Embryonic brain tract formation in Drosophila melanogaster

During embryogenesis in insects, the axonscaffold of the brain is built around the embryonic foregut which separates the anlagen of the brain hemispheres. Here, we investigate this process in Drosophila and show that the major longitudinal and horizontal tracts of the embryonic brain form superficially near the interface between the foregut and embryonic brain hemispheres. We identify three types of cellular structures which might be involved in tract formation. These are rows of glial cells at the medial brain margin, cellular bridges composed of neuronal somata and the epithelial surface of the foregut itself. The close proximity to the outgrowing axons suggests that the structures at the brain-foregut interface may play a role in the morphogenesis of embryonic brain tracts in Drosophila.