The small GTPase Rheb affects central brain neuronal morphology and memory formation in Drosophila.

Mutations in either of two tumor suppressor genes, TSC1 or TSC2, cause tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a syndrome resulting in benign hamartomatous tumors and neurological disorders. Cellular growth defects and neuronal disorganization associated with TSC are believed to be due to upregulated TOR signaling. We overexpressed Rheb, an upstream regulator of TOR, in two different subsets of D.

Fine-tuning of secondary arbor development: the effects of the ecdysone receptor on the adult neuronal lineages of the Drosophila thoracic CNS.

The adult central nervous system (CNS) of Drosophila is largely composed of relatively homogenous neuronal classes born during larval life. These adult-specific neuron lineages send out initial projections and then arrest development until metamorphosis, when intense sprouting occurs to establish the massive synaptic connections necessary for the behavior and function of the adult fly. In this study, we identified and characterized specific lineages in the adult CNS and described their secondary branch patterns.

Use of time-lapse imaging and dominant negative receptors to dissect the steroid receptor control of neuronal remodeling in Drosophila.

During metamorphosis, the reorganization of the nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster proceeds in part through remodeling of larval neurons. In this study, we used in-vitro imaging techniques and immunocytochemistry to track the remodeling of the thoracic ventral neurosecretory cells. Axons of these neurons prune their larval arbors early in metamorphosis and a larger, more extensive adult arbor is established via branch outgrowth.