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A transcriptomic taxonomy of Drosophila circadian neurons around the clock.

ABSTRACT: Many different functions are regulated by circadian rhythms, including those orchestrated by discrete clock neurons within animal brains. To comprehensively characterize and assign cell identity to the 75 pairs of Drosophila circadian neurons, we optimized a single-cell RNA sequencing method and assayed clock neuron gene expression at different times of day. The data identify at least 17 clock neuron categories with striking spatial regulation of gene expression. Transcription factor regulation is prominent and likely contributes to the robust circadian oscillation of many transcripts, including those that encode cell-surface proteins previously shown to be important for cell recognition and synapse formation during development. The many other clock-regulated genes also constitute an important resource for future mechanistic and functional studies between clock neurons and/or for temporal signaling to circuits elsewhere in the fly brain.

SUBMITTER: Ma D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7837698 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A transcriptomic taxonomy of <i>Drosophila</i> circadian neurons around the clock.

Ma Dingbang D Przybylski Dariusz D Abruzzi Katharine C KC Schlichting Matthias M Li Qunlong Q Long Xi X Rosbash Michael M

eLife 20210113

Many different functions are regulated by circadian rhythms, including those orchestrated by discrete clock neurons within animal brains. To comprehensively characterize and assign cell identity to the 75 pairs of <i>Drosophila</i> circadian neurons, we optimized a single-cell RNA sequencing method and assayed clock neuron gene expression at different times of day. The data identify at least 17 clock neuron categories with striking spatial regulation of gene expression. Transcription factor regu ...[more]

PMID: 33438579

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Project description:To compare circadian gene expression within highly discrete neuronal populations, we separately purified and characterized two adjacent but distinct groups of Drosophila adult circadian neurons: the 8 small and 10 large PDF (pigment-dispersing factor)-expressing ventral lateral neurons (s-LNvs and l-LNvs, respectively). The s-LNvs are the principal circadian pacemaker cells, whereas recent evidence indicates that the l-LNvs are involved in sleep and light-mediated arousal. Although half of the l-LNv-enriched mRNA population including core clock mRNAs is shared between the l-LNvs and s-LNvs, the other half is l-LNv- and s-LNv specific. The distribution of four specific mRNAs is consistent with prior characterization of the four encoded proteins and therefore indicates successful purification of the two neuronal types. Moreover, an octopamine receptor mRNA is selectively enriched in l-LNvs, and only these neurons respond to in vitro application of octopamine. Dissection and purification of l-LNvs from flies collected at different times indicate that these neurons contain cycling clock mRNAs with higher circadian amplitudes as well as at least a 10-fold higher fraction of oscillating mRNAs than all previous analyses of head RNA. Many of these cycling l-LNv mRNAs are well-expressed but do not cycle or cycle much less well elsewhere in heads. The results suggest that RNA cycling is much more prominent in circadian neurons than elsewhere in heads and may be particularly important for the functioning of these neurons. Gene expression was profiled in purified large PDF neurons across 4 time-points and small PDF neurons at two time-points under an LD cycle. Circadian neurons (PDF large and small cells), general neurons (ELAV) and per01:large PDF cells were labeled by GFP using specfic drivers. Expression of these cells types were profiled after manual cell sorting of GFP-positive cells at different time-points under a light/dark (LD) cycle. The time-points included ZT0, ZT6, ZT12, and ZT18 in the case of large PDF cells, and ZT0 and ZT12 in the case of small PDF cells, ELAV cells and per01:large PDF cells. 3 biological replicates were collected for the large PDF cells and ELAV cells at ZT0 and ZT12. 2 replicates were collected for large PDF cells at ZT6 and ZT18, small PDF cells, and per01:large PDF cells.

Dataset Information

A transcriptomic taxonomy of Drosophila circadian neurons around the clock.

Publications

A transcriptomic taxonomy of <i>Drosophila</i> circadian neurons around the clock.

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