Drosophila Central Nervous System Glia
Open accessAbstract
Molecular genetic approaches in small model organisms like Drosophila have helped to elucidate fundamental principles of neuronal cell biology. Much less is understood about glial cells, although interest in using invertebrate preparations to define their in vivo functions has increased significantly in recent years. This review focuses on our current understanding of the three major neuron-associated glial cell types found in the Drosophila central nervous system (CNS)-astrocytes, cortex glia, and ensheathing glia. Together, these cells act like mammalian astrocytes: they surround neuronal cell bodies and proximal neurites, are coupled to the vasculature, and associate closely with synapses. Exciting recent work has shown essential roles for these CNS glial cells in neural circuit formation, function, plasticity, and pathology. As we gain a more firm molecular and cellular understanding of how Drosophila CNS glial cells interact with neurons, it is becoming clear they share significant molecular and functional attributes with mammalian astrocytes.
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The mdg4-CLEVR reporter reveals that pan-glial TDP-43 overexpression causes mdg4 transposition in astrocyte-like cells as well as perineural and subperineural glia, specialized glial cell types that constitute the Drosophila blood-brain barrier.
“The mdg4-CLEVR reporter reveals that pan-glial TDP-43 overexpression causes mdg4 transposition in astrocyte-like cells as well as perineural and subperineural glia, specialized glial cell types that constitute the Drosophila blood-brain barrier”
From The Role of Retrotransposons and Endogenous Retroviruses in Age-Dependent Neurodegenerative Disorders (2024) · cites this paper as Freeman 2015
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Astrocytes mediate synapse elimination through MEGF10 and MERTK pathways
Chung, W.-S., Clarke, L. E., Wang, G. X., Stafford, B. K., Sher, A., Chakraborty, C., Joung, J., Foo, L. C., Thompson, A., Chen, C., et al. (2013) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature12776 · Cited by 1,377 · cited 4× · see citing works
“2006), similar to mammalian astrocytes (Chung et al. 2013).”
InfluentialGliotransmitters Travel in Time and Space
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Astrocyte glypicans 4 and 6 promote formation of excitatory synapses via GluA1 AMPA receptors
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Research works printed but not linked: 1
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Cellular diversity in the Drosophila midbrain revealed by single-cell transcriptomics
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Glia in mammalian development and disease
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Phenotypic convergence: distinct transcription factors regulate common terminal features
Konstantinides, N., Kapuralin, K., Fadil, C., Barboza, L., Satija, R., & Desplan, C. (2018) · Cell · doi:10.1016/j.cell.2018.05.021 · Cited by 226 · see citing works
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The development and assembly of the Drosophila adult ventral nerve cord
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The RNA exosome maintains cellular RNA homeostasis by controlling transcript abundance in the brain
Higginson, L. A., Wang, X., He, K., Torstrick, M., Kim, M., Wijeratne, H. R. S., Runnebohm, A. M., Benayoun, B. A., MacLean, A., Chanfreau, G. F., et al. (2026) · Cell Reports · doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116729 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
- Authors
- Freeman, M. R.
- Affiliations
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Freeman, Marc R.
- Venue
- Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
- Publisher
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- Published
- 2015-02-26
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- a020552
- ISSN
- 1943-0264 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4632667
- OpenAlex
- W2156831108
- Cited by
- 309
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 40 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 5
- Type
- posted content
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network (American Medical Association) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- National Institutes of Health (RO1 NS03538)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01 NS03538, R37NS053538)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Keywords
- Drosophila central nervous system, glial cells, astrocytes, cortex glia, ensheathing glia, neuron-glia interactions, neural circuit formation, neuroplasticity, glial pathology, synapses
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Astrocytes, Cell Communication, Drosophila, Models, Biological, Nerve Net, Neuroglia, Neuronal Plasticity, Neurons
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