Baz, Par-6 and aPKC are not required for axon or dendrite specification in Drosophila

Par-3/Baz, Par-6, and aPKC are evolutionarily conserved regulators of cell polarity, and overexpression experiments implicate them as axon determinants in vertebrate hippocampal neurons. Here we examined their mutant and overexpression phenotypes in Drosophila melanogaster. We found that mutants neurons had normal axon and dendrite morphology and remodeled axons correctly in metamorphosis, and that overexpression did not affect axon or dendrite specification. Baz/Par-6/aPKC are therefore not essential for axon specification in Drosophila.