A New Behavioral Test and Associated Genetic Tools Highlight the Function of Ventral Abdominal Muscles in Adult .

The function of the nervous system in complex animals is reflected by the achievement of specific behaviors. For years in , both simple and complex behaviors have been studied and their genetic bases have emerged. The neuromuscular junction is maybe one of the prototypal simplest examples.

Identification of DmTTLL5 as a Major Tubulin Glutamylase in the Drosophila Nervous System.

Microtubules (MTs) play crucial roles during neuronal life. They are formed by heterodimers of alpha and beta-tubulins, which are subjected to several post-translational modifications (PTMs). Amongst them, glutamylation consists in the reversible addition of a variable number of glutamate residues to the C-terminal tails of tubulins.

Gαo is required for L-canavanine detection in Drosophila.

Taste is an essential sense for the survival of most organisms. In insects, taste is particularly important as it allows to detect and avoid ingesting many plant toxins, such as L-canavanine. We previously showed that L-canavanine is toxic for Drosophila melanogaster and that flies are able to detect this toxin in the food.

Dynamics of glutamatergic signaling in the mushroom body of young adult Drosophila.

Background: The mushroom bodies (MBs) are paired brain centers located in the insect protocerebrum involved in olfactory learning and memory and other associative functions. Processes from the Kenyon cells (KCs), their intrinsic neurons, form the bulk of the MB's calyx, pedunculus and lobes. In young adult Drosophila, the last-born KCs extend their processes in the alpha/beta lobes as a thin core (alpha/beta cores) that is embedded in the surrounding matrix of other mature KC processes.