[Drosophila] Re: ELAV question

[dr julien colomb]

On 29/11/2012 23:20, sandra schulze wrote:
> Hello people of Flyland...
>
> I have two neuro questions.
>
> 1. do the ELAV GAL4 drivers express in the adult nervous system?

Yes it does. The elavGal4 on the X show expression pan-neurally in 
adults, it is a bit weak, though; and I heard the expression decrease 
with age. The elav-Gal4 on the third chromosome is not pan-neural. 
APPL-Gal4 can also be used and seem more stable. The n-syb-Gal4 on the 
third seems to be pan-neural, too.
I have got this information asking students in S.Sigrist's lab in Berlin 
who looked at the expression using a UAS-CD8GFP.
> 2. how much of the larval nervous system makes it into the adult?
It much depends on the system you are looking at. A lot of the neurons 
prune during metamorphosis and then change shape but do not go apoptosis 
(even motorneurons are recycled).

In contrast, Gal4 expression may change without neurons to die or being 
born. For each Gal4, one has thus to look at both stages to be sure of 
its expression (and expression may also change depending on the UAS 
driver one is using...).

>
> I guess what I really want to know is how many pan-neuronal nervous
> system drivers that are listed as being larval still might function in
> the adult. I'd like to know this also for the fat body drivers (Lsp
> GAL4 (BL6357);  c754 GAL4 (BL6984) and r4-GAL4 (BL33832).
That I do not know.
>
> Cheers,
>
> S
>