Identification of spatiotemporal RNA expression during Drosophila embryonic neurogenesis [DIV-MARIS]

We used immunostaining and FACS to enrich for distinct neural cell types at multiple stages of Drosophila neurogenesis for RNA-SeqIn Drosophila melanogaster, cell-type specification during early nervous system development requires precise regulation of gene expression in time and space. To investigate the gene regulation patterns in early neuronal development, we developed a method 'DIV-SortSeq' to enrich for specific neuroglial cell types for RNA sequencing: from early columnar subdivision and specification, through neuroglial differentiation. DIV-SortSeq recapitulates many of the known protein-coding transcriptome dynamics, as well as novel transcriptional regulatory patterns. We also performed nuclear-cytoplasmic fractionation of whole embryos - Fractionation-Seq - to assess temporal changes in subcellular localization of transcripts during embryogenesis. We present these data as a resource to permit further in-depth investigation into the functional roles of the coding and noncoding transcriptome during early Drosophila neurogenesis.