Selective dendritic localization of mRNA in Drosophila mushroom body output neurons
Jessica Mitchell,
Carlas S Smith,
Josh Titlow,
Nils Otto,
Pieter van Velde,
Martin Booth,
Ilan Davis,
Scott Waddell
Affiliations
Jessica Mitchell
Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Carlas S Smith
Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Delft Center for Systems and Control, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
Josh Titlow
Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Delft Center for Systems and Control, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
Martin Booth
Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Memory-relevant neuronal plasticity is believed to require local translation of new proteins at synapses. Understanding this process requires the visualization of the relevant mRNAs within these neuronal compartments. Here, we used single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization to localize mRNAs at subcellular resolution in the adult Drosophila brain. mRNAs for subunits of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and kinases could be detected within the dendrites of co-labeled mushroom body output neurons (MBONs) and their relative abundance showed cell specificity. Moreover, aversive olfactory learning produced a transient increase in the level of CaMKII mRNA within the dendritic compartments of the γ5β'2a MBONs. Localization of specific mRNAs in MBONs before and after learning represents a critical step towards deciphering the role of dendritic translation in the neuronal plasticity underlying behavioral change in Drosophila.
