The blood-brain barrier--lessons from moody flies.
Despite the importance of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), little is known about the molecular mechanisms that control its integrity. The identification of moody, a gene required for the formation and maintenance of the Drosophila BBB, provides new insight into how paracellular junctions are formed at the barrier. Meanwhile, moody also has been identified in a screen for fly mutants with altered sensitivity to cocaine, remarkably implicating the BBB in the physiological response to narcotics.
Daneman
Richard
R
Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA 94305, USA. rdaneman@stanford.edu
Barres
Ben A
BA
D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled