, Oland LA. The astrocyte network in the ventral nerve cord neuropil of the Drosophila third-instar larva. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:1683-1703. [PMID: 31909826 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Understanding neuronal function at the local and circuit level requires understanding astrocyte function. We have provided a detailed analysis of astrocyte morphology and territory in the Drosophila third-instar ventral nerve cord where there already exists considerable understanding of the neuronal network. Astrocyte shape varies more than previously reported; many have bilaterally symmetrical partners, many have a high percentage of their arborization in adjacent segments, and many have branches that follow structural features. Taken together, our data are consistent with, but not fully explained by, a model of a developmental growth process dominated by competitive or repulsive interactions between astrocytes. Our data suggest that the model should also include cell-autonomous aspects, as well as the use of structural features for growth. Variation in location of arborization territory for identified astrocytes was great enough that a standardized scheme of neuropil division among the six astrocytes that populate each hemi-segment is not possible at the third instar. The arborizations of the astrocytes can extend across neuronal functional domains. The ventral astrocyte in particular, whose territory can extend well into the proprioceptive region of the neuropil, has no obvious branching pattern that correlates with domains of particular sensory modalities, suggesting that the astrocyte would respond to neuronal activity in any of the sensory modalities, perhaps integrating across them. This study sets the stage for future studies that will generate a robust, functionally oriented connectome that includes both partners in neuronal circuits-the neurons and the glial cells, providing the foundation necessary for studies to elucidate neuron-glia interactions in this neuropil.
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Key Words
- RRID:Abcam Cat# ab6953, RRID:AB_955010
- RRID:BDSC Cat# 30125, RRID:BDSC_30125
- RRID:BDSC Cat# 38760, RRID:BDSC_38760
- RRID:BDSC Cat# 4775, RRID:BDSC_4775
- RRID:BDSC Cat# 5692, RRID:BDSC_5692
- RRID:BDSC Cat# 64085, RRID:BDSC_64085
- RRID:BDSC Cat# 6938, RRID:BDSC_6938
- RRID:Bio-rad Cat # MCA1360, RRID:AB_322378
- RRID:Cell Signaling Technology Cat # 3724, RRID:AB_1549585
- RRID:DSHB Cat# 1D4, RRID:AB_528235
- RRID:DSHB Cat# nc82, RRID:AB_2314866
- RRID:Jackson ImmunoResearch Labs Cat# 115-167-003, RRID:AB_2338709
- RRID:Molecular Probes Cat# 6455, RRID:AB_2314543
- RRID:Molecular Probes Cat# A-21236, RRID:AB_141725
- RRID:Novus Cat # NBP1-06712, RRID:AB_1625981
- RRID:Thermo Fisher Scientific Cat# A-11034, RRID:AB_2576217.
- glial cells
- neuron-glia interaction
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Hernandez
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.,University of Illinois at Chicago School of Medicine, Rockford, Illinois
| | - Sarah E MacNamee
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.,Inscopix, Palo Alto, California
| | - Leah R Kaplan
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.,Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, Arizona State University, Washington, DC, Washington
| | - Kim Lance
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | | | - Dara S Farhadi
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.,College of Medicine-Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Christine Deer
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.,Research Technologies Group, Data Visualization Team, University of Arizona, University Information Technology Service, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Si W Lee
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Lynne A Oland
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
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36
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Abstract
Locomotion is an ancient and fundamental output of the nervous system required for animals to perform many other complex behaviors. Although the formation of motor circuits is known to be under developmental control of transcriptional mechanisms that define the fates and connectivity of the many neurons, glia and muscle constituents of these circuits, relatively little is known about the role of post-transcriptional regulation of locomotor behavior. MicroRNAs have emerged as a potentially rich source of modulators for neural development and function. In order to define the microRNAs required for normal locomotion in Drosophila melanogaster, we utilized a set of transgenic Gal4-dependent competitive inhibitors (microRNA sponges, or miR-SPs) to functionally assess ca. 140 high-confidence Drosophila microRNAs using automated quantitative movement tracking systems followed by multiparametric analysis. Using ubiquitous expression of miR-SP constructs, we identified a large number of microRNAs that modulate aspects of normal baseline adult locomotion. Addition of temperature-dependent Gal80 to identify microRNAs that act during adulthood revealed that the majority of these microRNAs play developmental roles. Comparison of ubiquitous and neural-specific miR-SP expression suggests that most of these microRNAs function within the nervous system. Parallel analyses of spontaneous locomotion in adults and in larvae also reveal that very few of the microRNAs required in the adult overlap with those that control the behavior of larval motor circuits. These screens suggest that a rich regulatory landscape underlies the formation and function of motor circuits and that many of these mechanisms are stage and/or parameter-specific.
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37
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González-Gutiérrez A, Ibacache A, Esparza A, Barros LF, Sierralta J. Neuronal lactate levels depend on glia-derived lactate during high brain activity in Drosophila. Glia 2019; 68:1213-1227. [PMID: 31876077 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Lactate/pyruvate transport between glial cells and neurons is thought to play an important role in how brain cells sustain the high-energy demand that neuronal activity requires. However, the in vivo mechanisms and characteristics that underlie the transport of monocarboxylates are poorly described. Here, we use Drosophila expressing genetically encoded FRET sensors to provide an ex vivo characterization of the transport of monocarboxylates in motor neurons and glial cells from the larval ventral nerve cord. We show that lactate/pyruvate transport in glial cells is coupled to protons and is more efficient than in neurons. Glial cells maintain higher levels of intracellular lactate generating a positive gradient toward neurons. Interestingly, during high neuronal activity, raised lactate in motor neurons is dependent on transfer from glial cells mediated in part by the previously described monocarboxylate transporter Chaski, providing support for in vivo glia-to-neuron lactate shuttling during neuronal activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés González-Gutiérrez
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andrés Ibacache
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andrés Esparza
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Jimena Sierralta
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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38
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Zarin AA, Mark B, Cardona A, Litwin-Kumar A, Doe CQ. A multilayer circuit architecture for the generation of distinct locomotor behaviors in Drosophila. eLife 2019; 8:e51781. [PMID: 31868582 PMCID: PMC6994239 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals generate diverse motor behaviors, yet how the same motor neurons (MNs) generate two distinct or antagonistic behaviors remains an open question. Here, we characterize Drosophila larval muscle activity patterns and premotor/motor circuits to understand how they generate forward and backward locomotion. We show that all body wall MNs are activated during both behaviors, but a subset of MNs change recruitment timing for each behavior. We used TEM to reconstruct a full segment of all 60 MNs and 236 premotor neurons (PMNs), including differentially-recruited MNs. Analysis of this comprehensive connectome identified PMN-MN 'labeled line' connectivity; PMN-MN combinatorial connectivity; asymmetric neuronal morphology; and PMN-MN circuit motifs that could all contribute to generating distinct behaviors. We generated a recurrent network model that reproduced the observed behaviors, and used functional optogenetics to validate selected model predictions. This PMN-MN connectome will provide a foundation for analyzing the full suite of larval behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aref Arzan Zarin
- Institute of NeuroscienceHoward Hughes Medical Institute, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Brandon Mark
- Institute of NeuroscienceHoward Hughes Medical Institute, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Albert Cardona
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Ashok Litwin-Kumar
- Mortimer B Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of NeuroscienceColumbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Chris Q Doe
- Institute of NeuroscienceHoward Hughes Medical Institute, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
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39
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A GABAergic Maf-expressing interneuron subset regulates the speed of locomotion in Drosophila. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4796. [PMID: 31641138 PMCID: PMC6805931 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12693-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Interneurons (INs) coordinate motoneuron activity to generate appropriate patterns of muscle contractions, providing animals with the ability to adjust their body posture and to move over a range of speeds. In Drosophila larvae several IN subtypes have been morphologically described and their function well documented. However, the general lack of molecular characterization of those INs prevents the identification of evolutionary counterparts in other animals, limiting our understanding of the principles underlying neuronal circuit organization and function. Here we characterize a restricted subset of neurons in the nerve cord expressing the Maf transcription factor Traffic Jam (TJ). We found that TJ+ neurons are highly diverse and selective activation of these different subtypes disrupts larval body posture and induces specific locomotor behaviors. Finally, we show that a small subset of TJ+ GABAergic INs, singled out by the expression of a unique transcription factors code, controls larval crawling speed. Spinal interneurons (IN) coordinate motoneuron activity to modulate locomotion behavior. Here, the authors characterize a subset of IN subtypes expressing the Maf transcription factor Traffic Jam (TJ) and report the distinct effects of their activation on body posture and locomotion in Drosophila larvae.
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40
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Peng JJ, Lin SH, Liu YT, Lin HC, Li TN, Yao CK. A circuit-dependent ROS feedback loop mediates glutamate excitotoxicity to sculpt the Drosophila motor system. eLife 2019; 8:47372. [PMID: 31318331 PMCID: PMC6682402 DOI: 10.7554/elife.47372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is known to mediate glutamate excitotoxicity in neurological diseases. However, how ROS burdens can influence neural circuit integrity remains unclear. Here, we investigate the impact of excitotoxicity induced by depletion of Drosophila Eaat1, an astrocytic glutamate transporter, on locomotor central pattern generator (CPG) activity, neuromuscular junction architecture, and motor function. We show that glutamate excitotoxicity triggers a circuit-dependent ROS feedback loop to sculpt the motor system. Excitotoxicity initially elevates ROS, thereby inactivating cholinergic interneurons and consequently changing CPG output activity to overexcite motor neurons and muscles. Remarkably, tonic motor neuron stimulation boosts muscular ROS, gradually dampening muscle contractility to feedback-enhance ROS accumulation in the CPG circuit and subsequently exacerbate circuit dysfunction. Ultimately, excess premotor excitation of motor neurons promotes ROS-activated stress signaling that alters neuromuscular junction architecture. Collectively, our results reveal that excitotoxicity-induced ROS can perturb motor system integrity through a circuit-dependent mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhan-Jie Peng
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Shih-Han Lin
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Yu-Tzu Liu
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Hsin-Chieh Lin
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Tsai-Ning Li
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chi-Kuang Yao
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.,Institute of Biochemical Sciences, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
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41
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Loveless J, Lagogiannis K, Webb B. Modelling the mechanics of exploration in larval Drosophila. PLoS Comput Biol 2019; 15:e1006635. [PMID: 31276489 PMCID: PMC6636753 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The Drosophila larva executes a stereotypical exploratory routine that appears to consist of stochastic alternation between straight peristaltic crawling and reorientation events through lateral bending. We present a model of larval mechanics for axial and transverse motion over a planar substrate, and use it to develop a simple, reflexive neuromuscular model from physical principles. The mechanical model represents the midline of the larva as a set of point masses which interact with each other via damped translational and torsional springs, and with the environment via sliding friction forces. The neuromuscular model consists of: 1. segmentally localised reflexes that amplify axial compression in order to counteract frictive energy losses, and 2. long-range mutual inhibition between reflexes in distant segments, enabling overall motion of the model larva relative to its substrate. In the absence of damping and driving, the mechanical model produces axial travelling waves, lateral oscillations, and unpredictable, chaotic deformations. The neuromuscular model counteracts friction to recover these motion patterns, giving rise to forward and backward peristalsis in addition to turning. Our model produces spontaneous exploration, even though the nervous system has no intrinsic pattern generating or decision making ability, and neither senses nor drives bending motions. Ultimately, our model suggests a novel view of larval exploration as a deterministic superdiffusion process which is mechanistically grounded in the chaotic mechanics of the body. We discuss how this may provide new interpretations for existing observations at the level of tissue-scale activity patterns and neural circuitry, and provide some experimental predictions that would test the extent to which the mechanisms we present translate to the real larva. We investigate the relationship between brain, body and environment in the exploratory behaviour of fruitfly larva. A larva crawls forward by propagating a wave of compression through its segmented body, and changes its crawling direction by bending to one side or the other. We show first that a purely mechanical model of the larva’s body can produce travelling compression waves, sideways bending, and unpredictable, chaotic motions. For this body to locomote through its environment, it is necessary to add a neuromuscular system to counteract the loss of energy due to friction, and to limit the simultaneous compression of segments. These simple additions allow our model larva to generate life-like forward and backward crawling as well as spontaneous turns, which occur without any direct sensing or control of reorientation. The unpredictability inherent in the larva’s physics causes the model to explore its environment, despite the lack of any neural mechanism for rhythm generation or for deciding when to switch from crawling to turning. Our model thus demonstrates how understanding body mechanics can generate and simplify neurobiological hypotheses as to how behaviour arises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane Loveless
- Institute for Perception, Action, and Behaviour, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Konstantinos Lagogiannis
- Institute for Perception, Action, and Behaviour, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, New Hunt’s House, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara Webb
- Institute for Perception, Action, and Behaviour, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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42
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Malloy CA, Somasundaram E, Omar A, Bhutto U, Medley M, Dzubuk N, Cooper RL. Pharmacological identification of cholinergic receptor subtypes: modulation of locomotion and neural circuit excitability in Drosophila larvae. Neuroscience 2019; 411:47-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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43
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Kohsaka H, Zwart MF, Fushiki A, Fetter RD, Truman JW, Cardona A, Nose A. Regulation of forward and backward locomotion through intersegmental feedback circuits in Drosophila larvae. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2654. [PMID: 31201326 PMCID: PMC6572865 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10695-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal locomotion requires spatiotemporally coordinated contraction of muscles throughout the body. Here, we investigate how contractions of antagonistic groups of muscles are intersegmentally coordinated during bidirectional crawling of Drosophila larvae. We identify two pairs of higher-order premotor excitatory interneurons present in each abdominal neuromere that intersegmentally provide feedback to the adjacent neuromere during motor propagation. The two feedback neuron pairs are differentially active during either forward or backward locomotion but commonly target a group of premotor interneurons that together provide excitatory inputs to transverse muscles and inhibitory inputs to the antagonistic longitudinal muscles. Inhibition of either feedback neuron pair compromises contraction of transverse muscles in a direction-specific manner. Our results suggest that the intersegmental feedback neurons coordinate contraction of synergistic muscles by acting as delay circuits representing the phase lag between segments. The identified circuit architecture also shows how bidirectional motor networks could be economically embedded in the nervous system. Locomotion involves the coordinated contraction of antagonistic muscles. Here, the authors report that in Drosophila larvae a pair of higher-order feedback neurons temporally regulates the intersegmental coordination of contraction of synergistic muscles enabling bidirectional movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Kohsaka
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, the University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan.
| | - Maarten F Zwart
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, 20147, USA.,School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, KY16 9JP, Scotland, UK
| | - Akira Fushiki
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, 20147, USA.,Departments of Neuroscience and Neurology, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - James W Truman
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, 20147, USA.,Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, Friday Harbor, WA, 98250, USA
| | - Albert Cardona
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, 20147, USA.,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Akinao Nose
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Science, the University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan. .,Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 133-0033, Japan.
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44
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Yoon Y, Park J, Taniguchi A, Kohsaka H, Nakae K, Nonaka S, Ishii S, Nose A. System level analysis of motor-related neural activities in larval Drosophila. J Neurogenet 2019; 33:179-189. [PMID: 31172848 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2019.1605365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The way in which the central nervous system (CNS) governs animal movement is complex and difficult to solve solely by the analyses of muscle movement patterns. We tackle this problem by observing the activity of a large population of neurons in the CNS of larval Drosophila. We focused on two major behaviors of the larvae - forward and backward locomotion - and analyzed the neuronal activity related to these behaviors during the fictive locomotion that occurs spontaneously in the isolated CNS. We expressed a genetically-encoded calcium indicator, GCaMP and a nuclear marker in all neurons and then used digitally scanned light-sheet microscopy to record (at a fast frame rate) neural activities in the entire ventral nerve cord (VNC). We developed image processing tools that automatically detected the cell position based on the nuclear staining and allocate the activity signals to each detected cell. We also applied a machine learning-based method that we recently developed to assign motor status in each time frame. Our experimental procedures and computational pipeline enabled systematic identification of neurons that showed characteristic motor activities in larval Drosophila. We found cells whose activity was biased toward forward locomotion and others biased toward backward locomotion. In particular, we identified neurons near the boundary of the subesophageal zone (SEZ) and thoracic neuromeres, which were strongly active during an early phase of backward but not forward fictive locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youngteak Yoon
- a Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science , University of Tokyo , Tokyo , Japan
| | - Jeonghyuk Park
- a Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science , University of Tokyo , Tokyo , Japan
| | - Atsushi Taniguchi
- b Laboratory for Spatiotemporal Regulations , National Institute for Basic Biology , Aichi , Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kohsaka
- c Department of Complexity Science and Engineering , University of Tokyo , Chiba , Japan
| | - Ken Nakae
- d Graduate School of Informatics , Kyoto University , Kyoto , Japan
| | - Shigenori Nonaka
- b Laboratory for Spatiotemporal Regulations , National Institute for Basic Biology , Aichi , Japan
| | - Shin Ishii
- d Graduate School of Informatics , Kyoto University , Kyoto , Japan.,e ATR Cognitive Mechanisms Laboratories , Kyoto , Japan
| | - Akinao Nose
- a Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science , University of Tokyo , Tokyo , Japan.,c Department of Complexity Science and Engineering , University of Tokyo , Chiba , Japan
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45
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Sales EC, Heckman EL, Warren TL, Doe CQ. Regulation of subcellular dendritic synapse specificity by axon guidance cues. eLife 2019; 8:43478. [PMID: 31012844 PMCID: PMC6499537 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural circuit assembly occurs with subcellular precision, yet the mechanisms underlying this precision remain largely unknown. Subcellular synaptic specificity could be achieved by molecularly distinct subcellular domains that locally regulate synapse formation, or by axon guidance cues restricting access to one of several acceptable targets. We address these models using two Drosophila neurons: the dbd sensory neuron and the A08a interneuron. In wild-type larvae, dbd synapses with the A08a medial dendrite but not the A08a lateral dendrite. dbd-specific overexpression of the guidance receptors Unc-5 or Robo-2 results in lateralization of the dbd axon, which forms anatomical and functional monosynaptic connections with the A08a lateral dendrite. We conclude that axon guidance cues, not molecularly distinct dendritic arbors, are a major determinant of dbd-A08a subcellular synapse specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C Sales
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States.,Institute of Molecular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Emily L Heckman
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States.,Institute of Molecular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Timothy L Warren
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States.,Institute of Molecular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Chris Q Doe
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States.,Institute of Molecular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
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46
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Vaadia RD, Li W, Voleti V, Singhania A, Hillman EMC, Grueber WB. Characterization of Proprioceptive System Dynamics in Behaving Drosophila Larvae Using High-Speed Volumetric Microscopy. Curr Biol 2019; 29:935-944.e4. [PMID: 30853438 PMCID: PMC6624193 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Proprioceptors provide feedback about body position that is essential for coordinated movement. Proprioceptive sensing of the position of rigid joints has been described in detail in several systems; however, it is not known how animals with a flexible skeleton encode their body positions. Understanding how diverse larval body positions are dynamically encoded requires knowledge of proprioceptor activity patterns in vivo during natural movement. Here we used high-speed volumetric swept confocally aligned planar excitation (SCAPE) microscopy in crawling Drosophila larvae to simultaneously track the position, deformation, and intracellular calcium activity of their multidendritic proprioceptors. Most proprioceptive neurons were found to activate during segment contraction, although one subtype was activated by extension. During cycles of segment contraction and extension, different proprioceptor types exhibited sequential activity, providing a continuum of position encoding during all phases of crawling. This sequential activity was related to the dynamics of each neuron’s terminal processes, and could endow each proprioceptor with a specific role in monitoring different aspects of body-wall deformation. We demonstrate this deformation encoding both during progression of contraction waves during locomotion as well as during less stereotyped, asymmetric exploration behavior. Our results provide powerful new insights into the body-wide neuronal dynamics of the proprioceptive system in crawling Drosophila, and demonstrate the utility of our SCAPE microscopy approach for characterization of neural encoding throughout the nervous system of a freely behaving animal. Vaadia, Li et al. use high-speed 3D SCAPE microscopy to monitor proprioceptor morphology and calcium dynamics in behaving Drosophila larvae. Neural activity is coincident with dendritic deformations, and different subtypes exhibit sequential onset of activity during crawling. Analysis during non-stereotyped exploration shows proprioceptor versatility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca D Vaadia
- Grueber Laboratory, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Wenze Li
- Laboratory for Functional Optical Imaging, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Venkatakaushik Voleti
- Laboratory for Functional Optical Imaging, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Aditi Singhania
- Grueber Laboratory, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Elizabeth M C Hillman
- Laboratory for Functional Optical Imaging, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Radiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
| | - Wesley B Grueber
- Grueber Laboratory, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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47
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Gong C, Ouyang Z, Zhao W, Wang J, Li K, Zhou P, Zhao T, Zheng N, Gong Z. A Neuronal Pathway that Commands Deceleration in Drosophila Larval Light-Avoidance. Neurosci Bull 2019; 35:959-968. [PMID: 30810958 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-019-00349-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
When facing a sudden danger or aversive condition while engaged in on-going forward motion, animals transiently slow down and make a turn to escape. The neural mechanisms underlying stimulation-induced deceleration in avoidance behavior are largely unknown. Here, we report that in Drosophila larvae, light-induced deceleration was commanded by a continuous neural pathway that included prothoracicotropic hormone neurons, eclosion hormone neurons, and tyrosine decarboxylase 2 motor neurons (the PET pathway). Inhibiting neurons in the PET pathway led to defects in light-avoidance due to insufficient deceleration and head casting. On the other hand, activation of PET pathway neurons specifically caused immediate deceleration in larval locomotion. Our findings reveal a neural substrate for the emergent deceleration response and provide a new understanding of the relationship between behavioral modules in animal avoidance responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caixia Gong
- Department of Neurobiology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Zhenhuan Ouyang
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310007, China
| | - Weiqiao Zhao
- Department of Neurobiology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Kun Li
- Department of Neurobiology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Peipei Zhou
- Department of Neurobiology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Ting Zhao
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, 22011, USA
| | - Nenggan Zheng
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310007, China.
| | - Zhefeng Gong
- Department of Neurobiology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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48
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Oswald MC, Brooks PS, Zwart MF, Mukherjee A, West RJ, Giachello CN, Morarach K, Baines RA, Sweeney ST, Landgraf M. Reactive oxygen species regulate activity-dependent neuronal plasticity in Drosophila. eLife 2018; 7:39393. [PMID: 30540251 PMCID: PMC6307858 DOI: 10.7554/elife.39393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been extensively studied as damaging agents associated with ageing and neurodegenerative conditions. Their role in the nervous system under non-pathological conditions has remained poorly understood. Working with the Drosophila larval locomotor network, we show that in neurons ROS act as obligate signals required for neuronal activity-dependent structural plasticity, of both pre- and postsynaptic terminals. ROS signaling is also necessary for maintaining evoked synaptic transmission at the neuromuscular junction, and for activity-regulated homeostatic adjustment of motor network output, as measured by larval crawling behavior. We identified the highly conserved Parkinson’s disease-linked protein DJ-1β as a redox sensor in neurons where it regulates structural plasticity, in part via modulation of the PTEN-PI3Kinase pathway. This study provides a new conceptual framework of neuronal ROS as second messengers required for neuronal plasticity and for network tuning, whose dysregulation in the ageing brain and under neurodegenerative conditions may contribute to synaptic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Cw Oswald
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Paul S Brooks
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Amrita Mukherjee
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ryan Jh West
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Carlo Ng Giachello
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Khomgrit Morarach
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Richard A Baines
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Sean T Sweeney
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Matthias Landgraf
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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49
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Tastekin I, Khandelwal A, Tadres D, Fessner ND, Truman JW, Zlatic M, Cardona A, Louis M. Sensorimotor pathway controlling stopping behavior during chemotaxis in the Drosophila melanogaster larva. eLife 2018; 7:e38740. [PMID: 30465650 PMCID: PMC6264072 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory navigation results from coordinated transitions between distinct behavioral programs. During chemotaxis in the Drosophila melanogaster larva, the detection of positive odor gradients extends runs while negative gradients promote stops and turns. This algorithm represents a foundation for the control of sensory navigation across phyla. In the present work, we identified an olfactory descending neuron, PDM-DN, which plays a pivotal role in the organization of stops and turns in response to the detection of graded changes in odor concentrations. Artificial activation of this descending neuron induces deterministic stops followed by the initiation of turning maneuvers through head casts. Using electron microscopy, we reconstructed the main pathway that connects the PDM-DN neuron to the peripheral olfactory system and to the pre-motor circuit responsible for the actuation of forward peristalsis. Our results set the stage for a detailed mechanistic analysis of the sensorimotor conversion of graded olfactory inputs into action selection to perform goal-oriented navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim Tastekin
- EMBL-CRG Systems Biology Research UnitCentre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyBarcelonaSpain
- Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
| | - Avinash Khandelwal
- EMBL-CRG Systems Biology Research UnitCentre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyBarcelonaSpain
- Janelia Research CampusHoward Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - David Tadres
- EMBL-CRG Systems Biology Research UnitCentre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyBarcelonaSpain
- Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
- Institute of Molecular Life SciencesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology & Neuroscience Research InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaSanta BarbaraUnited States
| | - Nico D Fessner
- EMBL-CRG Systems Biology Research UnitCentre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyBarcelonaSpain
- Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
| | - James W Truman
- Janelia Research CampusHoward Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Marta Zlatic
- Janelia Research CampusHoward Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Albert Cardona
- Janelia Research CampusHoward Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
- Department of Physiology, Development and NeuroscienceUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Matthieu Louis
- EMBL-CRG Systems Biology Research UnitCentre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyBarcelonaSpain
- Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology & Neuroscience Research InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaSanta BarbaraUnited States
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of California Santa BarbaraCaliforniaUnited States
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Park J, Kondo S, Tanimoto H, Kohsaka H, Nose A. Data-driven analysis of motor activity implicates 5-HT2A neurons in backward locomotion of larval Drosophila. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10307. [PMID: 29985473 PMCID: PMC6037780 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28680-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhythmic animal behaviors are regulated in part by neural circuits called the central pattern generators (CPGs). Classifying neural population activities correlated with body movements and identifying the associated component neurons are critical steps in understanding CPGs. Previous methods that classify neural dynamics obtained by dimension reduction algorithms often require manual optimization which could be laborious and preparation-specific. Here, we present a simpler and more flexible method that is based on the pre-trained convolutional neural network model VGG-16 and unsupervised learning, and successfully classifies the fictive motor patterns in Drosophila larvae under various imaging conditions. We also used voxel-wise correlation mapping to identify neurons associated with motor patterns. By applying these methods to neurons targeted by 5-HT2A-GAL4, which we generated by the CRISPR/Cas9-system, we identified two classes of interneurons, termed Seta and Leta, which are specifically active during backward but not forward fictive locomotion. Optogenetic activation of Seta and Leta neurons increased backward locomotion. Conversely, thermogenetic inhibition of 5-HT2A-GAL4 neurons or application of a 5-HT2 antagonist decreased backward locomotion induced by noxious light stimuli. This study establishes an accelerated pipeline for activity profiling and cell identification in larval Drosophila and implicates the serotonergic system in the modulation of backward locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeonghyuk Park
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Shu Kondo
- Invertebrate Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
| | - Hiromu Tanimoto
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kohsaka
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, University of Tokyo, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan
| | - Akinao Nose
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
- Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, University of Tokyo, Chiba, 277-8561, Japan.
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