Complementary Expression of Immunoglobulin Superfamily Ligands and Receptors in Synaptic Pairs in the Drosophila Visual System

Purpose: Information processing in the brain relies on precise patterns of synapses between neurons. The molecular mechanisms by which this specificity is achieved remains elusive. In the medulla of the Drosophila visual system, different neurons form synaptic connections in different layers. Methods: we developed methods to purify seven neuronal cell types (R7, R8 and L1-L5 neurons) using Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting. Results: we show that neurons with different synaptic specificities express unique combinations of mRNAs encoding hundreds of cell surface and secreted proteins. Using RNA sequencing and MiMIC-based protein tagging, we demonstrate that 21 paralogs of the Dpr family, a subclass of Immunoglobulin (Ig)-domain containing proteins, are expressed in unique combinations in homologous neurons with different layer-specific synaptic connections. Dpr interacting proteins (DIPs), comprising nine paralogs of another subclass of Ig superfamily proteins, are expressed in a complementary layer-specific fashion in a subset of synaptic partners. We propose that pairs of Dpr/DIP paralogs contribute to layer-specific patterns of synaptic connectivity. Conclusions: This complexity is mirrored by the complexity of the cell surface and secreted molecules expressed by each of the R cell and lamina neurons profiled in this study. How this complexity contributes to specificity remains elusive, but the convergence of improved histological, genetic and molecular tools promises to provide important insights into the molecular recognition strategies controlling synaptic specificity. Overall design: We chose 7 time points for RNA-seq analysis of R cells during pupal development corresponding to 24, 35, 40, 45, 53, 65 and 96 hrs after pupal formation (APF).

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Tan L, Zhang KX, Pecot MY, Nagarkar-Jaiswal S, Lee PT, Takemura SY, McEwen JM, Nern A, Xu S, Tadros W, Chen Z, Zinn K, Bellen HJ, Morey M, Zipursky SL