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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 22, 2025

Genetic Manipulation of Cerebellar Granule Neurons In Vitro and In Vivo to Study Neuronal Morphology and Migration

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Published on: March 17, 2014

Transcription factor Acj6 controls dendrite targeting via a combinatorial cell-surface code.

Qijing Xie¹, Jiefu Li², Hongjie Li²

¹Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

|May 25, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The transcription factor Acj6 precisely guides developing neuron connections by regulating cell-surface proteins. This study identifies key proteins, including Piezo, that Acj6 uses to ensure correct neuronal wiring in Drosophila.

Keywords:

Drosophila Piezo antennal lobe cell-surface protein combinatorial code dendrite targeting olfactory circuit proteome transcription factor wiring specificity

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Published on: March 19, 2021

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Biology
Genetics

Background:

Transcription factors are crucial for neuronal development, dictating cell fate and connectivity.
The precise targeting of neuronal dendrites is essential for functional neural circuits.
Understanding the molecular mechanisms of neuronal wiring is a key challenge in neuroscience.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of the transcription factor Acj6 in controlling the dendrite targeting of Drosophila olfactory projection neurons (PNs).
To identify the cell-surface proteins regulated by Acj6 that mediate neuronal wiring decisions.
To elucidate how Acj6 specifies wiring specificity across different PN types.

Main Methods:

Quantitative cell-surface proteomic profiling of wild-type and acj6 mutant PNs in developing Drosophila brains.
A proteome-informed genetic screen to identify PN surface proteins involved in Acj6-regulated wiring.
Comprehensive genetic analyses to determine the function of identified proteins and Acj6's regulatory mechanisms.

Main Results:

Acj6 regulates the expression of specific cell-surface proteins, including canonical cell adhesion molecules and novel candidates like Piezo, to control PN dendrite targeting.
The mechanosensitive ion channel activity of Piezo is not required for its role in PN dendrite targeting.
Acj6 utilizes distinct sets of cell-surface proteins for dendrite targeting in different types of PNs.
Combined expression of Acj6-regulated proteins showed higher efficacy in rescuing mutant phenotypes compared to individual proteins.

Conclusions:

Acj6 controls neuronal wiring specificity by orchestrating the combinatorial expression of distinct cell-surface proteins in different neuron types.
This study reveals a novel mechanism by which transcription factors specify neuronal connectivity through cell-surface executor proteins.
The findings provide insights into the molecular basis of precise neuronal circuit formation during development.