title: A guide to study Drosophila muscle biology.
abstract: The development and molecular composition of muscle tissue is evolutionarily conserved. Drosophila is a powerful in vivo model system to investigate muscle morphogenesis and function. Here, we provide a short and comprehensive overview of the important developmental steps to build Drosophila body muscle in embryos, larvae and pupae. We describe key methods, including muscle histology, live imaging and genetics, to study these steps at various developmental stages and include simple behavioural assays to assess muscle function in larvae and adults. We list valuable antibodies and fly strains that can be used for these different methods. This overview should guide the reader to choose the best marker or the appropriate method to obtain high quality muscle morphogenesis data in Drosophila.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weitkunat
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany. Electronic address: schnorrer@biochem.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schnorrer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015509:Developmental Biology / Q000379:methods*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D024510:Muscle Development / Q000235:genetics*; D011679:Pupa / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development
keywords: Development; Dissection; Drosophila; Imaging; Method; Muscle