There are several morphologically and functionally distinct olfactory sense organs on the antennal appendages of Drosophila.  Each sensory structure arises from a single precursor, which is selected from an epidermal field and acquires a neural fate.  We have shown that this precursor does not divide but apparently recruits neighboring cells to a sensory fate;  these groups of cells then divide to form a sense organ.  This thus allows us a promising system for the study of intrinsic as well as extrinsic cues during acquistion of cell fate in the adult sensory system.

Olfactory sense organs project from the antenna to distinct glomeruli in the antennal lobe.  Glomeruli are composed of synaptic contacts between sensory neurons and lobe interneurons and are believed to serve as  functional units of odor coding.  We are analysing the mechanisms involved in the formation of glomeruli and have shown that pattern formation within the olfactory lobe is determined by an intricate interaction between sensory neurons, glial cells and lobe interneurons.  Our current experiments are aimed at deciphering the the molecular mechanisms involved in the interplay between cell types in an effort to understand to what extent developmental mechanism prefigure the behavioural capabilities of the animal with respect to olfaction.