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Genetic control of dendritic morphogenesis in Drosophila
Fen-Biao Gao1, Brigitte A Bogert
1Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94141-9100, USA. fgao@gladstone.ucsf.edu
Abstract:
How the dendritic branching patterns of different neurons are specified is a fascinating question in developmental neurobiology. This question can now be addressed in detail in Drosophila, owing to technological advances that allow in vivo labeling of the dendrites of identifiable neurons. Recent genetic analyses in flies have uncovered several molecules, including transcription factors, cytoskeleton-associated proteins and membrane receptor-like molecules, that provide a glimpse into the complex regulatory network that controls dendritic morphogenesis.