Drosophila Late Embryonic through Late Larval Stage Body Wall Dissection: Dissection Tools and Techniques

One of the challenges of studying synaptic structure and function is accessibility. Some of the earliest readily identifiable and accessible synapses were from the frog and various arthropods. To address questions regarding mechanisms that underlie synaptic development and function, genetically tractable systems were required, and researchers turned to the Drosophila melanogaster embryonic/larval neuromuscular preparation. Drosophila embryos are transparent and can be labeled with antibodies or probes and imaged in whole-mount preparation for structural analysis. Embryos can also be dissected to visualize the entire body wall musculature as well as finer details including live protein trafficking and protein-protein interactions. Whereas younger dissected embryos can be mounted directly onto charged slides, more mature embryos and larvae develop a cuticle that impedes this adherence, so different techniques must be applied. In this protocol, we detail how to manufacture dissection tools and collect embryos, and discuss the individual steps of dissecting late-stage embryos, early first-instar larvae, and late-stage third-instar larvae.