Lapsyn controls branch extension and positioning of astrocyte-like glia in the Drosophila optic lobe.

ABSTRACT: Astrocytes have diverse, remarkably complex shapes in different brain regions. Their branches closely associate with neurons. Despite the importance of this heterogeneous glial cell type for brain development and function, the molecular cues controlling astrocyte branch morphogenesis and positioning during neural circuit assembly remain largely unknown. We found that in the Drosophila visual system, astrocyte-like medulla neuropil glia (mng) variants acquire stereotypic morphologies with columnar and layered branching patterns in a stepwise fashion from mid-metamorphosis onwards. Using knockdown and loss-of-function analyses, we uncovered a previously unrecognized role for the transmembrane leucine-rich repeat protein Lapsyn in regulating mng development. lapsyn is expressed in mng and cel

SUBMITTER: Richier B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5567088 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature