Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Nervous Tissue: Glial Cells

Nervous Tissue: Glial Cells

Glia, or neuroglia, are vital support cells that assist neurons in their functions. The term "glia" originates from the Greek word for "glue," reflecting their role in holding the nervous system together. These cells can be categorized into six types: four in the central nervous system (CNS) and two in the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
The CNS glial cell includes the astrocytes, the oligodendrocytes, the microglia, and the ependymal cells.
Astrocytes are star-shaped glial...

Glial Cells

Glial Cells

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Developmental and age-related synapse elimination is mediated by glial Croquemort.

Neuron·2026

Same author

Diet-dependent sleep modulation by the <i>Drosophila</i> amino acid transporter ANIDRA.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

All-in-one, Cas13d-based cell-specific gene knockdown system for zebrafish.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 protects neurons from Sarm1-mediated neurodegeneration.

Cell reports·2026

Same author

SARM1 as a dsDNA detector to sense nuclear damage and viruses to drive cell death.

Molecular cell·2025

Same author

GPCR signaling gates astrocyte responsiveness to neurotransmitters and control of neuronal activity.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Application of MultiColor FlpOut Technique to Study High Resolution Single Cell Morphologies and Cell Interactions of Glia in Drosophila

Application of MultiColor FlpOut Technique to Study High Resolution Single Cell Morphologies and Cell Interactions of Glia in Drosophila

Published on: October 20, 2017

Drosophila Central Nervous System Glia.

Marc R Freeman¹

¹Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605.

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

|February 28, 2015

Summary

Drosophila glial cells, including astrocytes, cortex glia, and ensheathing glia, play crucial roles in neural circuit formation and function. These invertebrate glial cells share many molecular and functional similarities with mammalian astrocytes.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cell Biology
Genetics

Background:

Molecular genetic studies in model organisms like Drosophila have illuminated neuronal cell biology.
Understanding of glial cell functions, particularly in vivo, is rapidly advancing.
Invertebrate models offer valuable systems for studying glial cell biology.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the current understanding of neuron-associated glial cells in the Drosophila central nervous system (CNS).
To highlight the roles of Drosophila glial cells in neural circuit development, function, plasticity, and pathology.
To compare the molecular and functional attributes of Drosophila glial cells with mammalian astrocytes.

Main Methods:

Review of existing scientific literature on Drosophila glial cells.

More Related Videos

Stimulating and Analyzing Adult Neurogenesis in the Drosophila Central Brain

Stimulating and Analyzing Adult Neurogenesis in the Drosophila Central Brain

Published on: October 8, 2021

Assay for Blood-brain Barrier Integrity in Drosophila melanogaster

Assay for Blood-brain Barrier Integrity in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: September 18, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Application of MultiColor FlpOut Technique to Study High Resolution Single Cell Morphologies and Cell Interactions of Glia in Drosophila

Application of MultiColor FlpOut Technique to Study High Resolution Single Cell Morphologies and Cell Interactions of Glia in Drosophila

Published on: October 20, 2017

Stimulating and Analyzing Adult Neurogenesis in the Drosophila Central Brain

Stimulating and Analyzing Adult Neurogenesis in the Drosophila Central Brain

Published on: October 8, 2021

Assay for Blood-brain Barrier Integrity in Drosophila melanogaster

Assay for Blood-brain Barrier Integrity in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: September 18, 2019

Analysis of molecular and genetic data from studies in Drosophila.

Comparative analysis of glial cell functions across species.

Main Results:

Identified three major neuron-associated glial cell types in the Drosophila CNS: astrocytes, cortex glia, and ensheathing glia.
These glial cells exhibit astrocyte-like properties, including vascular coupling and synaptic association.
Demonstrated essential roles for these glial cells in neural circuit formation, function, plasticity, and pathology.

Conclusions:

Drosophila CNS glial cells share significant molecular and functional similarities with mammalian astrocytes.
Further research into Drosophila glial cells can provide fundamental insights into glial biology.
Invertebrate models are powerful tools for dissecting glial cell-neuron interactions.