A novel technique for visualizing in vivo dynamic neuronal changes during Drosophila development

A major limitation in neurobiology is the inability to precisely track in vivo neuronal morphology over time. Tandem dimer Eos (TdEOS), a fluorescent photoconvertible protein under UV light, enables visualization and quantification of morphological changes between timepoints in a single animal. We optimized this using the Drosophila Moonwalker Descending Neuron (MDN), which undergoes morphological changes and is genetically accessible. By expressing TdEOS in MDNs, we demonstrated successful in vivo photoconversion, confocal imaging, and quantification of dendrite morphology changes between two timepoints in the same animal. Ultimately, TdEOS provides a targeted, accessible tool for tracing complex neuronal morphology overtime in vivo .