Light/fluorescence microscopy of cells & tissues, and electron/cryo-EM imaging of macromolecular structures — a metadata catalog with a durable link back to the source archive, not a hosted image gallery. These are primary research datasets (often multi-GB to multi-TB), so this platform never downloads or stores the underlying imaging data itself. Datasets already in either source archive are ingested via accession paste/CSV at /mirroring by a Continental Admin (no automated harvesting — neither source archive supports geography-filterable search); a dataset not yet in either archive can instead be submitted directly below by any node operator, for Continental Admin review. Either way, whoever submits an accession or a self-submitted dataset is the one asserting African origin — this platform does not verify it.
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.
Diffusible fraction of niche BMP ligand safeguards stem-cell differentiation
BioImage Archive:S-BIAD1008 · Sharif M. Ridwan (University of Connecticut Health Center) · Drosophila vulcana
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.
