Cellular & Molecular Imaging

Individual 3D cell shapes of Drosophila Wing Disc

A library of 1024 pesticides was screened at sublethal doses for effects on the behaviour of Drosophila third instar larvae.

Drosophila notum containing SOP cells (labelled with RFP-Pon). Stained for total tubulin and poly-glutamylated tubulin.

Asymmetric localization of oskar RNP granules to the oocyte posterior is crucial for abdominal patterning and germline formation in the Drosophila embryo. We show that oskar RNP granules in the oocyte are condensates with solid-like physical properties. Using purified oskar RNA and scaffold proteins Bruno and Hrp48, we confirm in vitro that oskar granules undergo a liquid-to-solid phase transition. Whereas the liquid phase allows RNA incorporation, the solid phase precludes incorporation of additional RNA while allowing RNA-dependent partitioning of client proteins. Genetic modification of scaffold granule proteins, or tethering the intrinsically disordered region of human Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) to oskar mRNA, allowed modulation of granule material properties in vivo. The resulting liquid-like properties impaired oskar localization and translation with severe consequences on embryonic development. Our study reflects how physiological phase transitions shape RNA-protein condensates to regulate localization and expression of a maternal RNA that instructs germline formation.

Two photon microscopy time series and lightsheet microscopy z-stack and time series of early Drosophila embryogenesis during posterior midgut invagination.

This PDF contains 100 flat panel CT scans, with 50 scans from control group patient ears and 50 scans from superior canal dehiscence patient ears.

The Drosophila melanogaster olfactory system is one of the most intensively studied parts of the nervous system in any animal. Composed of ~50 independent olfactory neuron classes, with several associated hygrosensory and thermosensory pathways, it has been subject to diverse types of experimental analyses. However, synthesizing the available information is limited by the incomplete data and inconsistent nomenclature found in the literature. In this work, we first “complete” the peripheral sensory map through the identification of a previously uncharacterized antennal sensory neuron population expressing Or46aB, and the definition of an exceptional “hybrid” olfactory neuron class comprising functional Or and Ir receptors. Second, we survey developmental, anatomical, connectomic, functional and evolutionary studies to generate an integrated dataset and associated visualisations of these sensory neuron pathways, creating an unprecedented resource. Third, we illustrate the utility of the dataset to reveal relationships between different organizational properties of this sensory system, and the new questions these stimulate. Such examples emphasize the power of this resource to promote further understanding of the construction, function and evolution of these neural circuits.

The Darwin Tree of Life project has the goal to sequence the genomes of 70,000 species of eukaryotic organisms in Britain and Ireland. This is a collection of photographs of the samples included in the study, provided by the National History Museum (NHM).

In Drosophila male gonads, niche-derived Decapentaplegic (Dpp) has a role in maintaining stem cells in close proximity but the range of Dpp diffusion and its role has never been tested in the differentiating cells spaced one-cell layer away. Here, using genetically encoded nanobodies called Morphotraps, we physically block Dpp diffusion without interfering with niche-stem cell signaling and find that a diffusible fraction of Dpp is required to ensure differentiation of GSC daughter cells, opposite of its role in maintenance of GSC in the niche. Our work provides an example in which a soluble niche ligand induces opposed cellular responses in stem cells versus differentiating descendants to ensure spatial control of the niche, which may be a common mechanism to regulate tissue homeostasis.

Live cell imaging movies and IHC data from Drosophila Neurons together with computer simulation results.