Glial cell development in the Drosophila embryo.
Glial cells play a central role in the development and function of complex nervous systems. Drosophila is an excellent model organism for the study of mechanisms underlying neural development, and recent attention has been focused on the differentiation and function of glial cells. We now have a nearly complete description of glial cell organization in the embryo, which enables a systematic genetic analysis of glial cell development. Most glia arise from neural stem cells that originate in the neurogenic ectoderm. The bifurcation of glial and neuronal fates is under the control of the glial promoting factor glial cells missing. Differentiation is propagated through the regulation of several transcription factors. Genes have been discovered affecting the terminal differentiation of glia, including the promotion glial-neuronal interactions and the formation of the blood-nerve barrier. Other roles of glia are being explored, including their requirement for axon guidance, neuronal survival, and signaling.
Jones
B W
BW
Molecular Neurobiology Program, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, and Department of Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA. bjones@saturn.med.nyu.edu
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D013997:Time Factors; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C102805:GCM protein, Drosophila; D009479:Neuropeptides; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors