Neuroscience in the fly and beyond is being transformed by the availability of connectomes, synaptic resolution wiring diagrams. We have played leading roles in two large collaborations that have recently generated and analysed separate (female) brain and (male) nerve cord connectomes for the fly. These are the first complete connectomes for animals with eyes, legs and complex cognitive and motor behaviours. Furthermore, we have now completed a male CNS connectome – this is enabling comparative connectomics, allowing us to identify sex differences across the brain.

We are now expanding this comparative work to understand brain evolution across species including other Drosophilids and the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes. In D. melanogaster, we are also developing new approaches to overlay molecular information about neurons onto the connectome using computational and experimental approaches including deep single cell transcriptomics and expansion microscopy.

Together, these resources offer rich opportunities to understand the circuit basis of behaviour. We are investigating the circuit logic of innate behaviours, especially sexually dimorphic behaviours dependent on pheromones. We are also interested in how learned behaviours interact with and modify innate behavioural responses. Finally, we are following the transformations from sensory input, multimodal integration to descending control of motor behaviour.

We have active projects in each of these areas and many new avenues are opening up. We encourage any student fascinated by the synaptic, neuronal and network basis of behaviour to apply. This includes not just biologists and neuroscientists but also computer scientists, engineers and physicists.

References

Whole-brain annotation and multi-connectome cell typing of DrosophilaSchlegel P, Yin Y, Bates AS, Dorkenwald S, Eichler K, Brooks P, Han DS, Gkantia M, dos Santos M, Munnelly EJ, Badalamente G, Serratosa Capdevila L, Sane VA, Fragniere AMC, Kiassat L, Pleijzier MW, Stürner T, Tamimi IFM, Dunne CR, Salgarella I, Javier A, Fang S, Perlman E, Kazimiers T, Jagannathan SR, Matsliah A, Sterling AR, Yu S, McKellar CE, FlyWire Consortium, Costa M, Seung HS, Murthy M, Hartenstein V, Bock DD, Jefferis GSXE
Nature 634(8032): 139-152 (2024)

Neurotransmitter classification from electron microscopy images at synaptic sites in Drosophila melanogaster
Eckstein N, Bates AS, Champion A, Du M, Yin Y, Schlegel P, Lu AKY, Rymer T, Finley-May S, Paterson T, Parekh R, Dorkenwald S, Matsliah A, Yu SC, McKellar C, Sterling A, Eichler K, Costa M, Seung S, Murthy M, Hartenstein V, Jefferis GSXE, Funke J
Cell 187(10): 2574-2594.e23 (2024)

Generating parallel representations of position and identity in the olfactory system
Taisz I, Donà E, Münch D, Bailey SN, Morris BJ, Meechan KI, Stevens KM, Varela-Martínez I, Gkantia M, Schlegel P, Ribeiro C, Jefferis GSXE, Galili DS
Cell 186(12): 2556-2573.e22 (2023)

Communication from Learned to Innate Olfactory Processing Centers Is Required for Memory Retrieval in Drosophila
Dolan MJ, Belliart-Guérin G, Bates AS, Frechter S, Lampin-Saint-Amaux A, Aso Y, Roberts RJV, Schlegel P, Wong A, Hammad A, Bock D, Rubin GM, Preat T, Plaçais PY, Jefferis GSXE
Neuron 100(3): 651-668.e8 (2018)

A Bidirectional Circuit Switch Reroutes Pheromone Signals in Male and Female Brains
Kohl J, Ostrovsky AD, Frechter S, Jefferis GSXE
Cell 155(7): 1610-1623 (2013)