Function of Nerfin-1 in preventing medulla neurons dedifferentiation requires its inhibition of Notch activity [RESEARCH ARTICLE]

Jiajun Xu, Xue Hao, Meng-Xin Yin, Yi Lu, Yunyun Jin, Jinjin Xu, Ling Ge, Wenqing Wu, Margaret Ho, Yingzi Yang, Yun Zhao, and Lei Zhang

Drosophila larval central nervous system comprises the central brain, ventral nerve cord and optic lobe. In these regions, neuroblasts divide asymmetrically to self-renew and generate differentiated neurons or glia. To date, mechanisms of preventing neuron dedifferentiation is still unclear, especially in the optic lobe. Here we show that the zinc finger transcription factor Nerfin-1 is expressed in early stage of medulla neurons and essential for maintaining their differentiation. Loss of Nerfin-1 activates Notch signaling, which promotes neuron-to-NB reversion. Repressing Notch signaling largely rescues dedifferentiation in nerfin-1 mutant clones. Thus, we conclude that Nerfin-1 represses Notch activity in medulla neurons and prevents them from dedifferentiation.

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