The Drosophila larval lymph gland is the main hematopoietic organ. It is composed of multiple lobes, with the primary lobe being the main site of hematopoiesis. This lobe is compartmentalized into the medullary zone (MZ) where blood progenitors are maintained, and the cortical zone (CZ), where differentiated cells, plasmatocytes and crystal cells, are accumulate. While intrinsic regulatory mechanisms have been extensively characterized, the contribution of external signals to progenitor fate decisions remains less explored. Previous studies have reported that neurotransmitters such as GABA and dopamine modulate blood cell differentiation. However, the potential role of serotonergic signaling in this process has not yet been investigated.
In this study, we performed an in silico analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data from the lymph gland, to assess the expression of key genes involved in serotonergic signaling, including receptors, transporters, and biosynthetic enzymes. By characterizing their distribution across different cell populations, we aim to explore whether serotonin could act as a novel extrinsic regulator of hematopoietic differentiation. Our findings may provide new insights into the neuro-immune interface in Drosophila and contribute to understanding conserved mechanisms of hematopoietic regulation.