Biology subjects

Sproston, C. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Sproston, C. J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Rapid and cost-effective production of high-quality insect genome sequences

Insects are the most diverse group of animals on earth, with nearly 1 million species described to date, yet this variation is not reflected within the ranks of genomes currently available. In the current age of genetics, the generation of high-quality reference genomes is invaluable, often necessary and expensive. We prove that insect genomes do not need to come at a large cost. We demonstrate a cost-efficient method for producing high-quality insect genomes, with comparisons to current reference assemblies.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2024

Hemilineage-specific expression of the RHG genes Grim and Reaper sculpt neural network composition during Drosophila neurogenesis

During development, nervous systems generate an incredible diversity of different cell types. One mechanism that appears critical for controlling whether a specific subtype is present or absent, and ensuring that neuronal numbers are appropriate for specific regions, is programmed cell death. Here we show that the precisely patterned hemilineage-based cell death found in the ventral nerve cord of Drosophila melanogaster is controlled by the transcription of the pro-apoptotic RHG genes reaper and grim. Using smFISH we show that reaper and grim, but not hid, are expressed in postembryonic lineages during neurogenesis. By generating novel T2A-GAL4 knock-in tools we have been able to map reaper and grim expression on a lineage-by-lineage basis and show diverse expression patterns within different hemilineage populations. Analysis of null mutants for both genes reveal a division of labour with distinct combinations being important in sculpting the nervous system. Investigation of a specific sexually dimorphic lineage reveals temporal patterning of hemilineage-specific programmed cell death through Grim and Reaper function underpins the development of sex-specific circuitry in the VNC. Our findings suggest that the precisely patterned expression of these pro-apoptotic genes is a critical fate determinant that generates segmental-specific circuity and instructs the appropriate assembly of sexually dimorphic neural circuits in the VNC.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Patterned cell death sculpts functional and adaptive neural networks in flies

Changes to the structure and function of neural networks are thought to underlie the evolutionary adaptation of animal behaviours. Among the many developmental phenomena that generate change programmed cell death appears to play a key role. We show that cell death occurs continuously throughout insect neurogenesis and happens soon after neurons are born. Focusing on two dipterans which have lost flight during evolution we reveal that reductions in populations of flight interneurons are likely caused by increased cell death during development. Mimicking an evolutionary role for increasing cell numbers, we artificially block programmed cell death in the medial neuroblast lineage in Drosophila melanogaster, which results in the production of undead neurons with complex arborisations and distinct neurotransmitter identities. Activation of these undead neurons and recordings of neural activity in behaving animals demonstrate that they are functional. Our findings suggest that the evolutionary modulation of death-based patterning could generate novel network configurations.

neuroscience↗