Allen, A.M., Neville, M.C., Nojima, T., Alejevski, F., Agarwal, D., Sims, D., Goodwin, S.F. (2026). A high-resolution atlas of the brain predicts lineage and birth order underlying neuronal identity.  Cell Genom 6(3): 101103.

FBrf0264869

Research paper

Gene expression shapes the nervous system at every biological level, from molecular and cellular processes defining neuronal identity and function to systems-level wiring and circuit dynamics underlying behavior. Here, we generate the first high-resolution, single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the adult Drosophila melanogaster central brain by integrating multiple datasets, achieving an unprecedented 10-fold coverage of every neuron in this complex tissue. We show that a neuron's genetic identity overwhelmingly reflects its developmental origin, preserving a genetic address based on both lineage and birth order. We reveal foundational rules linking neurogenesis to transcriptional identity and provide a framework for systematically defining neuronal types. This atlas provides a powerful resource for mapping the cellular substrates of behavior by integrating annotations of hemilineage, cell types/subtypes, and molecular signatures of underlying physiological properties. It lays the groundwork for a long-sought bridge between developmental processes and the functional circuits that give rise to behavior.

PMC7618732 (PMC) (EuropePMC)