Prof. Moritz Rossner, LMU München

Neuronal circuit properties arise from coordinated gene networks governing synaptic transmission, excitability, and morphogenesis.​ I will present an integrated screening and validation workflow combining massively parallel reporter gene assays, perturb-seq, and quantitative morphological profiling to uncover and functionally categorize core neuronal modulators. Pooled genetic interference screening in neurons identified activity-regulated effectors and single-cell Perturb-seq resolves pathway overlap and cell-type-specific responses revealing multi-pathway “hub” genes as key network drivers.​ Automated morphological profiling links transcriptomic state to structural phenotype and highlights functionally distinct gene modules.​ Our approach enables causal, modular dissection of gene-function relationships in neuronal ensembles, bridging molecular perturbation to network-level phenotypes.