Drosophila as a Model to Study the Blood-Brain Barrier

Abstract

The Drosophila blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been shown to be largely analogous in structure and function to the vertebrate BBB. Thanks to the genetic tools available for this organism, Drosophila is uniquely suited to study bbb physiology and function, with high relevance for mammalian function. In this chapter we discuss targeting strategies to specifically mark and manipulate BBB cells, how to test BBB integrity, and methods to isolate single-BBB cells.