Behavioral transformations during metamorphosis: remodeling of neural and motor systems

Interplay between autophagy and CncC regulates dendrite pruning in Drosophila

Autophagy is essential for the turnover of damaged organelles and long-lived proteins. It is responsible for many biological processes such as maintaining brain functions and aging. Impaired autophagy is often linked to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases in humans. However, the role of autophagy in neuronal pruning during development remains poorly understood. Here, we report that autophagy regulates dendrite-specific pruning of ddaC sensory neurons in parallel to local caspase activation. Impaired autophagy causes the formation of ubiquitinated protein aggregates in ddaC neurons, dependent on the autophagic receptor Ref(2)P. Furthermore, the metabolic regulator AMP-activated protein kinase and the insulin-target of rapamycin pathway act upstream to regulate autophagy during dendrite pruning. Importantly, autophagy is required to activate the transcription factor CncC (Cap "n" collar isoform C), thereby promoting dendrite pruning. Conversely, CncC also indirectly affects autophagic activity via proteasomal degradation, as impaired CncC results in the inhibition of autophagy through sequestration of Atg8a into ubiquitinated protein aggregates. Thus, this study demonstrates the important role of autophagy in activating CncC prior to dendrite pruning, and further reveals an interplay between autophagy and CncC in neuronal pruning.

Establishment of a novel axon pruning model of Drosophila motor neuron

Developmental neuronal pruning is a process by which neurons selectively remove excessive or unnecessary neurite without causing neuronal death. Importantly, this process is widely used for the refinement of neural circuits in both vertebrates and invertebrates, and may also contribute to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia. In the peripheral nervous system (PNS), class IV dendritic arborization (da) sensory neurons of Drosophila, selectively remove the dendrites without losing their somas and axons, while the dendrites and axons of mushroom body (MB) γ neuron in the central nervous system (CNS) are eliminated by localized fragmentation during metamorphosis. Alternatively, dendrite pruning of ddaC neurons is usually investigated via live-cell imaging, while dissection and fixation are currently used for evaluating MB γ neuron axon pruning. Thus, an excellent model system to assess axon specific pruning directly via live-cell imaging remains elusive. Here, we report that the Drosophila motor neuron offers a unique advantage for studying axon pruning. Interestingly, we uncover that long-range projecting axon bundle from soma at ventral nerve cord (VNC), undergoes degeneration rather than retraction during metamorphosis. Strikingly, the pruning process of the motor axon bundle is straightforward to investigate via live imaging and it occurs approximately at 22 h after pupal formation (APF), when axon bundles are completely cleared. Consistently, the classical axon pruning regulators in the Drosophila MB γ neuron, including TGF-β signaling, ecdysone signaling, JNK signaling, and the ubiquitin-proteasome system are also involved in governing motor axon pruning. Finally, our findings establish an unprecedented axon pruning mode that will serve to systematically screen and identify undiscovered axon pruning regulators. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

AMPK activates the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway to govern dendrite pruning via the insulin pathway in Drosophila

During Drosophila metamorphosis, the ddaC dendritic arborisation sensory neurons selectively prune their larval dendrites in response to steroid hormone ecdysone signalling. The Nrf2-Keap1 pathway acts downstream of ecdysone signalling to promote proteasomal degradation and thereby dendrite pruning. However, how the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway is activated remains largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the metabolic regulator AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a cell-autonomous role in dendrite pruning. Importantly, AMPK is required for Mical and Headcase expression and for activation of the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway. We reveal that AMPK promotes the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway and dendrite pruning partly via inhibition of the insulin pathway. Moreover, the AMPK-insulin pathway is required for ecdysone signalling to activate the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway during dendrite pruning. Overall, this study reveals an important mechanism whereby ecdysone signalling activates the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway via the AMPK-insulin pathway to promote dendrite pruning, and further suggests that during the nonfeeding prepupal stage metabolic alterations lead to activation of the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway and dendrite pruning.

Early social context does not influence behavioral variation at adulthood in ants

Early experience can prepare offspring to adapt their behaviors to the environment they are likely to encounter later in life. In several species of ants, colonies show ontogenic changes in the brood-to-worker ratio that are known to have an impact on worker morphology. However, little information is available on the influence of fluctuations in the early social context on the expression of behavior in adulthood. Using the ant Lasius niger, we tested whether the brood-to-worker ratio during larval stages influenced the level of behavioral variability at adult stages. We raised batches of 20 or 180 larvae in the presence of 60 workers until adulthood. We then quantified the activity level and wall-following tendency of callow workers on 10 successive trials to test the prediction that larvae reared under a high brood-to-worker ratio should show greater behavioral variations. We found that manipulation of the brood-to-worker ratio influenced the duration of development and the size of individuals at emergence. We detected no influence of early social context on the level of between- or within-individual variation measured for individual activity level or on wall-following behavior. Our study suggests that behavioral traits may be more canalized than morphological traits.

The Nrf2-Keap1 pathway is activated by steroid hormone signaling to govern neuronal remodeling

The evolutionarily conserved Nrf2-Keap1 pathway is a key antioxidant response pathway that protects cells/organisms against detrimental effects of oxidative stress. Impaired Nrf2 function is associated with cancer and neurodegenerative diseases in humans. However, the function of the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway in the developing nervous systems has not been established. Here we demonstrate a cell-autonomous role of the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway, composed of CncC/Nrf2, Keap1, and MafS, in governing neuronal remodeling during Drosophila metamorphosis. Nrf2-Keap1 signaling is activated downstream of the steroid hormone ecdysone. Mechanistically, the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway is activated via cytoplasmic-to-nuclear translocation of CncC in an importin- and ecdysone-signaling-dependent manner. Moreover, Nrf2-Keap1 signaling regulates dendrite pruning independent of its canonical antioxidant response pathway, acting instead through proteasomal degradation. This study reveals an epistatic link between the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway and steroid hormone signaling and demonstrates an antioxidant-independent but proteasome-dependent role of the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway in neuronal remodeling.

A locomotor neural circuit persists and functions similarly in larvae and adult Drosophila

Individual neurons can undergo drastic structural changes, known as neuronal remodeling or structural plasticity. One example of this is in response to hormones, such as during puberty in mammals or metamorphosis in insects. However, in each of these examples, it remains unclear whether the remodeled neuron resumes prior patterns of connectivity, and if so, whether the persistent circuits drive similar behaviors. Here, we utilize a well-characterized neural circuit in the Drosophila larva: the moonwalker descending neuron (MDN) circuit. We previously showed that larval MDN induces backward crawling, and synapses onto the Pair1 interneuron to inhibit forward crawling (Carreira-Rosario et al., 2018). MDN is remodeled during metamorphosis and regulates backward walking in the adult fly. We investigated whether Pair1 is remodeled during metamorphosis and functions within the MDN circuit during adulthood. We assayed morphology and molecular markers to demonstrate that Pair1 is remodeled during metamorphosis and persists in the adult fly. MDN-Pair1 connectivity is lost during early pupal stages, when both neurons are severely pruned back, but connectivity is re-established at mid-pupal stages and persist into the adult. In the adult, optogenetic activation of Pair1 resulted in arrest of forward locomotion, similar to what is observed in larvae. Thus, the MDN-Pair1 neurons are an interneuronal circuit - a pair of synaptically connected interneurons - that is re-established during metamorphosis, yet generates similar locomotor behavior at both larval and adult stages.

Transporter-mediated ecdysteroid trafficking across cell membranes: A novel target for insect growth regulators

Ecdysteroids are a class of steroid hormones in arthropods that control molting and metamorphosis through interaction with intracellular nuclear receptors. In contrast to the extensive literature describing their biosynthetic pathways and signaling components, little has been known about how these hormones are traveling into and out of the cells through lipid bilayers of the cell membranes. Recently, a series of studies conducted in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster revealed that membrane transporters have critical functions in trafficking ecdysteroids across cell membranes, challenging the classical simple diffusion model of steroid hormone transport. Here we summarize recent advances in our understanding of membrane transporters involved in ecdysteroid signaling in Drosophila, with particular focus on Ecdysone Importer (EcI) that is involved in ecdysteroid uptake in peripheral tissues. We then discuss the potential advantage of EcI blockers as a novel pest management tool as compared to classical insect growth regulators.

Scrap and Build for Functional Neural Circuits: Spatiotemporal Regulation of Dendrite Degeneration and Regeneration in Neural Development and Disease

Dendrites are cellular structures essential for the integration of neuronal information. These elegant but complex structures are highly patterned across the nervous system but vary tremendously in their size and fine architecture, each designed to best serve specific computations within their networks. Recent in vivo imaging studies reveal that the development of mature dendrite arbors in many cases involves extensive remodeling achieved through a precisely orchestrated interplay of growth, degeneration, and regeneration of dendritic branches. Both degeneration and regeneration of dendritic branches involve precise spatiotemporal regulation for the proper wiring of functional networks. In particular, dendrite degeneration must be targeted in a compartmentalized manner to avoid neuronal death. Dysregulation of these developmental processes, in particular dendrite degeneration, is associated with certain types of pathology, injury, and aging. In this article, we review recent progress in our understanding of dendrite degeneration and regeneration, focusing on molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying spatiotemporal control of dendrite remodeling in neural development. We further discuss how developmental dendrite degeneration and regeneration are molecularly and functionally related to dendrite remodeling in pathology, disease, and aging.

Metamorphosis in Insect Muscle: Insights for Engineering Muscle-Based Actuators

One of the major limitations to advancing the development of soft robots is the absence of lightweight, effective soft actuators. While synthetic systems, such as pneumatics and shape memory alloys, have created important breakthroughs in soft actuation, they typically rely on large external power sources and some rigid components. Muscles provide an ideal actuator for soft constructs, as they are lightweight, deformable, biodegradable, silent, and powered by energy-dense hydrocarbons such as glucose. Vertebrate cell lines and embryonic cultures have allowed critical foundational work to this end, but progress there is limited by the difficulty of identifying individual pathways in embryonic development, and the divergence of immortal cell lines from these normal developmental programs. An alternative to culturing muscles from embryonic cells is to exploit the advantages of species with metamorphic stages. In these animals, muscles develop from a predefined pool of myoblasts with well-characterized contacts to other tissues. In addition, the endocrine triggers for development into adult muscles are often known and tractable for experimental manipulation. This is particularly true for metamorphic muscle development in holometabolous insects, which provide exciting new avenues for tissue engineering. Using insect tissues for actuator development confers additional benefits; insect muscles are more robust to varying pH, temperature, and oxygenation than are vertebrate cells. Given that biohybrid robots are likely to be used in ambient conditions and changing environments, this sort of hardiness is likely to be required for practical use. In this study, we summarize key processes and signals in metamorphic muscle development, drawing attention to those pathways that offer entry points for manipulation. By focusing on lessons learned from in vivo insect development, we propose that future culture designs will be able to use more systematic, hypothesis-driven approaches to optimizing engineered muscle. Impact statement This review summarizes our current understanding of metamorphic muscle development in insects. It provides a framework for engineering muscle-based actuators that can be used in robotic applications in a wide range of ambient conditions. The focus is on identifying key processes that might be manipulated to solve current challenges in controlling tissue development such as myoblast proliferation, myotube formation and fusion, cytoskeletal alignment, myotendinous attachment and full differentiation. An important goal is to gather findings that cross disciplinary boundaries and to promote the development of better bioactuators for nonclinical applications.

The Wiring Logic of an Identified Serotonergic Neuron That Spans Sensory Networks

Serotonergic neurons project widely throughout the brain to modulate diverse physiological and behavioral processes. However, a single-cell resolution understanding of the connectivity of serotonergic neurons is currently lacking. Using a whole-brain EM dataset of a female Drosophila, we comprehensively determine the wiring logic of a broadly projecting serotonergic neuron (the CSDn) that spans several olfactory regions. Within the antennal lobe, the CSDn differentially innervates each glomerulus, yet surprisingly, this variability reflects a diverse set of presynaptic partners, rather than glomerulus-specific differences in synaptic output, which is predominately to local interneurons. Moreover, the CSDn has distinct connectivity relationships with specific local interneuron subtypes, suggesting that the CSDn influences distinct aspects of local network processing. Across olfactory regions, the CSDn has different patterns of connectivity, even having different connectivity with individual projection neurons that also span these regions. Whereas the CSDn targets inhibitory local neurons in the antennal lobe, the CSDn has more distributed connectivity in the LH, preferentially synapsing with principal neuron types based on transmitter content. Last, we identify individual novel synaptic partners associated with other sensory domains that provide strong, top-down input to the CSDn. Together, our study reveals the complex connectivity of serotonergic neurons, which combine the integration of local and extrinsic synaptic input in a nuanced, region-specific manner.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT All sensory systems receive serotonergic modulatory input. However, a comprehensive understanding of the synaptic connectivity of individual serotonergic neurons is lacking. In this study, we use a whole-brain EM microscopy dataset to comprehensively determine the wiring logic of a broadly projecting serotonergic neuron in the olfactory system of Drosophila Collectively, our study demonstrates, at a single-cell level, the complex connectivity of serotonergic neurons within their target networks, identifies specific cell classes heavily targeted for serotonergic modulation in the olfactory system, and reveals novel extrinsic neurons that provide strong input to this serotonergic system outside of the context of olfaction. Elucidating the connectivity logic of individual modulatory neurons provides a ground plan for the seemingly heterogeneous effects of modulatory systems.

Neural remodelling in spiny lobster larvae is characterized by broad neuropeptide suppression

Neuropeptides are ancient endocrine components which have evolved to regulate many aspects of biology across the animal kingdom including behaviour, development and metabolism. To supplement current knowledge, we have utilized a transcriptome series describing larval development in the ornate spiny lobster, Panulirus ornatus. The biology of this animal has been leveraged to provide insights into the roles of molting, metamorphosis and metabolism across the neuropeptide family. We report an extensive list of neuropeptides across three distinct life phases of the animal. We show distinct groups of neuropeptides with differential expression between larval phases, indicating phase-specific roles for these peptides. For selected neuropeptides, we describe and discuss expression profiles throughout larval development and report predicted peptide cleavage sites and mature peptide sequences. We also report the neuropeptide nesfatin for the first time in a crustacean, and report secondary peptide products with a level of evolutionary conservation similar to the conventional mature peptide nesfatin-1, indicating a conserved role in these secondary products which are widely regarded as biologically inactive. In addition, we report a trend of downregulation in the neuropeptides as the animal undergoes extensive neural remodelling in fulfillment of metamorphosis. We suggest that this downregulation in neuropeptides relates to the brief, yet dramatic changes in morphology experienced by the central nervous system in the process of metamorphosis.

Differential localization of voltage-gated potassium channels during Drosophila metamorphosis

Neuronal excitability is determined by the combination of different ion channels and their sub-neuronal localization. This study utilizes protein trap fly strains with endogenously tagged channels to analyze the spatial expression patterns of the four Shaker-related voltage-gated potassium channels, K_v1-4, in the larval, pupal, and adult Drosophila ventral nerve cord. We find that all four channels (Shaker, K_v1; Shab, K_v2; Shaw, K_v3; and Shal, K_v4) each show different spatial expression patterns in the Drosophila ventral nerve cord and are predominantly targeted to different sub-neuronal compartments. Shaker is abundantly expressed in axons, Shab also localizes to axons but mostly in commissures, Shaw expression is restricted to distinct parts of neuropils, and Shal is found somatodendritically, but also in axons of identified motoneurons. During early pupal life expression of all four Shaker-related channels is markedly decreased with an almost complete shutdown of expression at early pupal stage 5 (∼30% through metamorphosis). Re-expression of K_v1-4 channels at pupal stage 6 starts with abundant channel localization in neuronal somata, followed by channel targeting to the respective sub-neuronal compartments until late pupal life. The developmental time course of tagged K_v1-4 channel expression corresponds with previously published data on developmental changes in single neuron physiology, thus indicating that protein trap fly strains are a useful tool to analyze developmental regulation of potassium channel expression. Finally, we take advantage of the large diameter of the giant fiber (GF) interneuron to map channel expression onto the axon and axon terminals of an identified interneuron. Shaker, Shaw, and Shal but not Shab channels localize to the non-myelinated GF axonal membrane and axon terminals. This study constitutes a first step toward systematically analyzing sub-neuronal potassium channel localization in Drosophila. Functional implications as well as similarities and differences to K_v1-4 channel localization in mammalian neurons are discussed.

Steroid Hormone Entry into the Brain Requires a Membrane Transporter in Drosophila

Steroid hormones control various aspects of brain development and behavior in metazoans, but how they enter the central nervous system (CNS) through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains poorly understood. It is generally believed that steroid hormones freely diffuse through the plasma membrane of the BBB cells to reach the brain [1], because of the predominant "simple diffusion" model of steroid hormone transport across cell membranes. Recently, however, we challenged the simple diffusion model by showing that a Drosophila organic anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP), which we named Ecdysone Importer (EcI), is required for cellular uptake of the primary insect steroid hormone ecdysone [2]. As ecdysone is first secreted into the hemolymph before reaching the CNS [3], our finding raised the question of how ecdysone enters the CNS through the BBB to exert its diverse role in Drosophila brain development. Here, we demonstrate in the Drosophila BBB that EcI is indispensable for ecdysone entry into the CNS to facilitate brain development. EcI is highly expressed in surface glial cells that form the BBB, and EcI knockdown in the BBB suppresses ecdysone signaling within the CNS and blocks ecdysone-mediated neuronal events during development. In an ex vivo culture system, the CNS requires EcI in the BBB to incorporate ecdysone from the culture medium. Our results suggest a transporter-mediated mechanism of steroid hormone entry into the CNS, which may provide important implications in controlling brain development and behavior by regulating steroid hormone permeability across the BBB.

Molecular Characterization of Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II Isoforms in Three Rice Planthoppers-Nilaparvata lugens, Laodelphax striatellus, and Sogatella furcifera

This study reports the identification of splice variants for the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) gene from Nilaparvata lugens, Laodelphax striatellus, and Sogatella furcifera. CaMKII is a multifunctional serine/threonine protein kinase that transduces Ca²⁺ signals in cells to control a range of cellular processes in the nervous system and muscular tissue. Sequence analysis showed that CaMKII was 99.0% identical at the amino acid level among three rice planthoppers, with the exception of a variable region located in the association domain. Four kinds of 20–81 amino acid “inserts” were found in the variable region. The phylogenetic tree of the deduced amino acid sequences showed that the NlCaMKII isoforms were more closely related to the LsCaMKII isoforms and were slightly distinct from SfCaMKII. CaMKII-E was the dominant type among the five main isoforms. CaMKII genes were constitutively expressed in various nymphal and adult stages and in tested tissues with the predominant transcription occurring in the head. There was no major tissue specificity of isoform expression, but the expression pattern and relative abundance of isoforms varied when compared with the RT-PCR between tissues. In addition, RNAi in N. lugens with dsRNA at a concentration of 200 ng nymph⁻¹ induced a mortality of 77.7% on the 10th day and a reduction in the mRNA expression level of 67.2%. Unlike the holometabolous insect Helicoverpa armigera, the knockdown of NlCaMKII did not suppress the expression of 20E response genes, such as ECR, USP1, and HR3, in N. lugens. These results indicate that the role of CaMKII in hemimetabolous insects may be different from that in holometabolous insects.

Insect personality: what can we learn from metamorphosis?

Ontogeny of animal personality is still an open question. Testing whether personality traits correlated with state variables (e.g. metabolic rate, hormones) and/or life history traits, and which ones are involved, requires more empirical studies. Insects with metamorphosis represent a good opportunity to tackle this question. Because of the various degrees of internal (physiological, nervous) and environmental changes linked to metamorphosis they allow testing whether these modifications drive consistency in personality traits between immature and adult stages. In this review, we establish general predictions for the effects of metamorphosis on personality in insects with complete or incomplete metamorphosis and suffering from a strong or weak niche shift after metamorphosis. We then reviewed the still rare empirical literature and discuss future research axes.

Neurexin and Neuroligin-based adhesion complexes drive axonal arborisation growth independent of synaptic activity

Building arborisations of the right size and shape is fundamental for neural network function. Live imaging in vertebrate brains strongly suggests that nascent synapses are critical for branch growth during development. The molecular mechanisms underlying this are largely unknown. Here we present a novel system in Drosophila for studying the development of complex arborisations live, in vivo during metamorphosis. In growing arborisations we see branch dynamics and localisations of presynaptic proteins very similar to the ‘synaptotropic growth’ described in fish/frogs. These accumulations of presynaptic proteins do not appear to be presynaptic release sites and are not paired with neurotransmitter receptors. Knockdowns of either evoked or spontaneous neurotransmission do not impact arbor growth. Instead, we find that axonal branch growth is regulated by dynamic, focal localisations of Neurexin and Neuroligin. These adhesion complexes provide stability for filopodia by a ‘stick-and-grow’ based mechanism wholly independent of synaptic activity.

Post-molting development of wind-elicited escape behavior in the cricket

Arthropods including insects grow through several developmental stages by molting. The abrupt changes in their body size and morphology accompanying the molting are responsible for the developmental changes in behavior. While in holometabolous insects, larval behaviors are transformed into adult-specific behaviors with drastic changes in nervous system during the pupal stage, hemimetabolous insects preserve most innate behaviors whole life long, which allow us to trace the maturation process of preserved behaviors after the changes in body. Wind-elicited escape behavior is one of these behaviors and mediated by cercal system, which is a mechanosensory organ equipped by all stages of nymph in orthopteran insects like crickets. However, the maturation process of the escape behavior after the molt is unclear. In this study, we examined time-series of changes in the wind-elicited escape behavior just after the imaginal molt in the cricket. The locomotor activities are developed over the elapsed time, and matured 24h after the molt. In contrast, a stimulus-angle dependency of moving direction was unchanged over time, meaning that the cercal sensory system detecting airflow direction was workable immediately after the molt, independent from the behavioral maturation. The post-molting development of the wind-elicited behavior was considered to result not simply from maturation of the exoskeleton or musculature because the escape response to heat-shock stimulus did not change after the molt. No effect of a temporal immobilization after the imaginal molt on the maturation of the wind-elicited behavior also implies that the maturation may be innately programmed without experience of locomotion.

The Ol1mpiad: concordance of behavioural faculties of stage 1 and stage 3 Drosophila larvae

Mapping brain function to brain structure is a fundamental task for neuroscience. For such an endeavour, the Drosophila larva is simple enough to be tractable, yet complex enough to be interesting. It features about 10,000 neurons and is capable of various taxes, kineses and Pavlovian conditioning. All its neurons are currently being mapped into a light-microscopical atlas, and Gal4 strains are being generated to experimentally access neurons one at a time. In addition, an electron microscopic reconstruction of its nervous system seems within reach. Notably, this electron microscope-based connectome is being drafted for a stage 1 larva – because stage 1 larvae are much smaller than stage 3 larvae. However, most behaviour analyses have been performed for stage 3 larvae because their larger size makes them easier to handle and observe. It is therefore warranted to either redo the electron microscopic reconstruction for a stage 3 larva or to survey the behavioural faculties of stage 1 larvae. We provide the latter. In a community-based approach we called the Ol1mpiad, we probed stage 1 Drosophila larvae for free locomotion, feeding, responsiveness to substrate vibration, gentle and nociceptive touch, burrowing, olfactory preference and thermotaxis, light avoidance, gustatory choice of various tastants plus odour–taste associative learning, as well as light/dark–electric shock associative learning. Quantitatively, stage 1 larvae show lower scores in most tasks, arguably because of their smaller size and lower speed. Qualitatively, however, stage 1 larvae perform strikingly similar to stage 3 larvae in almost all cases. These results bolster confidence in mapping brain structure and behaviour across developmental stages.

Remodeling of peripheral nerve ensheathment during the larval-to-adult transition in Drosophila

Over the course of a 4-day period of metamorphosis, the Drosophila larval nervous system is remodeled to prepare for adult-specific behaviors. One example is the reorganization of peripheral nerves in the abdomen, where five pairs of abdominal nerves (A4-A8) fuse to form the terminal nerve trunk. This reorganization is associated with selective remodeling of four layers that ensheath each peripheral nerve. The neural lamella (NL), is the first to dismantle; its breakdown is initiated by 6 hours after puparium formation, and is completely removed by the end of the first day. This layer begins to re-appear on the third day of metamorphosis. Perineurial glial (PG) cells situated just underneath the NL, undergo significant proliferation on the first day of metamorphosis, and at that stage contribute to 95% of the glial cell population. Cells of the two inner layers, Sub-Perineurial Glia (SPG) and Wrapping Glia (WG) increase in number on the second half of metamorphosis. Induction of cell death in perineurial glia via the cell death gene reaper and the Diptheria toxin (DT-1) gene, results in abnormal bundling of the peripheral nerves, suggesting that perineurial glial cells play a role in the process. A significant number of animals fail to eclose in both reaper and DT-1 targeted animals, suggesting that disruption of PG also impacts eclosion behavior. The studies will help to establish the groundwork for further work on cellular and molecular processes that underlie the co-ordinated remodeling of glia and the peripheral nerves they ensheath. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 1144-1160, 2017.

Crucial roles of Pox neuro in the developing ellipsoid body and antennal lobes of the Drosophila brain

The paired box gene Pox neuro (Poxn) is expressed in two bilaterally symmetric neuronal clusters of the developing adult Drosophila brain, a protocerebral dorsal cluster (DC) and a deutocerebral ventral cluster (VC). We show that all cells that express Poxn in the developing brain are postmitotic neurons. During embryogenesis, the DC and VC consist of only 20 and 12 neurons that express Poxn, designated embryonic Poxn-neurons. The number of Poxn-neurons increases only during the third larval instar, when the DC and VC increase dramatically to about 242 and 109 Poxn-neurons, respectively, virtually all of which survive to the adult stage, while no new Poxn-neurons are added during metamorphosis. Although the vast majority of Poxn-neurons express Poxn only during third instar, about half of them are born by the end of embryogenesis, as demonstrated by the absence of BrdU incorporation during larval stages. At late third instar, embryonic Poxn-neurons, which begin to express Poxn during embryogenesis, can be easily distinguished from embryonic-born and larval-born Poxn-neurons, which begin to express Poxn only during third instar, (i) by the absence of Pros, (ii) their overt differentiation of axons and neurites, and (iii) the strikingly larger diameter of their cell bodies still apparent in the adult brain. The embryonic Poxn-neurons are primary neurons that lay out the pioneering tracts for the secondary Poxn-neurons, which differentiate projections and axons that follow those of the primary neurons during metamorphosis. The DC and the VC participate only in two neuropils of the adult brain. The DC forms most, if not all, of the neurons that connect the bulb (lateral triangle) with the ellipsoid body, a prominent neuropil of the central complex, while the VC forms most of the ventral projection neurons of the antennal lobe, which connect it ipsilaterally to the lateral horn, bypassing the mushroom bodies. In addition, Poxn-neurons of the VC are ventral local interneurons of the antennal lobe. In the absence of Poxn protein in the developing brain, embryonic Poxn-neurons stall their projections and cannot find their proper target neuropils, the bulb and ellipsoid body in the case of the DC, or the antennal lobe and lateral horn in the case of the VC, whereby the absence of the ellipsoid body neuropil is particularly striking. Poxn is thus crucial for pathfinding both in the DC and VC. Additional implications of our results are discussed.

Odor Experiences during Preimaginal Stages Cause Behavioral and Neural Plasticity in Adult Honeybees

In eusocial insects, experiences acquired during the development have long-term consequences on mature behavior. In the honeybee that suffers profound changes associated with metamorphosis, the effect of odor experiences at larval instars on the subsequent physiological and behavioral response is still unclear. To address the impact of preimaginal experiences on the adult honeybee, colonies containing larvae were fed scented food. The effect of the preimaginal experiences with the food odor was assessed in learning performance, memory retention and generalization in 3–5- and 17–19 day-old bees, in the regulation of their expression of synaptic-related genes and in the perception and morphology of their antennae. Three-five day old bees that experienced 1-hexanol (1-HEX) as food scent responded more to the presentation of the odor during the 1-HEX conditioning than control bees (i.e., bees reared in colonies fed unscented food). Higher levels of proboscis extension response (PER) to 1-HEX in this group also extended to HEXA, the most perceptually similar odor to the experienced one that we tested. These results were not observed for the group tested at older ages. In the brain of young adults, larval experiences triggered similar levels of neurexins (NRXs) and neuroligins (Nlgs) expression, two proteins that have been involved in synaptic formation after associative learning. At the sensory periphery, the experience did not alter the number of the olfactory sensilla placoidea, but did reduce the electrical response of the antennae to the experienced and novel odor. Our study provides a new insight into the effects of preimaginal experiences in the honeybee and the mechanisms underlying olfactory plasticity at larval stage of holometabolous insects.

dHb9 expressing larval motor neurons persist through metamorphosis to innervate adult-specific muscle targets and function in Drosophila eclosion

The Drosophila larval nervous system is radically restructured during metamorphosis to produce adult specific neural circuits and behaviors. Genesis of new neurons, death of larval neurons and remodeling of those neurons that persistent collectively act to shape the adult nervous system. Here, we examine the fate of a subset of larval motor neurons during this restructuring process. We used a dHb9 reporter, in combination with the FLP/FRT system to individually identify abdominal motor neurons in the larval to adult transition using a combination of relative cell body location, axonal position, and muscle targets. We found that segment specific cell death of some dHb9 expressing motor neurons occurs throughout the metamorphosis period and continues into the post-eclosion period. Many dHb9 > GFP expressing neurons however persist in the two anterior hemisegments, A1 and A2, which have segment specific muscles required for eclosion while a smaller proportion also persist in A2-A5. Consistent with a functional requirement for these neurons, ablating them during the pupal period produces defects in adult eclosion. In adults, subsequent to the execution of eclosion behaviors, the NMJs of some of these neurons were found to be dismantled and their muscle targets degenerate. Our studies demonstrate a critical continuity of some larval motor neurons into adults and reveal that multiple aspects of motor neuron remodeling and plasticity that are essential for adult motor behaviors. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 1387-1416, 2016.

Adaptive plasticity of spino-extraocular motor coupling during locomotion in metamorphosing Xenopus laevis

During swimming in the amphibian Xenopus laevis, efference copies of rhythmic locomotor commands produced by the spinal central pattern generator (CPG) can drive extraocular motor output appropriate for producing image-stabilizing eye movements to offset the disruptive effects of self-motion. During metamorphosis, X. laevis remodels its locomotor strategy from larval tail-based undulatory movements to bilaterally synchronous hindlimb kicking in the adult. This change in propulsive mode results in head/body motion with entirely different dynamics, necessitating a concomitant switch in compensatory ocular movements from conjugate left–right rotations to non-conjugate convergence during the linear forward acceleration produced during each kick cycle. Here, using semi-intact or isolated brainstem/spinal cord preparations at intermediate metamorphic stages, we monitored bilateral eye motion along with extraocular, spinal axial and limb motor nerve activity during episodes of spontaneous fictive swimming. Our results show a progressive transition in spinal efference copy control of extraocular motor output that remains adapted to offsetting visual disturbances during the combinatorial expression of bimodal propulsion when functional larval and adult locomotor systems co-exist within the same animal. In stages at metamorphic climax, spino-extraocular motor coupling, which previously derived from axial locomotor circuitry alone, can originate from both axial and de novo hindlimb CPGs, although the latter's influence becomes progressively more dominant and eventually exclusive as metamorphosis terminates with tail resorption. Thus, adaptive interactions between locomotor and extraocular motor circuitry allows CPG-driven efference copy signaling to continuously match the changing spatio-temporal requirements for visual image stabilization throughout the transitional period when one propulsive mechanism emerges and replaces another.

Integrative Proteomics and Metabolomics Analysis of Insect Larva Brain: Novel Insights into the Molecular Mechanism of Insect Wandering Behavior

Before metamorphosis, most holometabolous insects, such as the silkworm studied here, undergo a special phase called the wandering stage. Insects in this stage often display enhanced locomotor activity (ELA). ELA is vital because it ensures that the insect finds a safe and suitable place to live through the pupal stage. The physiological mechanisms of wandering behavior are still unclear. Here, we integrated proteomics and metabolomics approaches to analyze the brain of the lepidopteran insect, silkworm, at the feeding and wandering stages. Using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS, in all we identified 3004 proteins and 37 metabolites at these two stages. Among them, 465 proteins and 22 metabolites were changed. Neural signal transduction proteins and metabolites, such as neurofilament, dopaminergic synapse related proteins, and glutamic acid, were significantly altered, which suggested that active neural conduction occurred in the brain at the wandering stage. We also found decreased dopamine degradation at the wandering stage. The proposed changes in active neural conduction and increased dopamine concentration might induce ELA. In addition, proteins involved in the ubiquitin proteasome system and lysosome pathway were upregulated, revealing that the brain experiences morphological remodeling during metamorphosis. These findings yielded novel insights into the molecular mechanism underlying insect wandering behavior.

Behavioral and electrophysiological analysis of general anesthesia in 3 background strains of Drosophila melanogaster

General anesthetics achieve behavioral unresponsiveness via a mechanism that is incompletely understood. The study of genetic model systems such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is crucial to advancing our understanding of how anesthetic drugs render animals unresponsive. Previous studies have shown that wild-type control strains differ significantly in their sensitivity to general anesthetics, which potentially introduces confounding factors for comparing genetic mutations placed on these wild-type backgrounds. Here, we examined a variety of behavioral and electrophysiological endpoints in Drosophila, in both adult and larval animals. We characterized these endpoints in 3 commonly used fly strains: wild-type Canton Special (CS), and 2 commonly used white-eyed strains, isoCJ1 and w(1118). We found that CS and isoCJ1 show remarkably similar sensitivity to isoflurane across a variety of behavioral and electrophysiological endpoints. In contrast, w(1118) is resistant to isoflurane compared to the other 2 strains at both the adult and larval stages. This resistance is however not reflected at the level of neurotransmitter release at the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ). This suggests that the w(1118) strain harbors another mutation that produces isoflurane resistance, by acting on an arousal pathway that is most likely preserved between larval and adult brains. This mutation probably also affects sleep, as marked differences between isoCJ1 and w(1118) have also recently been found for behavioral responsiveness and sleep intensity measures.

Syntaxin1A-mediated Resistance and Hypersensitivity to Isoflurane in Drosophila melanogaster

BACKGROUND

Recent evidence suggests that general anesthetics activate endogenous sleep pathways, yet this mechanism cannot explain the entirety of general anesthesia. General anesthetics could disrupt synaptic release processes, as previous work in Caenorhabditis elegans and in vitro cell preparations suggested a role for the soluble NSF attachment protein receptor protein, syntaxin1A, in mediating resistance to several general anesthetics. The authors questioned whether the syntaxin1A-mediated effects found in these reductionist systems reflected a common anesthetic mechanism distinct from sleep-related processes.

METHODS

Using the fruit fly model, Drosophila melanogaster, the authors investigated the relevance of syntaxin1A manipulations to general anesthesia. The authors used different behavioral and electrophysiological endpoints to test the effect of syntaxin1A mutations on sensitivity to isoflurane.

RESULTS

The authors found two syntaxin1A mutations that confer opposite general anesthesia phenotypes: syxH3-C, a 14-amino acid deletion mutant, is resistant to isoflurane (n = 40 flies), and syxKARRAA, a strain with two amino acid substitutions, is hypersensitive to the drug (n = 40 flies). Crucially, these opposing effects are maintained across different behavioral endpoints and life stages. The authors determined the isoflurane sensitivity of syxH3-C at the larval neuromuscular junction to assess effects on synaptic release. The authors find that although isoflurane slightly attenuates synaptic release in wild-type animals (n = 8), syxH3-C preserves synaptic release in the presence of isoflurane (n = 8).

CONCLUSION

The study results are evidence that volatile general anesthetics target synaptic release mechanisms; in addition to first activating sleep pathways, a major consequence of these drugs may be to decrease the efficacy of neurotransmission.

Hydroxyurea-mediated neuroblast ablation establishes birth dates of secondary lineages and addresses neuronal interactions in the developing Drosophila brain

The Drosophila brain is comprised of neurons formed by approximately 100 lineages, each of which is derived from a stereotyped, asymmetrically dividing neuroblast. Lineages serve as structural and developmental units of Drosophila brain anatomy and reconstruction of lineage projection patterns represents a suitable map of Drosophila brain circuitry at the level of neuron populations ("macro-circuitry"). Two phases of neuroblast proliferation, the first in the embryo and the second during the larval phase (following a period of mitotic quiescence), produce primary and secondary lineages, respectively. Using temporally controlled pulses of hydroxyurea (HU) to ablate neuroblasts and their corresponding secondary lineages during the larval phase, we analyzed the effect on development of primary and secondary lineages in the late larval and adult brain. Our findings indicate that timing of neuroblast re-activation is highly stereotyped, allowing us to establish "birth dates" for all secondary lineages. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that, whereas the trajectory and projection pattern of primary and secondary lineages is established in a largely independent manner, the final branching pattern of secondary neurons is dependent upon the presence of appropriate neuronal targets. Taken together, our data provide new insights into the degree of neuronal plasticity during Drosophila brain development.

A look into the cockpit of the developing locust: looming detectors and predator avoidance

For many animals, the visual detection of looming stimuli is crucial at any stage of their lives. For example, human babies of only 6 days old display evasive responses to looming stimuli (Bower et al. [1971]: Percept Psychophys 9: 193-196). This means the neuronal pathways involved in looming detection should mature early in life. Locusts have been used extensively to examine the neural circuits and mechanisms involved in sensing looming stimuli and triggering visually evoked evasive actions, making them ideal subjects in which to investigate the development of looming sensitivity. Two lobula giant movement detectors (LGMD) neurons have been identified in the lobula region of the locust visual system: the LGMD1 neuron responds selectively to looming stimuli and provides information that contributes to evasive responses such as jumping and emergency glides. The LGMD2 responds to looming stimuli and shares many response properties with the LGMD1. Both neurons have only been described in the adult. In this study, we describe a practical method combining classical staining techniques and 3D neuronal reconstructions that can be used, even in small insects, to reveal detailed anatomy of individual neurons. We have used it to analyze the anatomy of the fan-shaped dendritic tree of the LGMD1 and the LGMD2 neurons in all stages of the post-embryonic development of Locusta migratoria. We also analyze changes seen during the ontogeny of escape behaviors triggered by looming stimuli, specially the hiding response.

Sequential acquisition of cacophony calcium currents, sodium channels and voltage-dependent potassium currents affects spike shape and dendrite growth during postembryonic maturation of an identified Drosophila motoneuron

During metamorphosis the CNS undergoes profound changes to accommodate the switch from larval to adult behaviors. In Drosophila and other holometabolous insects, adult neurons differentiate either from respecified larval neurons, newly born neurons, or are born embryonically but remain developmentally arrested until differentiation during pupal life. This study addresses the latter in the identified Drosophila flight motoneuron 5. In situ patch-clamp recordings, intracellular dye fills and immunocytochemistry address the interplay between dendritic shape, excitability and ionic current development. During pupal life, changes in excitability and spike shape correspond to a stereotyped, progressive appearance of voltage-gated ion channels. High-voltage-activated calcium current is the first current to appear at pupal stage P4, prior to the onset of dendrite growth. This is followed by voltage-gated sodium as well as transient potassium channel expression, when first dendrites grow, and sodium-dependent action potentials can be evoked by somatic current injection. Sustained potassium current appears later than transient potassium current. During the early stages of rapid dendritic growth, sodium-dependent action potentials are broadened by a calcium component. Narrowing of spike shape coincides with sequential increases in transient and sustained potassium currents during stages when dendritic growth ceases. Targeted RNAi knockdown of pupal calcium current significantly reduces dendritic growth. These data indicate that the stereotyped sequential acquisition of different voltage-gated ion channels affects spike shape and excitability such that activity-dependent calcium influx serves as a partner of genetic programs during critical stages of motoneuron dendrite growth.

Control of motor activity in crayfish by the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone via motoneuron excitability and sensory-motor integration

We studied the effects of the molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) on leg sensory-motor networks of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii. The hormone was injected in isolated crayfish and network activity was analyzed 3 days after injection using electrophysiology on an in vitro preparation of the leg locomotor network. This 20E treatment deeply reduced motor activity, by affecting both intrinsic motoneuron (MN) properties and sensory-motor integration. Indeed, we noticed a general decrease in motor nerve tonic activities, principally in depressor and promotor nerves. Moreover, intracellular recordings of depressor MNs confirmed a decrease of MN excitability due to a drop in input resistance. In parallel, sensory inputs originating from a proprioceptor, which codes joint movements controlled by these MNs, were also reduced. The shape of excitatory post-synaptic potentials (PSPs) triggered in MNs by sensory activity of this proprioceptor showed a reduction of polysynaptic components, whereas inhibitory PSPs were suppressed, demonstrating that 20E acted also on interneurons relaying sensory to motor inputs. Consequently, 20E injection modified the whole sensory-motor loop, as demonstrated by the alteration of the resistance reflex amplitude. These locomotor network changes induced by 20E were consistent with the decrease of locomotion observed in a behavioral test. In summary, 20E controls locomotion during crayfish premolt by acting on both MN excitability and sensory-motor integration. Among these cooperative effects, the drop of input resistance of MNs seems to be mostly responsible for the reduction of motor activity.

High-resolution in vivo imaging of regenerating dendrites of Drosophila sensory neurons during metamorphosis: local filopodial degeneration and heterotypic dendrite-dendrite contacts

Neuronal circuits that are formed in early development are reorganized at later developmental stages to support a wide range of adult behaviors. At Drosophila pupal stages, one example of this reorganization is dendritic remodeling of multidendritic neurons, which is accomplished by pruning and subsequent regeneration of branches in environments quite distinct from those in larval life. Here, we used long-term in vivo time-lapse recordings at high spatiotemporal resolution and analyzed the dynamics of two adjacent cell types that remodel dendritic arbors, which eventually innervate the lateral plate of the adult abdomen. These neurons initially exhibited dynamic extension, withdrawal and local degeneration of filopodia that sprouted from all along the length of regenerating branches. At a midpupal stage, branches extending from the two cell types started fasciculating with each other, which prompted us to test the hypothesis that this heterotypic contact may serve as a guiding scaffold for shaping dendritic arbors. Unexpectedly, our cell ablation study gave only marginal effects on the branch length and the arbor shape. This result suggests that the arbor morphology of the adult neurons in this study can be specified mostly in the absence of the dendrite–dendrite contact.

Tiling among stereotyped dendritic branches in an identified Drosophila motoneuron

Different types of neurons can be distinguished by the specific targeting locations and branching patterns of their dendrites, which form the blueprint for wiring the brain. Unraveling which specific signals control different aspects of dendritic architecture, such as branching and elongation, pruning and cessation of growth, territory formation, tiling, and self-avoidance requires a quantitative comparison in control and genetically manipulated neurons. The highly conserved shapes of individually identified Drosophila neurons make them well suited for the analysis of dendritic architecture principles. However, to date it remains unclear how tightly dendritic architecture principles of identified central neurons are regulated. This study uses quantitative reconstructions of dendritic architecture of an identified Drosophila flight motoneuron (MN5) with a complex dendritic tree, comprising more than 4,000 dendritic branches and 6 mm total length. MN5 contains a fixed number of 23 dendritic subtrees, which tile into distinct, nonoverlapping volumes of the diffuse motor neuropil. Across-animal comparison and quantitative analysis suggest that tiling of the different dendritic subtrees of the same neuron is caused by competitive and repulsive interactions among subtrees, perhaps allowing different dendritic compartments to be connected to different circuit elements. We also show that dendritic architecture is similar among different wildtype and GAL4 driver fly lines. Metric and topological dendritic architecture features are sufficiently constant to allow for studies of the underlying control mechanisms by genetic manipulations. Dendritic territory and certain topological measures, such as tree compactness, are most constant, suggesting that these reflect the intrinsic molecular identity of the neuron. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:2169-2185, 2010. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Gene expression changes during caste-specific neuronal development in the damp-wood termite Hodotermopsis sjostedti

BACKGROUND

One of the key characters of social insects is the division of labor, in which different tasks are allocated to various castes. In termites, one of the representative groups of social insects, morphological differences as well as behavioral differences can be recognized among castes. However, very little is known about the neuronal and molecular bases of caste differentiation and caste-specific behavior. In almost all termite species, soldiers play defensive roles in their colonies, and their morphology and behavior are largely different from workers (or pseudergates). Therefore, we predicted that some genes linked to defensive behavior and/or those required for neuronal changes are differentially expressed between workers and soldiers, or during the soldier differentiation, respectively.

RESULTS

Using the brain and suboesophageal ganglion (SOG) of the damp-wood termite Hodotermopsis sjostedti, we first screened genes specifically expressed in soldiers or during soldier differentiation by the differential display method, followed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. No distinctive differences in expression patterns were detected between pseudergates and soldiers. In the course of soldier differentiation, however, five genes were found to be up-regulated in brain and/or SOG: 14-3-3 epsilon, fibrillin2, beta-tubulin, ciboulot, and a hypothetical protein containing a SAP motif. Some of these genes are thought to be associated with cytoskeletal structure or motor-associated proteins in neuronal tissues.

CONCLUSION

The identified five genes could be involved in soldier-specific neuronal modifications, resulting in defensive behaviors in termite soldiers. The temporal expression patterns of these genes were consistent with the neuronal changes during soldier differentiation, suggesting that molecular machineries, in which the identified factors would participate, play important roles in behavioral differentiation of termite soldiers.

Brain plasticity in Diptera and Hymenoptera

To mediate different types of behaviour, nervous systems need to coordinate the proper operation of their neural circuits as well as short- and long-term alterations that occur within those circuits. The latter ultimately devolve upon specific changes in neuronal structures, membrane properties and synaptic connections that are all examples of plasticity. This reorganization of the adult nervous system is shaped by internal and external influences both during development and adult maturation. In adults, behavioural experience is a major driving force of neuronal plasticity studied particularly in sensory systems. The range of adaptation depends on features that are important to a particular species, and is therefore specific, so that learning is essential for foraging in honeybees, while regenerative capacities are important in hemimetabolous insects with long appendages. Experience is usually effective during a critical period in early adult life, when neural function becomes tuned to future conditions in an insect's life. Tuning occur at all levels, in synaptic circuits, neuropile volumes, and behaviour. There are many examples, and this review incorporates only a select few, mainly those from Diptera and Hymenoptera.

Multidendritic sensory neurons in the adult Drosophila abdomen: origins, dendritic morphology, and segment- and age-dependent programmed cell death

Background

For the establishment of functional neural circuits that support a wide range of animal behaviors, initial circuits formed in early development have to be reorganized. One way to achieve this is local remodeling of the circuitry hardwiring. To genetically investigate the underlying mechanisms of this remodeling, one model system employs a major group of Drosophila multidendritic sensory neurons - the dendritic arborization (da) neurons - which exhibit dramatic dendritic pruning and subsequent growth during metamorphosis. The 15 da neurons are identified in each larval abdominal hemisegment and are classified into four categories - classes I to IV - in order of increasing size of their receptive fields and/or arbor complexity at the mature larval stage. Our knowledge regarding the anatomy and developmental basis of adult da neurons is still fragmentary.

Results

We identified multidendritic neurons in the adult Drosophila abdomen, visualized the dendritic arbors of the individual neurons, and traced the origins of those cells back to the larval stage. There were six da neurons in abdominal hemisegment 3 or 4 (A3/4) of the pharate adult and the adult just after eclosion, five of which were persistent larval da neurons. We quantitatively analyzed dendritic arbors of three of the six adult neurons and examined expression in the pharate adult of key transcription factors that result in the larval class-selective dendritic morphologies. The 'baseline design' of A3/4 in the adult was further modified in a segment-dependent and age-dependent manner. One of our notable findings is that a larval class I neuron, ddaE, completed dendritic remodeling in A2 to A4 and then underwent caspase-dependent cell death within 1 week after eclosion, while homologous neurons in A5 and in more posterior segments degenerated at pupal stages. Another finding is that the dendritic arbor of a class IV neuron, v'ada, was immediately reshaped during post-eclosion growth. It exhibited prominent radial-to-lattice transformation in 1-day-old adults, and the resultant lattice-shaped arbor persisted throughout adult life.

Conclusion

Our study provides the basis on which we can investigate the genetic programs controlling dendritic remodeling and programmed cell death of adult neurons, and the life-long maintenance of dendritic arbors.

Metamorphosis and adult development of the mushroom bodies of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

The insect mushroom bodies play important roles in a number of higher processing functions such as sensory integration, higher level olfactory processing, and spatial and associative learning and memory. These functions have been established through studies in a handful of tractable model systems, of which only the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been readily amenable to genetic manipulations. The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum has a sequenced genome and has been subject to the development of molecular tools for the ready manipulation of gene expression; however, little is known about the development and organization of the mushroom bodies of this insect. The present account bridges this gap by demonstrating that the organization of the Tribolium mushroom bodies is strikingly like that of the fruit fly, with the significant exception that the timeline of neurogenesis is shifted so that the last population of Kenyon cells is born entirely after adult eclosion. Tribolium Kenyon cells are generated by two large neuroblasts per hemisphere and segregate into an early-born delta lobe subpopulation followed by clear homologs of the Drosophila gamma, alpha'/beta' and alpha/beta lobe subpopulations, with the larval-born cohorts undergoing dendritic reorganization during metamorphosis. BrdU labeling and immunohistochemical staining also reveal that a proportion of individual Tribolium have variable numbers of mushroom body neuroblasts. If heritable, this variation represents a unique opportunity for further studies of the genetic control of brain region size through the control of neuroblast number and cell cycle dynamics.

PTX-induced hyperexcitability affects dendritic shape and GABAergic synapse density but not synapse distribution during Manduca postembryonic motoneuron development

During the metamorphosis of the holometabolous insect, Manduca sexta, the postembryonic acquisition of adult specific motor behaviors is accompanied by changes in dendritic architecture, membrane currents, and input synapses of identified motoneurons. This study aims to test whether increased activity affects dendritic architecture and sub-dendritic input synapse distribution of the identified flight motoneuron 5 (MN5). Systemic injections of the chloride channel blocker, picrotoxin (PTX), during early pupal stages increase pupal reflex responsiveness, but overall development is not impaired. MN5 input resistance, resting membrane potential, and spiking threshold are not affected. Bath application of PTX to isolated ventral nerve cords evokes spiking in pupal and adult flight motoneurons. Quantitative three-dimensional reconstructions of the dendritic tree of the adult MN5 show that systemic PTX injections into early pupae cause dendritic overgrowth and reduce the density of GABAergic inputs. In contrast, the distribution patterns of GABAergic terminals throughout the dendritic tree remain unaltered. This indicates that increased overall excitability might cause dendritic overgrowth and decreased inhibitory input during postembryonic motoneuron remodeling, whereas sub-dendritic synapse targeting might be controlled by activity-independent signals. Behavioral testing reveals that these neuronal changes do not impede the animal's ability to fly, but impair maximum flight performance.

The buzz on fly neuronal remodeling

Hormone-dependent rewiring of axons and dendrites is a conserved feature of nervous system development and plasticity. During metamorphosis in insects, steroid hormones (the ecdysteroids) and terpenoid hormones (the juvenile hormones) regulate extensive remodeling of the nervous system. These changes retool the nervous system for new behavioral and physiological functions that are required for the adult stage of the life cycle. In honey bees and other highly social insects, hormones also regulate behavioral changes and neuronal plasticity associated with transitions between social caste roles. This review focuses on recent work in fruit flies and honey bees that reveals hormonal and molecular mechanisms underlying metamorphic and caste-dependent neuronal remodeling, with specific emphasis on the role of Krüppel homolog 1.

Expression of two different isoforms of fasciclin II during postembryonic central nervous system remodeling in Manduca sexta

Insect metamorphosis serves as a useful model to investigate postembryonic development in the central nervous system, because the transformation between larval and adult life is accompanied by a remodeling of neural circuitry. Most changes are controlled by ecdysteroids, but activity-dependent mechanisms and cell surface signals also play a role. This immunocytochemical study investigates the expression patterns of two isoforms of the neural cell adhesion molecule, fasciclin II (FasII), during postembryonic ventral nerve cord remodeling in the moth, Manduca sexta. Both the expression of the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked isoform and the transmembrane isoform of Manduca FasII (TM-MFasII) are regulated in a stereotyped spatio-temporal pattern. TM-MFasII is expressed in a stage-specific manner in a subset of neurons. Subsets of central axons express high levels during outgrowth supporting a functional role for TM-FasII during pathfinding. Dendritic localization is not found at any stage of metamorphosis, suggesting no homophilic interactions of TM-MFasII during central synapse development. GPI-MFasII is expressed in a stage-specific manner, most likely only in glial cells. The larval and adult stages show almost no GPI-MFasII expression, whereas during pupal life, positive GPI-MFasII labeling is present around synaptotagmin-negative tracts or commissures, so that either homophilic stabilization of glial boundaries or heterophilic neuron-glial interactions possibly stabilize the axons within their tracts. GPI-MFasII expression is not co-localized with synaptotagmin-positive central terminals, rendering a role for synapse development unlikely. Neither isoform is expressed in all neurons of a specific class at any developmental stage, indicating that MFasII functions are restricted to specific subsets of neurons or to individual neurons.

Sensory systems: seeing the world in a new light

Most terminally differentiated sensory neurons express a single sensory receptor molecule. A Drosophila photoreceptor organ breaks this rule by switching to expressing a different type of Rhodopsin as it metamorphoses from larva to adult.