The glia of the adult Drosophila nervous system. Issue 4 (30th January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kremer, Malte C.; Jung, Christophe; Batelli, Sara; Rubin, Gerald M.; Gaul, Ulrike
• Is Part Of: Glia. Volume 65:Issue 4(2017)
• Page Start: 606
• Page End: 638
• Publication Date: 2017-01-30
• Subjects: glial subtypes -- morphology -- glial cell interaction -- GAL4 lines -- multicolor mosaic; Neuroglia -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; 611.0188
• DOI: 10.1002/glia.23115
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0894-1491

Abstract

Abstract : Glia play crucial roles in the development and homeostasis of the nervous system. While the GLIA in the Drosophila embryo have been well characterized, their study in the adult nervous system has been limited. Here, we present a detailed description of the glia in the adult nervous system, based on the analysis of some 500 glial drivers we identified within a collection of synthetic GAL4 lines. We find that glia make up ∼10% of the cells in the nervous system and envelop all compartments of neurons (soma, dendrites, axons) as well as the nervous system as a whole. Our morphological analysis suggests a set of simple rules governing the morphogenesis of glia and their interactions with other cells. All glial subtypes minimize contact with their glial neighbors but maximize their contact with neurons and adapt their macromorphology and micromorphology to the neuronal entities they envelop. Finally, glial cells show no obvious spatial organization or registration with neuronal entities. Our detailed description of all glial subtypes and their regional specializations, together with the powerful genetic toolkit we provide, will facilitate the functional analysis of glia in the mature nervous system. GLIA 2017 GLIA 2017;65:606–638 Main Points: Glia envelop all compartments of a neuron and the nervous system as a whole. All glial subtypes minimize contact with their glial neighbors and maximize their contact with neurons, however, show no obvious registration with the neuronal entities.