The Drosophila ventral nerve cord (VNC) is composed of thousands of neurons born from a set of individually identifiable stem cells. The VNC harbors neuronal circuits required to execute key behaviors, such as flying and walking. Leveraging the lineage-based functional organization of the VNC, we investigated the developmental and molecular basis of behavior by focusing on lineage-specific functions of the homeodomain transcription factor, Unc-4. We found that Unc-4 functions in lineage 11A to promote cholinergic neurotransmitter identity and suppress the GABA fate. In lineage 7B, Unc-4 promotes proper neuronal projections to the leg neuropil and a specific flight-related take-off behavior. We also uncovered that Unc-4 acts peripherally to promote proprioceptive sensory organ development and the execution of specific leg-related behaviors. Through time-dependent conditional knock-out of Unc-4, we found that its function is required during development, but not in the adult, to regulate the above events.

中文翻译：

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Unc-4的作用是促进果蝇中枢神经系统的神经元身份和起飞回路的发育。

在果蝇腹神经索（VNC）由成千上万的神经元组成，这些神经元是从一组可单独识别的干细胞中诞生的。VNC包含执行关键行为（如飞行和行走）所需的神经元电路。利用VNC的基于谱系的功能组织，我们通过关注同源域转录因子Unc-4的谱系特定功能来研究行为的发育和分子基础。我们发现Unc-4在谱系11A中发挥功能，以促进胆碱能神经递质的同一性并抑制GABA的命运。在谱系7B中，Unc-4促进了腿部神经纤维的正确神经元投射以及与飞行有关的特定起飞行为。我们还发现，Unc-4在周围可促进本体感受器官的发育和特定腿相关行为的执行。