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Dissection and Immunofluorescent Staining of Mushroom Body and Photoreceptor Neurons in Adult Drosophila melanogaster Brains
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Drosophila mef2 is essential for normal mushroom body and wing development

Jill R Crittenden1, Efthimios M C Skoulakis2, Elliott S Goldstein3

  • 1McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA jrc@mit.edu RDavis@scripps.edu.

Biology Open
|August 18, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) is crucial for fruit fly brain development, specifically mushroom body formation and neuron survival. This transcription factor is also vital for normal adult wing development in Drosophila.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) transcription factors are conserved in insects and vertebrates.
  • MEF2 plays essential roles in the differentiation of various cell types in both brain and muscle tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of MEF2 in the development of the fruit fly Drosophila.
  • To determine MEF2's function in the formation of mushroom bodies and wing development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Drosophila embryos and adults with mutations in the mef2 gene.
  • Examination of mushroom body neuron formation and axon bundle development in wild-type and mutant flies.
  • Investigation of MEF2 expression patterns during embryonic and larval stages.

Main Results:

  • MEF2 is essential for mushroom body formation in the embryonic Drosophila brain, with mutants showing reduced neuron numbers and absent axon bundles.
  • MEF2 expression begins during mushroom body formation and is restricted to post-mitotic neurons in larvae.
  • A point mutation affecting MEF2 nuclear localization resulted in restricted expression to specific Kenyon cell subsets projecting to certain mushroom body lobes.

Conclusions:

  • MEF2 is indispensable for the proper development of Drosophila mushroom bodies and adult wings.
  • MEF2's function in mushroom body development is linked to its expression timing and localization within specific neuronal populations.
Keywords:
BrainDrosophilaMEF2Mushroom bodiesVenationWing

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