title: From mouth to anus: Functional and structural relevance of enteric neurons in the Drosophila melanogaster gut.
abstract: The intestinal tract is the main organ involved in host nutritional homeostasis. Intestinal function in both vertebrates and invertebrates is partly controlled by enteric neurons that innervate the gut. Though anatomical and functional aspects of enteric neurons are relatively less characterized in Drosophila than in large insects, analyses of the role of the enteric neurons in flies have remarkably progressed in the last few years. In this review, we first provide a summary of the structure and function of the Drosophila intestine. We then discuss recent studies of the structure and function of enteric neurons in Drosophila melanogaster.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biopharmacy and Genetics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: takayuki.kuraishi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuraishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biopharmacy and Genetics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kenmoku
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biopharmacy and Genetics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. Electronic address: kurata@m.tohoku.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Shoichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000294:innervation; D007814:Larva / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Drosophila; Enteric neurons; Peritrophic matrix