Ecdysone-dependent and ecdysone-independent programmed cell death in the developing optic lobe of Drosophila

The adult optic lobe of Drosophila develops from the primordium during metamorphosis from mid-3rd larval stage to adult. Many cells die during development of the optic lobe with a peak of the number of dying cells at 24 h after puparium formation (h APF). Dying cells were observed in spatio-temporal specific clusters. Here, we analyzed the function of a component of the insect steroid hormone receptor, EcR, in this cell death. We examined expression patterns of two EcR isoforms, EcR-A and EcR-B1, in the optic lobe. Expression of each isoform altered during development in isoform-specific manner. EcR-B1 was not expressed in optic lobe neurons from 0 to 6 h APF, but was expressed between 9 and 48 h APF and then disappeared by 60 h APF. In each cortex, its expression was stronger in older glia-ensheathed neurons than in younger ones. EcR-B1 was also expressed in some types of glia. EcR-A was expressed in optic lobe neurons and many types of glia from 0 to 60 h APF in a different pattern from EcR-B1. Then, we genetically analyzed EcR function in the optic lobe cell death. At 0 h APF, the optic lobe cell death was independent of any EcR isoforms. In contrast, EcR-B1 was required for most optic lobe cell death after 24 h APF. It was suggested that cell death cell-autonomously required EcR-B1 expressed after puparium formation. βFTZ-F1 was also involved in cell death in many dying-cell clusters, but not in some of them at 24 h APF. Altogether, the optic lobe cell death occurred in ecdysone-independent manner at prepupal stage and ecdysone-dependent manner after 24 h APF. The acquisition of ecdysone-dependence was not directly correlated with the initiation or increase of EcR-B1 expression.

► We analyzed EcR function in the developing optic lobe cell death in Drosophila.
► EcR-A and EcR-B1 have different expression profiles both in neurons and glia.
► The cell death was independent of ecdysone at prepupal stage and required no EcR isoforms.
► After 24 h APF, the cell death was dependent on ecdysone and cell-autonomously required EcR-B1.