Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist
Summary: Animal behaviors can differ greatly between closely related species. These behavioral changes are frequently linked to sensory system modifications, but central brain cell-type alterations might also be involved. Here, we develop advanced genetic tools to compare homologous central neurons...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Cell Reports |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725003869 |
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| author | Benedikt R. Dürr Enrico Bertolini Suguru Takagi Justine Pascual Liliane Abuin Giovanna Lucarelli Richard Benton Thomas O. Auer |
| author_facet | Benedikt R. Dürr Enrico Bertolini Suguru Takagi Justine Pascual Liliane Abuin Giovanna Lucarelli Richard Benton Thomas O. Auer |
| author_sort | Benedikt R. Dürr |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Animal behaviors can differ greatly between closely related species. These behavioral changes are frequently linked to sensory system modifications, but central brain cell-type alterations might also be involved. Here, we develop advanced genetic tools to compare homologous central neurons in Drosophila sechellia, an ecological specialist, with the generalist Drosophila melanogaster. Through systematic morphological analysis of olfactory projection neurons (PNs), we reveal that the global anatomy of these second-order neurons is conserved. However, high-resolution, quantitative comparisons identify a striking case of convergent rewiring of PNs in two olfactory pathways critical for D. sechellia’s host location. Calcium imaging and labeling of pre-synaptic sites in these evolved D. sechellia PNs indicate that species-specific connections with third-order partners are formed. This work demonstrates that peripheral sensory evolution is accompanied by selective wiring changes in the central brain to facilitate ecological specialization and paves the way to compare other cell types throughout the nervous system. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b106d4f0297e456e95f38b9312d6ce6b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2211-1247 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cell Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-b106d4f0297e456e95f38b9312d6ce6b2025-08-20T03:14:02ZengElsevierCell Reports2211-12472025-05-0144511561510.1016/j.celrep.2025.115615Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialistBenedikt R. Dürr0Enrico Bertolini1Suguru Takagi2Justine Pascual3Liliane Abuin4Giovanna Lucarelli5Richard Benton6Thomas O. Auer7Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, GermanyCenter for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, SwitzerlandCenter for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandCenter for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, SwitzerlandCenter for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandCenter for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandCenter for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandCenter for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland; Corresponding authorSummary: Animal behaviors can differ greatly between closely related species. These behavioral changes are frequently linked to sensory system modifications, but central brain cell-type alterations might also be involved. Here, we develop advanced genetic tools to compare homologous central neurons in Drosophila sechellia, an ecological specialist, with the generalist Drosophila melanogaster. Through systematic morphological analysis of olfactory projection neurons (PNs), we reveal that the global anatomy of these second-order neurons is conserved. However, high-resolution, quantitative comparisons identify a striking case of convergent rewiring of PNs in two olfactory pathways critical for D. sechellia’s host location. Calcium imaging and labeling of pre-synaptic sites in these evolved D. sechellia PNs indicate that species-specific connections with third-order partners are formed. This work demonstrates that peripheral sensory evolution is accompanied by selective wiring changes in the central brain to facilitate ecological specialization and paves the way to compare other cell types throughout the nervous system.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725003869CP: NeuroscienceCP: Developmental biology |
| spellingShingle | Benedikt R. Dürr Enrico Bertolini Suguru Takagi Justine Pascual Liliane Abuin Giovanna Lucarelli Richard Benton Thomas O. Auer Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist Cell Reports CP: Neuroscience CP: Developmental biology |
| title | Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist |
| title_full | Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist |
| title_fullStr | Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist |
| title_full_unstemmed | Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist |
| title_short | Olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist |
| title_sort | olfactory projection neuron rewiring in the brain of an ecological specialist |
| topic | CP: Neuroscience CP: Developmental biology |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725003869 |
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