The homeobox gene repo is required for the differentiation and maintenance of glia function in the embryonic nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster

We describe the cloning, expression and phenotypic characterisation of repo, a gene from Drosophila melanogaster that is essential for the differentiation and maintenance of glia function. It is not, however, required for the initial determination of glial cells. In the embryo, the gene, which encod...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Development (Cambridge) Vol. 121; no. 2; pp. 317 - 332
Main Authors:	Halter, D A, Urban, J, Rickert, C, Ner, S S, Ito, K, Travers, A A, Technau, G M
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England The Company of Biologists Limited 01-02-1995
Subjects:	Animals Base Sequence Central Nervous System - cytology Central Nervous System - embryology Cloning, Molecular DNA Probes - genetics Drosophila melanogaster - embryology Drosophila melanogaster - genetics Gene Expression Genes, Homeobox Genes, Insect Grasshoppers - embryology Grasshoppers - genetics Immunohistochemistry In Situ Hybridization Molecular Sequence Data Morphogenesis - genetics Nervous System - cytology Nervous System - embryology Neuroglia - cytology Neuroglia - physiology Peripheral Nervous System - cytology Peripheral Nervous System - embryology Phenotype
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	We describe the cloning, expression and phenotypic characterisation of repo, a gene from Drosophila melanogaster that is essential for the differentiation and maintenance of glia function. It is not, however, required for the initial determination of glial cells. In the embryo, the gene, which encodes a homeodomain protein, is expressed exclusively in all developing glia and closely related cells in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. The only observed exceptions in the CNS are the midline glia derived from the mesectoderm and two of three segmental nerve root glial cells. Using a polyclonal antibody we traced the spatial and temporal pattern of the protein expression in detail. Embryos homozygous for null alleles of the protein exhibit late developmental defects in the nervous system, including a reduction in the number of glial cells, disrupted fasciculation of axons, and the inhibition of ventral nerve cord condensation. The expression of an early glial-specific marker is unaffected in such homozygotes. By contrast, the expression of late glial-specific markers is either substantially reduced or absent. The specificity of expression is also observed in the locust Schistocerca gregaria and is thus evolutionarily conserved.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0950-1991 1477-9129
DOI:	10.1242/dev.121.2.317