Dataset Information

A hard-wired glutamatergic circuit pools and relays UV signals to mediate spectral preference in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: UNLABELLED:Many visual animals have innate preferences for particular wavelengths of light, which can be modified by learning. Drosophila's preference for UV over visible light requires UV-sensing R7 photoreceptors and specific wide-field amacrine neurons called Dm8. Here we identify three types of medulla projection neurons downstream of R7 and Dm8 and show that selectively inactivating one of them (Tm5c) abolishes UV preference. Using a modified GRASP method to probe synaptic connections at the single-cell level, we reveal that each Dm8 neuron forms multiple synaptic contacts with Tm5c in the center of Dm8's dendritic field but sparse connections in the periphery. By single-cell transcript profiling and RNAi-mediated knockdown, we determine that Tm5c uses the kainate receptor Clumsy to receive excitatory glutamate input from Dm8. We conclude that R7s?Dm8?Tm5c form a hard-wired glutamatergic circuit that mediates UV preference by pooling ?16 R7 signals for transfer to the lobula, a higher visual center. VIDEO ABSTRACT:

SUBMITTER: Karuppudurai T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3920195 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A hard-wired glutamatergic circuit pools and relays UV signals to mediate spectral preference in Drosophila.

Karuppudurai Thangavel T Lin Tzu-Yang TY Ting Chun-Yuan CY Pursley Randall R Melnattur Krishna V KV Diao Fengqiu F White Benjamin H BH Macpherson Lindsey J LJ Gallio Marco M Pohida Thomas T Lee Chi-Hon CH

Neuron 20140201 3

Many visual animals have innate preferences for particular wavelengths of light, which can be modified by learning. Drosophila's preference for UV over visible light requires UV-sensing R7 photoreceptors and specific wide-field amacrine neurons called Dm8. Here we identify three types of medulla projection neurons downstream of R7 and Dm8 and show that selectively inactivating one of them (Tm5c) abolishes UV preference. Using a modified GRASP method to probe synaptic connections at the single-ce ...[more]

PMID: 24507194

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Project description:Multimodal astrocyte-neuron communications govern brain circuitry assembly and function1. For example, through rapid glutamate release, astrocytes can control excitability, plasticity and synchronous activity2,3 of synaptic networks, while also contributing to their dysregulation in neuropsychiatric conditions4-7. For astrocytes to communicate through fast focal glutamate release, they should possess an apparatus for Ca2+-dependent exocytosis similar to neurons8-10. However, the existence of this mechanism has been questioned11-13 owing to inconsistent data14-17 and a lack of direct supporting evidence. Here we revisited the astrocyte glutamate exocytosis hypothesis by considering the emerging molecular heterogeneity of astrocytes18-21 and using molecular, bioinformatic and imaging approaches, together with cell-specific genetic tools that interfere with glutamate exocytosis in vivo. By analysing existing single-cell RNA-sequencing databases and our patch-seq data, we identified nine molecularly distinct clusters of hippocampal astrocytes, among which we found a notable subpopulation that selectively expressed synaptic-like glutamate-release machinery and localized to discrete hippocampal sites. Using GluSnFR-based glutamate imaging22 in situ and in vivo, we identified a corresponding astrocyte subgroup that responds reliably to astrocyte-selective stimulations with subsecond glutamate release events at spatially precise hotspots, which were suppressed by astrocyte-targeted deletion of vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1). Furthermore, deletion of this transporter or its isoform VGLUT2 revealed specific contributions of glutamatergic astrocytes in cortico-hippocampal and nigrostriatal circuits during normal behaviour and pathological processes. By uncovering this atypical subpopulation of specialized astrocytes in the adult brain, we provide insights into the complex roles of astrocytes in central nervous system (CNS) physiology and diseases, and identify a potential therapeutic target.

Dataset Information

A hard-wired glutamatergic circuit pools and relays UV signals to mediate spectral preference in Drosophila.

Publications

A hard-wired glutamatergic circuit pools and relays UV signals to mediate spectral preference in Drosophila.

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