Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2000-2-25
pubmed:abstractText
Visualization of specific transsynaptic neural pathways is an indispensable technique for understanding the relationship between structure and function in the nervous system. Here, we demonstrate the application of the wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) transgene technique for tracing transsynaptic neural pathways in Drosophila. The intracellular localization of WGA was examined by immunoelectron microscopy. WGA signals were detected in granule-like structures in both the outer photoreceptor cells expressing WGA and the second-order laminar neurons. Misexpression of tetanus toxin (TNT), which inactivates N-synaptobrevin, in the outer photoreceptor cells resulted in the elimination of on/off transients in electroretinogram (ERG) recordings and in a great reduction in WGA transfer into laminar neurons, suggesting that anterograde WGA transsynaptic transfer is dependent mainly on synaptic transmission. Retrograde WGA transfer was also detected upon its forced expression in muscle cells. WGA primarily expressed in muscle cells was taken up by motoneuron axons and transported to their cell bodies in the ventral nerve cord, suggesting that WGA can trace motoneuronal pathways in combination with the muscle-specific GAL4 driver. Thus, the GAL4/UAS-WGA system should facilitate the dissection of the Drosophila neural circuit formation and/or synaptic activity in various regions and at various developmental stages.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
0360-4012
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
1
pubmed:volume
59
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
94-9
pubmed:dateRevised
2009-11-19
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2000
pubmed:articleTitle
GAL4/UAS-WGA system as a powerful tool for tracing Drosophila transsynaptic neural pathways.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't