title: Optical dissection of experience-dependent pre- and postsynaptic plasticity in the Drosophila brain.
abstract: Drosophila represents a key model organism for dissecting neuronal circuits that underlie innate and adaptive behavior. However, this task is limited by a lack of tools to monitor physiological parameters of spatially distributed, central synapses in identified neurons. We generated transgenic fly strains that express functional fluorescent reporters targeted to either pre- or postsynaptic compartments. Presynaptic Ca(2+) dynamics are monitored using synaptophysin-coupled GCaMP3, synaptic transmission is monitored using red fluorescent synaptophysin-pHTomato, and postsynaptic Ca(2+) dynamics are visualized using GCaMP3 fused with the postsynaptic matrix protein, dHomer. Using two-photon in vivo imaging of olfactory projection neurons, odor-evoked activity across populations of synapses is visualized in the antennal lobe and the mushroom body calyx. Prolonged odor exposure causes odor-specific and differential experience-dependent changes in pre- and postsynaptic activity at both levels of olfactory processing. The approach advances the physiological analysis of synaptic connections across defined groups of neurons in intact Drosophila.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Neurobiology of Behavior, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Julia-Lermontowa-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pech
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, University of Göttingen Medical Center, Humboldtallee 23, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Natalia H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Revelo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, University of Göttingen Medical Center, Humboldtallee 23, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, University of Göttingen Medical Center, Humboldtallee 23, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Silvio O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Rizzoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Neurobiology of Behavior, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Julia-Lermontowa-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. Electronic address: afiala@gwdg.de.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fiala
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D024521:Mushroom Bodies / Q000378:metabolism*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins