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Sequoia affects Drosophila central nervous system development by regulating axonal extension and guidance
Noor Al-Hajri1,2, Raquel Mendez-Castro3,4, Mar Alujas3
1Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (CDN), King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|March 25, 2026
Summary
The sequoia (seq) gene is crucial for Drosophila nervous system development, impacting neuronal differentiation and axonal guidance. Mutations in seq disrupt central and peripheral nervous system development, affecting cell morphology and motor axon outgrowth.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Drosophila melanogaster central nervous system (CNS) development involves neuronal differentiation and connectivity.
- Molecules guiding axonal development are known, but the link between neuronal differentiation and axonal morphogenesis is unclear.
- The sequoia (seq) gene, encoding a pan-neural nuclear protein, has been implicated in neuronal development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the sequoia (seq) gene in Drosophila nervous system development.
- To analyze the effects of new and previously identified seq alleles on CNS and peripheral nervous system (PNS) development.
- To elucidate the relationship between neuronal differentiation and axonal outgrowth/guidance.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of new seq alleles (GA168, C022, C3101).
- Molecular identification of lesions in previously identified alleles (Z1241, H156).
- Analysis of five seq alleles for defects in nervous system development, including spatial organization, cell morphology, and motor axon outgrowth.
Main Results:
- seq mutations cause defects in the spatial organization of the CNS from early developmental stages.
- Mutants exhibit abnormal cell morphology in both early and late embryonic development.
- seq mutations negatively impact motor axon outgrowth and overall CNS and PNS development.
Conclusions:
- The sequoia gene plays a critical role in multiple aspects of Drosophila nervous system development.
- seq mutations highlight a significant connection between neuronal differentiation and subsequent axonal development (outgrowth and guidance).
- Different domains of the Seq protein are important for its function in nervous system development.
