Both phases of mushroom body (MB) remodeling- pruning and regrowth - are regulated by nuclear receptors, which function as ligand-dependent transcription factors, indicating that these processes are governed by genetic programs. To uncover these programs, we have isolated and profiled mushroom body γ-Kenyon cells throughout their remodeling using sorting by FACS, followed by RNA-seq. Recently, we similarly profiled another type of MB neurons - α/β-Kenyon cells - whose axons undergo initial outgrowth at the same time in which γ-axons undergo developmental regrowth, thus offering the unique opportunity to dissect the common and divergent mechanisms underlying these distinct growth paradigms. Transcriptional profiling was performed at fine-grained temporal resolution – including every three hours during the remodeling period. Additionally, we profiled the transcriptional landscape of astrocytes before and after the remodeling timeframe, highlighting glial genes and pathways that are potentially required for MB remodeling.
The transcriptional datasets we generated - available to the community in resources - provide invaluable insights about the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie neuronal remodeling.
