Systematic Expression Profiling of Dpr and DIP Genes Reveals Cell Surface Codes in Drosophila Larval Motor and Sensory Neurons

Authors

Yupu Wang
Meike Lobb-Rabe
James Ashley
Purujit Chatterjee
Veera Anand
Hugo J Bellen
Oguz Kanca
Robert A Carrillo

Publication Date

5-15-2022

Journal

Development

DOI

10.1242/dev.200355

PMID

35502740

PMCID

PMC9188756

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

5-19-2022

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Animals, Drosophila, Drosophila Proteins, Larva, Membrane Proteins, Sensory Receptor Cells, Synapses

Abstract

In complex nervous systems, neurons must identify their correct partners to form synaptic connections. The prevailing model to ensure correct recognition posits that cell-surface proteins (CSPs) in individual neurons act as identification tags. Thus, knowing what cells express which CSPs would provide insights into neural development, synaptic connectivity, and nervous system evolution. Here, we investigated expression of Dpr and DIP genes, two CSP subfamilies belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily, in Drosophila larval motor neurons (MNs), muscles, glia and sensory neurons (SNs) using a collection of GAL4 driver lines. We found that Dpr genes are more broadly expressed than DIP genes in MNs and SNs, and each examined neuron expresses a unique combination of Dpr and DIP genes. Interestingly, many Dpr and DIP genes are not robustly expressed, but are found instead in gradient and temporal expression patterns. In addition, the unique expression patterns of Dpr and DIP genes revealed three uncharacterized MNs. This study sets the stage for exploring the functions of Dpr and DIP genes in Drosophila MNs and SNs and provides genetic access to subsets of neurons.