Two-color in vivo imaging of photoreceptor apoptosis and development in Drosophila

• Published in: Developmental biology Vol. 351; no. 1; pp. 128 - 134
• Main Authors: Gambis, Alexis, Dourlen, Pierre, Steller, Hermann, Mollereau, Bertrand
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-03-2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: adults; Animals; Apoptosis; caspases; Cell Polarity; Cell Survival; death; Development; Development Biology; DNA-Binding Proteins - physiology; Drosophila; Drosophila - physiology; Drosophila Proteins - physiology; Fluorescence; genes; image analysis; Life Sciences; mutants; Mutation; Neuron; neurons; Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate - physiology; photoreceptors; Polarity; Retina; Transcription Factors - physiology; Development; Polarity; Retina; Neuron; Apoptosis
• ISSN: 0012-1606; 1095-564X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.12.040

We report a new two-color fluorescent imaging system to visualize the mosaic adult photoreceptor neurons (PRs) in real-time. Using this method, we examined a collection of 434 mutants and identified genes required for PR survival, planar cell polarity (PCP), patterning and differentiation. We could track the progression of PR degeneration in living flies. By introducing the expression of p35, a caspase inhibitor, we found mutations that specifically activate caspase-dependent death. Moreover, we showed that grh is required in R3 for correct PCP establishment. The “Tomato/GFP-FLP/FRT” method allows high-throughput, rapid and precise identification of survival and developmental pathways in living adult PRs at single-cell resolution.
► A method to directly visualize mutant photoreceptors at a single-cell resolution. ► Live imaging of progressive photoreceptor degeneration in an adult fly. ► fatpk10307, CG9523k11101, l(3)06536j2E5 and l(2)k09828 induce apoptosis of photoreceptor. ► grh is required in R3 for PCP establishment.