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Updated: Oct 26, 2026
Retrograde Tracing of Drosophila Embryonic Motor Neurons Using Lipophilic Fluorescent Dyes
Published on: January 12, 2020
In vivo dynamics of axon pathfinding in the Drosophilia CNS: a time-lapse study of an identified motorneuron
M J Murray1, D J Merritt, A H Brand
1Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
Abstract:
We developed a system for time-lapse observation of identified neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) of the Drosophila embryo. Using this system, we characterize the dynamics of filopodia and axon growth of the motorneuron RP2 as it navigates anteriorly through the CNS and then laterally along the intersegmental nerve (ISN) into the periphery. We find that both axonal extension and turning occur primarily through the process of filopodial dilation. In addition, we used the GAL4-UAS system to express the fusion protein Tau-GFP in a subset of neurons, allowing us to correlate RP2's patterns of growth with a subset of axons in its environment. In particular, we show that RP2's sharp lateral turn is coincident with the nascent ISN.
