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Functional integration of "undead" neurons in the olfactory system

Lucia L Prieto-Godino1,2, Ana F Silbering1, Mohammed A Khallaf3

  • 1Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.

Science Advances
|March 21, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Programmed cell death (PCD) removal of excess neurons can be inhibited to create new, functional neurons. This process can drive the evolution of new neural pathways and sensory circuits.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Programmed cell death (PCD) is crucial for eliminating surplus neurons during neurodevelopment.
  • The role of PCD in neural circuit evolution remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of cells fated for PCD to contribute to neural circuit evolution.
  • To explore how altering PCD impacts neuronal populations and circuit formation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the *Drosophila* olfactory system as a model organism.
  • Inhibited PCD to observe the fate and function of surviving neurons.
  • Analyzed gene expression, neuronal activity, and axonal projections.
  • Compared homologous olfactory lineages across drosophilid species.

Main Results:

  • Inhibiting PCD generated new neurons expressing neural markers and responding to odors.
  • "Undead" neurons expressed olfactory receptors, including recent duplicates and those from different contexts.
  • These neurons integrated into the olfactory circuitry, forming new receptor/glomerular connections.
  • Natural examples of cell fate changes from death to functional neurons were observed in drosophilids.
  • PCD alterations were linked to evolutionary differences in CO2-sensing circuits between *Drosophila* and mosquitoes.

Conclusions:

  • Altering programmed cell death patterns can generate novel neural pathways.
  • PCD plays a significant role in the evolution of neural circuits and sensory systems.
  • The *Drosophila* olfactory system provides a powerful model for studying neurodevelopment and evolution.

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