A GAL4-Driver Line Resource for Drosophila Neurobiology

Abstract

We established a collection of 7,000 transgenic lines of Drosophila melanogaster. Expression of GAL4 in each line is controlled by a different, defined fragment of genomic DNA that serves as a transcriptional enhancer. We used confocal microscopy of dissected nervous systems to determine the expression patterns driven by each fragment in the adult brain and ventral nerve cord. We present image data on 6,650 lines. Using both manual and machine-assisted annotation, we describe the expression patterns in the most useful lines. We illustrate the utility of these data for identifying novel neuronal cell types, revealing brain asymmetry, and describing the nature and extent of neuronal shape stereotypy. The GAL4 lines allow expression of exogenous genes in distinct, small subsets of the adult nervous system. The set of DNA fragments, each driving a documented expression pattern, will facilitate the generation of additional constructs for manipulating neuronal function. Rubin and colleagues have established a collection of 7,000 GAL4 driver lines in Drosophila. A different, defined fragment of genomic DNA serves as a transcriptional enhancer to control GAL4 expression in each line. The authors describe the expression patterns driven by each fragment in the adult brain and ventral nerve cord and illustrate the utility of these data in identifying novel neuronal cell types, revealing brain asymmetry, and describing the nature and extent of neuronal shape stereotypy. © 2012 The Authors.