Tell Me Flies

How to build a brain? Here researchers peek inside a developing fruit fly (Drosophila) for answers – spotting what types of cells appear. The team use subtly different fluorescent markers to highlight neural stem cells (left) and a mixture of stem and supportive glial cells (right). Light sheet microscopy pinpoints each cell in 3D, revealing their depths in rainbow colours. But this is just the start – using genetic engineering the researchers go on to develop precise markers for 'active' neurons, those forming synapses to pass impulses around the early brain. While the fly’s brain is simpler than our own, we have enough in common to learn from its secrets. This combination of genetics, imaging and computer reconstruction allowed the researchers to spot differences in the numbers of neurons between male and female flies, raising interesting questions about similar sexual dimorphism in the human brain.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

Website

• Image from work by Wei Jiao and colleagues
• Brain Mind Institute, EPFL - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in eLife, July 2022