Comparative single-nucleus transcriptomic atlases of the adult antenna in Drosophila melanogaster, D. simulans and D. sechellia

To identify olfactory pathways underlying the narrow preference of Drosophila sechellia for freshly ripe Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit, we surveyed the molecular and cellular composition of the entire antennal olfactory system of D. sechellia, D. simulans and D. melanogaster by single-nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq).

Nine libraries were generated (three species x three biological replicates) from FANS-purified nuclei of third antennal segments of 5-day-old mated adult females, yielding transcriptomes of 24,756 (D. melanogaster), 24,763 (D. simulans) and 22,046 (D. sechellia) nuclei. Cross-species integration of the atlases identified homologous olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) populations, revealed species differences in the relative representation of several OSN classes, and uncovered co-option of the larval ketone receptor Or45a into an adult OSN population in D. sechellia.