Identifying Functional Connections of the Inner Photoreceptors in Drosophila using Tango-Trace

•Tango-Trace, a genetic strategy identifies functional connections in the fly brain•Four chromatic photoreceptors make distinct connections with four different TmYs•The inner photoreceptors transmit spectral information through distinct channels•This provides a potential anatomic substrate for color vision in Drosophila

SummaryIn Drosophila, the four inner photoreceptor neurons exhibit overlapping but distinct spectral sensitivities and mediate behaviors that reflect spectral preference. We developed a genetic strategy, Tango-Trace, that has permitted the identification of the connections of the four chromatic photoreceptors. Each of the four stochastically distributed chromatic photoreceptor subtypes make distinct connections in the medulla with four different TmY cells. Moreover, each class of TmY cells forms a retinotopic map in both the medulla and the lobula complex, generating four overlapping topographic maps that could carry different color information. Thus, the four inner photoreceptors transmit spectral information through distinct channels that may converge in both the medulla and lobula complex. These projections could provide an anatomic basis for color vision and may relay information about color to motion sensitive areas. Moreover, the Tango-Trace strategy we used may be applied more generally to identify neural circuits in the fly brain.