ABSTRACT
First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Wanyue Xu is first author on ‘ Establishment of a novel axon pruning model of Drosophila motor neuron’, published in BiO. Wanyue is a Master's student in the lab of Su Wang at Southeast University, Nanjing, China, investigating the effects of abnormal neuronal pruning on neurodegenerative diseases.
Wanyue Xu
Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus
My lab is working mainly on early developmental studies in animals, using model organisms such as Drosophila, mice and brain-organoids. In the early stages of my experiments, I have been working mainly with Drosophila because it is a very good model for studying early neuronal development and we have screened for many genes involved in the early neuronal pruning process based on easy genetic manipulation. However, previous visualizations had focused on the dendritic pruning of Drosophila sensory neurons and there was almost no visualization of axonal pruning, so I followed Dr Rui's work on visualizing axonal pruning and its mechanisms.
What are the potential implications of this finding for your field of research?
Not all neurons that undergo pruning at an early stage are easy to observe and genetically screen. Previous studies have found that sensory neurons distributed on the body surface of Drosophila can visualize the pruning process of dendrites, and Drosophila mushroom body γ neurons have been used as a model for studying axonal pruning, however, because they are located in the Drosophila brain they cannot be monitored in real time. Our findings therefore present a new model for studying the axons of motor neurons, also located in the Drosophila central system, as a new approach for researchers studying the process of neuronal pruning in the field of human degenerative diseases.
“Our findings…present a new model for studying the axons of motor neurons…”
Green fluorescent protein expression in Drosophila motor neurons driven by the UAS-GAL4 system under confocal microscopy to observe neuronal pruning in real time.
Which part of this research project was the most rewarding?
Our paper focuses on the first discovery that the axon of the Drosophila motor neuron is a more advantageous model for studying neuronal axon pruning than the Drosophila mushroom body γ neuron, and uses this visual model to simulate the axon pruning process in the central nervous system of human central neurons and to make the process more accurate and efficient.
What piece of advice would you give to the next generation of researchers?
The most enjoyable moments are inevitably those when I go for a workout or read a book at the end of the day. It makes me feel that my day is more fulfilling and my personality is fuller. As an early-career researcher, it is often impossible to balance work and life, but a healthy body and mind will serve as a strong backbone for my research path.
What's next for you?
I am currently still at the Master's level and my next step is to use Drosophila motor neurons to screen for genes that regulate axonal pruning and to further reveal the mechanisms of action of these potential genes. If this goes well, I will probably do a PhD and the findings in Drosophila will be applied to mice or organoids for validation.
“…my next step is to use Drosophila motor neurons to screen for genes that regulate axonal pruning…”
Wanyue Xu’s contact details: Key Laboratory of DGHD, MOE Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, 2 Sipailou Road, Wenzheng Lee Building N203, Nanjing 210096, China
E-mail: xuwanyue1999@163.com
