Université de Fribourg

Developmental origin of wiring specificity in the olfactory system of Drosophila

Jefferis, Gregory S. X. E. ; Vyas, Raj M. ; Berdnik, Daniela ; Ramaekers, Ariane ; Stocker, Reinhard F. ; Tanaka, Nobuaki K. ; Ito, Kei ; Luo, Liqun

In: Development, 2004, vol. 131, p. 117-130

In both insects and mammals, olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) expressing specific olfactory receptors converge their axons onto specific glomeruli, creating a spatial map in the brain. We have previously shown that second order projection neurons (PNs) in Drosophila are prespecified by lineage and birth order to send their dendrites to one of ~50 glomeruli in the antennal lobe. How can a given...

Université de Fribourg

Localized olfactory representation in mushroom bodies of Drosophila larvae

Masuda-Nakagawa, Liria M. ; Gendre, Nanaë ; O'Kane, Cahir J. ; Stocker, Reinhard F.

In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009, vol. 106, no. 25, p. 10314-10319

Odor discrimination in higher brain centers is essential for behavioral responses to odors. One such center is the mushroom body (MB) of insects, which is required for odor discrimination learning. The calyx of the MB receives olfactory input from projection neurons (PNs) that are targets of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in the antennal lobe (AL). In the calyx, olfactory information is...

Université de Fribourg

The olfactory pathway of adult and larval Drosophila: conservation or adaptation to stage-specific needs ?

Stocker, Reinhard F.

In: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2009, vol. 1170, p. 482 - 486

Tracing of olfactory projections based on odorant receptor expression has led to an almost complete receptor-to-glomerulus map in adult Drosophila. While most of the glomeruli may be involved in processing of food odors, others appear to be more specialized, for example, responding to CO₂ or to pheromonal cues. Recent studies have shed light on signal processing in the antennal lobe and in...