Olfactory Control of Blood Progenitor Maintenance

• Olfactory sensory perception controls hematopoietic progenitor maintenance
• Olfactory receptor neurons instruct neurosecretory cells to secrete GABA
• Secreted systemic GABA is sensed directly by the blood progenitors via GABABR
• GABABR signal elevates cytosolic Ca2+ that maintains blood progenitors

SummaryDrosophila hematopoietic progenitor maintenance involves both near neighbor and systemic interactions. This study shows that olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) function upstream of a small set of neurosecretory cells that express GABA. Upon olfactory stimulation, GABA from these neurosecretory cells is secreted into the circulating hemolymph and binds to metabotropic GABAB receptors expressed on blood progenitors within the hematopoietic organ, the lymph gland. The resulting GABA signal causes high cytosolic Ca2+, which is necessary and sufficient for progenitor maintenance. Thus, the activation of an odorant receptor is essential for blood progenitor maintenance, and consequently, larvae raised on minimal odor environments fail to sustain a pool of hematopoietic progenitors. This study links sensory perception and the effects of its deprivation on the integrity of the hematopoietic and innate immune systems in Drosophila.PaperClip To listen to this audio, enable JavaScript on your browser. However, you can download and play the audio by clicking on the icon belowHelp with MP3 filesOptionsDownload audio (3766 K)

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