title: FlpStop, a tool for conditional gene control inDrosophila.
abstract: Manipulating gene function cell type-specifically is a common experimental goal inDrosophilaresearch and has been central to studies of neural development, circuit computation, and behavior. However, current cell type-specific gene disruption techniques in flies often reduce gene activity incompletely or rely on cell division. Here we describe FlpStop, a generalizable tool for conditional gene disruption and rescue in post-mitotic cells. In proof-of-principle experiments, we manipulatedapterous, a regulator of wing development. Next, we produced conditional null alleles ofGlutamic acid decarboxylase 1(Gad1) andResistant to dieldrin(Rdl), genes vital for GABAergic neurotransmission, as well ascacophony(cac) andparalytic(para), voltage-gated ion channels central to neuronal excitability. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we manipulatedcacin a specific visual interneuron type and discovered differential regulation of calcium signals across subcellular compartments. Thus, FlpStop will facilitate investigations into the interactions between genes, circuits, and computation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.
authors.forename: Yvette E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.
authors.forename: Helen H
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5140-9664
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.
authors.forename: Jesse
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Isaacman-Beck
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.
authors.forename: Marjorie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.
authors.forename: Daryl M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gohl
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6277-6849
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Clandinin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000235:genetics; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004772:Entomology / Q000379:methods*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018390:Gene Targeting / Q000379:methods*; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000379:methods*; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D015222:Sodium Channels; C472405:cac protein, Drosophila; C469950:para protein, Drosophila
keywords: D. melanogaster; apterous; chromosomes; conditional gene disruption; conditional gene rescue; genes; neuroscience; voltage-gated calcium channels