title: Neurons with GABAergic phenotype in the visual system of Drosophila.
abstract: The visual system of Drosophila contains ~60,000 neurons per hemisphere that are organized in parallel, retinotopically arranged columns. The neuroanatomy of these neurons has been mapped in considerable detail at both the light and ultrastructural level. However, studies providing direct evidence for synaptic signaling and the neurotransmitter used by individual neurons are relatively sparse. Here we characterize those neurons in the Drosophila optic lobes that possibly release gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter of the insect central nervous system. We identified 26 different types of neurons of the lamina, medulla, lobula, and lobula plate. Based on the previous Golgi-staining analysis (Fischbach and Dittrich [1989] Cell Tissue Res 258:441-475), the identified neurons are further classified into 11 major subgroups representing lamina monopolar (L), medulla intrinsic (Mi, Mt), bushy T (T), transmedullary (Tm), transmedullary Y (TmY), Y, lobula-complex intrinsic (Lccn), lobula columnar (Lcn), lobula plate intrinsic (Lpi), and lobula tangential (Lt) cell types. This detailed map of neurons with GABAergic phenotype will contribute to the future neurogenetic dissection of information processing circuits in the fly visual system.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology, Department of Systems and Computational Neurobiology, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany. Shamprasad.VarijaRaghu@nrp.a-star.edu.sg
authors.forename: Shamprasad Varija
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Raghu
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Claussen
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borst
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001931:Brain Mapping; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009899:Optic Lobe, Nonmammalian; D010641:Phenotype; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050495:Vesicular Inhibitory Amino Acid Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000166:cytology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C557617:GAL4 protein, Drosophila; D014157:Transcription Factors; D050495:Vesicular Inhibitory Amino Acid Transport Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid