The mechanisms controlling the wiring of neuronal networks are not completely understood. Wiring specificity achieves not only recognition of the cellular target but often also involves the formation of synapses at distinct sub-cellular locations. The stereotypic architecture and development of the Drosophila mushroom body (MB) offers a unique system to study circuit assembly with a specific focus on sub-cellular wiring. The adult medial MB ɣ-lobe is comprised of a long bundle of axons that wire with specific modulatory and output neurons in a tiled manner, thereby defining five distinct zones. This compartmentalized innervation of the ɣ-lobe is important for distinct functions of the MB, as an associative learning center. In my talk, I will focus on recent work in which we found how neuron-neuron communication mediated by immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) adhesion molecules coordinates circuit reassembly and the formation of discrete axonal zones. The entire MB includes 17 such zones and our work raises the hypothesis that these are wired by similar neuron-neuron interactions that are mediated a “code” of IgSF molecules.

Those who wish to meet the speaker should contact Surojit Surai (Hobert Lab). 

The Columbia Neuroscience Seminar series is a collaborative effort of Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, the Department of Neuroscience, the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior and the Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative, and with support from the Kavli Institute for Brain Science.