@article {70162, title = {Networks of sexually dimorphic neurons that regulate social behaviors in Drosophila}, journal = {bioRxiv}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 Oct 21}, abstract = {

Neural mechanisms underlying sexually dimorphic social behaviors remain enigmatic in most species. In Drosophila, sexually dimorphic P1/pC1x neurons have been described as a site of sensory integration that regulates mating and aggressive behaviors. We show that the male P1/pC1x population forms a highly intertwined network with male-specific mAL and aSP-a neurons that is poised to regulate male behavior. The 48 P1/pC1x cell types exhibit heterogeneous synaptic connections with a subset receiving strong input from identified sensory pathways. We also describe circuit motifs by which P1 and sexually dimorphic aIPg neurons co-regulate social behaviors. Genetic driver lines for these cell types were generated and used to discover distinct roles for P1/pC1x cell types in promoting social acoustic signaling and male-male interactions. Our results reveal unexpected diversity in the connectivity and behavioral roles of the P1/pC1x cell types and provide essential genetic tools for interrogating their neurophysiological and behavioral functions.

}, doi = {10.1101/2025.10.21.683766}, url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2025/10/22/2025.10.21.683766}, author = {Rubin, Gerald M. and Managan, Claire and Dreher, Marisa and Kim, Elizabeth and Miller, Scott and Boone, Kaitlyn and Robie, Alice and Taylor, Adam L. and Branson, Kristin and Schretter, Catherine E. and Otopalik, Adriane G.} } @article {69650, title = {Cell type-specific driver lines targeting the Drosophila central complex and their use to investigate neuropeptide expression and sleep regulation}, journal = {bioRxiv}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Oct 21}, abstract = {

The central complex (CX) plays a key role in many higher-order functions of the insect brain including navigation and activity regulation. Genetic tools for manipulating individual cell types, and knowledge of what neurotransmitters and neuromodulators they express, will be required to gain mechanistic understanding of how these functions are implemented. We generated and characterized split-GAL4 driver lines that express in individual or small subsets of about half of CX cell types. We surveyed neuropeptide and neuropeptide receptor expression in the central brain using fluorescent in situ hybridization. About half of the neuropeptides we examined were expressed in only a few cells, while the rest were expressed in dozens to hundreds of cells. Neuropeptide receptors were expressed more broadly and at lower levels. Using our GAL4 drivers to mark individual cell types, we found that 51 of the 85 CX cell types we examined expressed at least one neuropeptide and 21 expressed multiple neuropeptides. Surprisingly, all co-expressed a small neurotransmitter. Finally, we used our driver lines to identify CX cell types whose activation affects sleep, and identified other central brain cell types that link the circadian clock to the CX. The well-characterized genetic tools and information on neuropeptide and neurotransmitter expression we provide should enhance studies of the CX.

}, doi = {10.1101/2024.10.21.619448}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.21.619448}, author = {Wolff, Tanya and Eddison, Mark and Chen, Nan and Nern, Aljoscha and Sundaramurthi, Preeti and Sitaraman, Divya and Rubin, Gerald M.} } @article {65314, title = {Input connectivity reveals additional heterogeneity of dopaminergic reinforcement in Drosophila}, journal = {Current Biology}, volume = {30}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 Aug 17}, pages = {3200-11}, abstract = {

Different types of\ Drosophila\ dopaminergic neurons (DANs) reinforce memories of unique valence and provide state-dependent motivational control [1]. Prior studies suggest that the compartment architecture of the mushroom body (MB) is the relevant resolution for distinct DAN functions [2,\ 3]. Here we used a recent electron microscope volume of the fly brain [4] to reconstruct the fine anatomy of individual DANs within three MB compartments. We find the 20 DANs of the γ5 compartment, at least some of which provide reward teaching signals, can be clustered into 5 anatomical subtypes that innervate different regions within γ5. Reconstructing 821 upstream neurons reveals input selectivity, supporting the functional relevance of DAN sub-classification. Only one PAM-γ5 DAN subtype (γ5fb) receives direct recurrent input from γ5β{\textquoteright}2a mushroom body output neurons (MBONs) and behavioral experiments distinguish a role for these DANs in memory revaluation from those reinforcing sugar memory. Other DAN subtypes receive major, and potentially reinforcing, inputs from putative gustatory interneurons or lateral horn neurons, which can also relay indirect feedback from the MB. We similarly reconstructed the single aversively reinforcing PPL1-γ1pedc DAN. The γ1pedc DAN inputs are mostly different to those of γ5 DANs and are clustered onto distinct branches of its dendritic tree, presumably separating its established roles in aversive reinforcement and appetitive motivation [5,\ 6]. Additional tracing identified neurons that provide broad input to γ5, β{\textquoteright}2a and γ1pedc DANs suggesting that distributed DAN populations can be coordinately regulated. These connectomic and behavioral analyses therefore reveal additional complexity of dopaminergic reinforcement circuits between and within MB compartments.

}, author = {Otto, Nils and Pleijzier, Markus W. and Morgan, Isabel C. and Edmondson-Stait, Amelia J and Heinz, Konrad J. and Stark, Ildiko and Dempsey, Georgia and Ito, Masayoshi and Kapoor, Ishaan and Hsu, Joseph and Schlegel, Philipp M. and Bates, Alexander S. and Costa, Marta and Ito, Kei and Bock, Davi D. and Rubin, Gerald M. and Jefferis, Gregory S.X.E. and Waddell, Scott} }