Dendritic diversification through transcription factor-mediated suppression of alternative morphologies.
Neurons display a striking degree of functional and morphological diversity, and the developmental mechanisms that underlie diversification are of significant interest for understanding neural circuit assembly and function. We find that the morphology of Drosophila sensory neurons is diversified through a series of suppressive transcriptional interactions involving the POU domain transcription factors Pdm1 (Nubbin) and Pdm2, the homeodomain transcription factor Cut, and the transcriptional regulators Scalloped and Vestigial. Pdm1 and Pdm2 are expressed in a subset of proprioceptive sensory neurons and function to inhibit dendrite growth and branching. A subset of touch receptors show a capacity to express Pdm1/2, but Cut represses this expression and promotes more complex dendritic arbors. Levels of Cut expression are diversified in distinct sensory neurons by selective expression of Scalloped and Vestigial. Different levels of Cut impact dendritic complexity and, consistent with this, we show that Scalloped and Vestigial suppress terminal dendritic branching. This transcriptional hierarchy therefore acts to suppress alternative morphologies to diversify three distinct types of somatosensory neurons.
Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St. P&S 12-403, New York, NY 10032, USA Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St. P&S 12-403, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Megan M
MM
Corty
Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St. P&S 12-403, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Justina
J
Tam
Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St. P&S 12-403, New York, NY 10032, USA Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St. P&S 12-403, New York, NY 10032, USA wg2135@columbia.edu.
Wesley B
WB
Grueber
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons; D003712:Dendrites; D004330:Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D055495:Neurogenesis; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D050809:POU Domain Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D000091102:YAP-Signaling Proteins
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D050809:POU Domain Factors; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000091102:YAP-Signaling Proteins; C503814:Yki protein, Drosophila; C066381:ct protein, Drosophila; C104121:nub protein, Drosophila; C072851:pdm2 protein, Drosophila; C087984:sd protein, Drosophila; C095064:vg protein, Drosophila
Axon targeting; Dendrite; Drosophila; Homeodomain; Neuronal morphogenesis; POU domain; Transcription factor