Reconstruction of motor control circuits in adult Drosophila using automated transmission electron microscopy

Cell · 2021 · 281 citations

• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Biology

Dense neuronal reconstruction through X-ray holographic nano-tomography

Nature Neuroscience · 2020 · 160 citations

• Neuroscience
• Biology
• Anatomy

Reconstruction of motor control circuits in adult <i>Drosophila</i> using automated transmission electron microscopy

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2020 · 35 citations

• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Science

SUMMARY Many animals use coordinated limb movements to interact with and navigate through the environment. To investigate circuit mechanisms underlying locomotor behavior, we used serial-section electron microscopy (EM) to map synaptic connectivity within a neuronal network that controls limb movements. We present a synapse-resolution EM dataset containing the ventral nerve cord (VNC) of an adult female Drosophila melanogaster . To generate this dataset, we developed GridTape, a technology that combines automated serial-section collection with automated high-throughput transmission EM. Using this dataset, we reconstructed 507 motor neurons, including all those that control the legs and wings. We show that a specific class of leg sensory neurons directly synapse onto the largest-caliber motor neuron axons on both sides of the body, representing a unique feedback pathway for fast limb control. We provide open access to the dataset and reconstructions registered to a standard atlas to permit matching of cells between EM and light microscopy data. We also provide GridTape instrumentation designs and software to make large-scale EM data acquisition more accessible and affordable to the scientific community.