The functional organisation of glia in the adult brain of Drosophila and other insects

Edwards, Tara N.; Meinertzhagen, Ian A.

doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2010.01.001

Cited by 186 publications

(215 citation statements)

References 256 publications

(511 reference statements)

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“…Glia insulates and supports neurons, facilitates and modulates electrical conductance, and influences synaptic transmission (Barres, 2008;Nave and Trapp, 2008;Zlokovic, 2008). In Drosophila, different glial cell types can be distinguished which exert specific functions (Edwards and Meinertzhagen, 2010). The outermost layer of the entire nervous system is build by the perineurial and subperineurial glia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kinesin Heavy Chain Function inDrosophilaGlial Cells Controls Neuronal Activity

et al. 2012

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Kinesin heavy chain (Khc) is crucially required for axonal transport and khc mutants show axonal swellings and paralysis. Here, we demonstrate that in Drosophila khc is equally important in glial cells. Glial-specific downregulation of khc by RNA interference suppresses neuronal excitability and results in spastic flies. The specificity of the phenotype was verified by interspecies rescue experiments and further mutant analyses. Khc is mostly required in the subperineurial glia forming the blood-brain barrier. Following glial-specific knockdown, peripheral nerves are swollen with maldistributed mitochondria. To better understand khc function, we determined Khcdependent Rab proteins in glia and present evidence that Neurexin IV, a well known blood-brain barrier constituent, is one of the relevant cargo proteins. Our work shows that the role of Khc for neuronal excitability must be considered in the light of its necessity for directed transport in glia.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kinesin Heavy Chain Function inDrosophilaGlial Cells Controls Neuronal Activity

et al. 2012

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“…Each of these glial types has characteristic morphologies and functions, and interacts with neurons in different ways. For example, astrocytes have extensive membrane-membrane contacts with neurons as the highly branched astrocyte processes interact with synapses in the so-called 'tri-partite synapse' (Edwards and Meinertzhagen, 2010). By contrast, subperineural glia are thought to contribute to the blood-brain barrier, and only have limited contact with neurons (Edwards and Meinertzhagen, 2010).…”

Section: Monitoring Glia-neuron Interactions In the Brainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring cell-cell contacts in vivo in transgenic animals

Huang¹,

Velho²,

Lois³

2016

Journal of Cell Science

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We used a synthetic genetic system based on ligand-induced intramembrane proteolysis to monitor cell-cell contacts in animals. Upon ligand-receptor interaction in sites of cell-cell contact, the transmembrane domain of an engineered receptor is cleaved by intramembrane proteolysis and releases a protein fragment that regulates transcription in the interacting partners. We demonstrate that the system can be used to regulate gene expression between interacting cells, both in vitro and in vivo, in transgenic Drosophila. We show that the system allows for detection of interactions between neurons and glia in the Drosophila nervous system. In addition, we observed that when the ligand is expressed in subsets of neurons with a restricted localization in the brain it leads to activation of transcription in a selected set of glial cells that interact with those neurons. This system will be useful to monitor cell-cell interactions in animals, and can be used to genetically manipulate cells that interact with one another.

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“…Distinct classes of glia are based on their morphology and function similar to their mammalian counterparts [10,13,[15][16][17] (Table 1 and Fig. 1).…”

Section: Drosophila Gliamentioning

confidence: 99%

Glial cells in neuronal development: recent advances and insights from Drosophila melanogaster

Xiao

et al. 2014

Neurosci. Bull.

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Glia outnumber neurons and are the most abundant cell type in the nervous system. Whereas neurons are the major carriers, transducers, and processors of information, glial cells, once considered mainly to play a passive supporting role, are now recognized for their active contributions to almost every aspect of nervous system development. Recently, insights from the invertebrate organism Drosophila melanogaster have advanced our knowledge of glial cell biology. In particular, findings on neuron-glia interactions via intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms have shed light on the importance of glia during different stages of neuronal development. Here, we summarize recent advances in understanding the functions of Drosophila glia, which resemble their mammalian counterparts in morphology and function, neural stem-cell conversion, synapse formation, and developmental axon pruning. These discoveries reinforce the idea that glia are substantial players in the developing nervous system and further advance the understanding of mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration.Keywords: glia; neuronal development; Gcm; neurodegeneration; neural stem cell; synapse formation; axon pruning Conventionally, glia have been considered to play a passive supporting role due to a lack of electrical excitability for transducing information like neurons. Nonetheless, compelling evidence has demonstrated that glia participate actively in mediating a number of neuronal events such as axon guidance, peripheral axon ensheathment, and formation of the blood-brain barrier to protect the central nervous system (CNS) [1][2][3][4][5] . On the other hand, a tripartite model that includes glia has recently been proposed to revise the classical view of synaptic structure [6][7][8] . In addition to the presynaptic and postsynaptic compartments, adjacent glia, particularly mammalian astrocytes, are now envisioned as one of the major components integrating synaptic function by releasing gliotransmitters, promoting synapse formation, and regulating synaptic plasticity [9] .Intriguingly, studies from the invertebrate model organism Several recent articles have provided excellent overviews of the origin and development of glia [10][11][12][13][14] . In this review, we explicitly summarize glial functions that have emerged as key mechanisms in the regulation of neuronal development in Drosophila. We describe the distinct classes of Drosophila glia, followed by a discussion of how they modulate neural stem-cell behavior, an extrinsic regulatory step during the early stage of neural fate decision. Next, we discuss how glia secrete different factors to affect the development and function of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Finally, we compare the glia-derived two-step secretion/engulfment mechanism in NMJ remodeling with axon pruning of mushroom body (MB) γ-neurons.Altogether, these recent discoveries point to a significant role for glia during neuronal development, and provide novel insights into mechanisms leading to a destabilized state of the nervous system, as i...

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The functional organisation of glia in the adult brain of Drosophila and other insects

Cited by 186 publications

References 256 publications

Kinesin Heavy Chain Function inDrosophilaGlial Cells Controls Neuronal Activity

Kinesin Heavy Chain Function inDrosophilaGlial Cells Controls Neuronal Activity

Monitoring cell-cell contacts in vivo in transgenic animals

Glial cells in neuronal development: recent advances and insights from Drosophila melanogaster

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