Dendrite intercalation between epidermal cells tunes nociceptor sensitivity to mechanical stimuli in Drosophila larvae

An animals skin provides a first point of contact with the sensory environment, including noxious cues that elicit protective behavioral responses. Nociceptive somatosensory neurons densely innervate and intimately interact with epidermal cells to receive these cues, however the mechanisms by which epidermal interactions shape processing of noxious inputs is still poorly understood. Here, we identify a role for dendrite intercalation between epidermal cells in tuning sensitivity of Drosophila larvae to noxious mechanical stimuli. In wild-type larvae, dendrites of nociceptive class IV da neurons intercalate between epidermal cells at apodemes, which function as body wall muscle attachment sites, but not at other sites in the epidermis. From a genetic screen we identified miR-14 as a regulator of dendrite positioning in the epidermis: miR-14 is expressed broadly in the epidermis but not in apodemes, and miR-14 inactivation leads to excessive apical dendrite intercalation between epidermal cells. We found that miR- 14 regulates expression and distribution of the epidermal Innexins ogre and Inx2 and that these epidermal gap junction proteins restrict epidermal dendrite intercalation. Finally, we found that altering the extent of epidermal dendrite intercalation had corresponding effects on nociception: increasing epidermal intercalation sensitized larvae to noxious mechanical inputs and increased mechanically evoked calcium responses in nociceptive neurons, whereas reducing epidermal dendrite intercalation had the opposite effects. Altogether, these studies identify epidermal dendrite intercalation as a mechanism for mechanical coupling of nociceptive neurons to the epidermis, with nociceptive sensitivity tuned by the extent of intercalation. Author SummaryOur skin provides a first point of contact for a variety of sensory inputs, including noxious cues that elicit pain. Although specialized interactions between skin cells and sensory neurons are known to shape responses to a variety of mechanosensory stimuli including gentle touch and vibration, interactions with skin cells that shape responses to painful mechanical inputs are less well defined. Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system, we demonstrate that the pattern of epidermal innervation, specifically the extent of dendrite intercalation between epidermal cells, tunes the animals sensitivity to noxious mechanical stimuli. Similar mechanisms may regulate sensitivity to painful mechanical inputs in both pathological and physiological states in vertebrates.