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New tools for the analysis of glial cell biology in Drosophila
Author(s) -
Awasaki Takeshi,
Lee Tzumin
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
glia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.954
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1098-1136
pISSN - 0894-1491
DOI - 10.1002/glia.21133
Subject(s) - biology , nervous system , drosophila (subgenus) , neuroscience , drosophila melanogaster , function (biology) , model organism , neuroglia , vertebrate , neuron , neural development , central nervous system , evolutionary biology , genetics , gene
Because of its genetic, molecular, and behavioral tractability, Drosophila has emerged as a powerful model system for studying molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the development and function of nervous systems. The Drosophila nervous system has fewer neurons and exhibits a lower glia:neuron ratio than is seen in vertebrate nervous systems. Despite the simplicity of the Drosophila nervous system, glial organization in flies is as sophisticated as it is in vertebrates. Furthermore, fly glial cells play vital roles in neural development and behavior. In addition, powerful genetic tools are continuously being created to explore cell function in vivo . In taking advantage of these features, the fly nervous system serves as an excellent model system to study general aspects of glial cell development and function in vivo . In this article, we review and discuss advanced genetic tools that are potentially useful for understanding glial cell biology in Drosophila . © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.