Genetic network shaping Kenyon cell identity and function in <i>Drosophila</i> mushroom bodies.

Chung, Pei-Chi; Ku, Kai-Yuan; Chu, Sao-Yu; Chen, Chen; Yu, Hung-Hsiang · Elife · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal specification and acquisition of specific functions is key to understanding how the nervous system is constructed. In the <i>Drosophila</i> brain, <u>K</u>enyon <u>c</u>ells (KCs) are sequentially generated to assemble the backbone of the <u>m</u>ushroom <u>b</u>ody (MB). <u>B</u>road-complex, <u>t</u>ramtrack, and <u>b</u>ric-ȧ-brac <u>z</u>inc <u>f</u>inger <u>t</u>ranscription <u>f</u>actors (BTBzf TFs) specify early-born KCs, whereas the essential TFs for specifying late-born KCs remain unidentified. Here, we report that Pipsqueak domain-containing TF <i>Eip93F</i> promotes the identity of late-born KCs by reciprocally regulating gene expression in main KC types. Moreover, <i>Eip93F</i> not only regulates the expression of calcium channel <i>Ca-α1T</i> in late-born KCs to functionally control animal behavior, but it also forms a genetic network with <i>BTBzf TFs</i> to specify the identities of main KC types. Our study provides crucial information linking KC-type diversification to unique function acquisition in the adult MB.

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