Shirley Dixit
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shirleydixit.bsky.social
Shirley Dixit
@shirleydixit.bsky.social
PhD student at Biozentrum, Basel
| neurodevelopment | synapses | gene expression heterogeneity |
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
Nature research paper: Rewiring an olfactory circuit by altering cell-surface combinatorial code

go.nature.com/3MbCoZT
Rewiring an olfactory circuit by altering cell-surface combinatorial code - Nature
In Drosophila, changing the expression of a small set of cell-surface proteins in just one type of olfactory neuron rewires its connections almost entirely to a new postsynaptic partner neuron type, altering the fly’s odour response and courtship behaviour.
go.nature.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:12 AM
👏👏
#PhDdefense Congratulations to Amal Mathew (@amalmathewkkt.bsky.social) on successfully defending his PhD at TIFR, Mumbai, under the guidance of Sandhya P. Koushika (@wormlockholmes.bsky.social), uncovering how neurons sort & transport molecular cargo with precision.

#TIFRScience #Neuroscience
October 29, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
First neurons didn’t appear overnight. We trace their roots to ancient secretory cells - showing how lifestyle & behavior shaped the evolution of first synapses.🧠🌊 #Evolution #Neuroscience

Our latest in @natrevneuro.nature.com
Link: rdcu.be/eMX3E

@jeffcolgren.bsky.social @msarscentre.bsky.social
The evolutionary origins of synaptic proteins and their changing roles in different organisms across evolution
Nature Reviews Neuroscience - Recent studies have shed further light on the evolutionary origins of chemical synapses, In this Review, Colgren and Burkhardt explore how ancient proteins were...
rdcu.be
October 27, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
Extremely excited to share the outcome of a fantastic collaboration with @erinduffyphd.bsky.social revealing how experiences reshape hippocamapl chromatin and gene expression.
Check out our searchable gene database and look up your favorite gene 🧬

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Novel environment exposure drives temporally defined and region-specific chromatin accessibility and gene expression changes in the hippocampus - Nature Communications
Hippocampal neurons adapt to experience through changes in gene expression and chromatin accessibility. Here, authors show that novel environment exposure induces region- and cell-type specific transc...
www.nature.com
August 22, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
New pre-print on sex differences in the choroid plexus- the 🧠's fluid secretion organ. Important differences in secretory signaling & immune compartments that can impact the 🧠 in health & disease. ‪@karol-kaiser.bsky.social‬@violesilvar.bsky.social‬ Luca von Allmen. 🧪
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Choroid plexus sex differences in secretory signalling and immune compartments
The choroid plexus (ChP)- cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) axis is emerging as a key regulator of the brain environment. The ChP is a multi-functional structure, which forms the blood-CSF barrier, and acts a...
www.biorxiv.org
August 20, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
@scheiffelelab.bsky.social and I discussed the unique properties of synapses onto parvalbumin interneurons, the current knowledge & future aspects of the molecular mechanisms regulating these synaptic inputs: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Molecular programs specifying properties and plasticity of parvalbumin interneuron innervation
Parvalbumin-positive (PV) interneurons, a class of fast-spiking GABAergic interneurons, govern gain-control and the timing of neuronal signal propagat…
www.sciencedirect.com
June 11, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
A dynamic gene regulatory code drives synaptic development of hippocampal granule cells https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.27.645686v1
March 29, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
A new study in @natmedicine.bsky.social by KI professor @elisabetsv.bsky.social and colleagues shows that the endometrium of women with #PCOS differs in terms of both the composition of individual cells and gene expression. The results open the door to new treatments 🧪 news.ki.se/cell-atlas-o...
Cell atlas of the endometrium in women with PCOS may lead to better treatment
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) find it harder to get pregnant, have more frequent miscarriages and have a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer. Now, in a new study published in Na...
news.ki.se
March 20, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
In drosophila, by manipulating sets of surface proteins, you can re-engineer connectivity of olfactory neurons and generate a new neuron type that alters courtship behavior. Impressive work from the Luo lab.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Rewiring an olfactory circuit by altering the combinatorial code of cell-surface proteins
Proper brain function requires the precise assembly of neural circuits during development. Despite the identification of many cell-surface proteins (CSPs) that help guide axons to their targets, it re...
doi.org
March 3, 2025 at 5:36 AM
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
Long-term in vivo imaging of single neurons in the developing mouse brain from early postnatal days on. A game-changer in figuring out developmental trajectories. From the Cossart lab.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
March 3, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
🎅 Excited to share our review in @natrevneurosci.bsky.social with @erin-schuman.bsky.social: “Understanding the Molecular Diversity of Synapses”🧠 Classification, importance of systems approaches, sources of diversity, and more! rdcu.be/d2xxF
@snsf-ch.bsky.social @maxplanck.de @biozentrum.bsky.social
Understanding the molecular diversity of synapses
Nature Reviews Neuroscience - The set of proteins present at synapses determines their heterogeneous functions and properties. In this Review, van Oostrum and Schuman describe the molecular...
rdcu.be
December 6, 2024 at 10:26 AM
Reposted by Shirley Dixit
Big day for single cell and neuroscience. Trio of single cell perspective pieces discussing applications, opportunities, challenges, and validation of single cell and spatial genomics in neuroscience are out now in Nature Neuroscience. Links in thread below.👇 1/n
December 3, 2024 at 5:22 PM