The metazoan gut performs multiple physiologic functions, including digestion and absorption of nutrients, and also serves as a physical and chemical barrier against ingested pathogens and abrasive particles. Maintenance of these functions and structures is partly controlled by the nervous system, yet the precise roles and mechanisms of the neural control of gut integrity remain to be clarified in Drosophila. Here we screened for GAL4 enhancer-trap strains and labeled specific subsets of neurons. To inhibit their neuronal activity, we used Kir2.1. We identified an NP3253 line that is susceptible to oral infection by Gram-negative bacteria. The subset of neurons driven by the NP3253 line includes some of the enteric neurons innervating the anterior midgut, and these flies have a disorganized proventricular structure with high permeability of the peritrophic matrix and epithelial barrier. The findings of the present study indicate that neural control is crucial for maintaining the barrier function of the gut, and provide a route for genetic dissection of the complex brain-gut axis in the model organism Drosophila adults.
A subset of neurons controls the permeability of the peritrophic matrix and midgut structure in Drosophila adults
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Hiroyuki Kenmoku, Hiroki Ishikawa, Manabu Ote, Takayuki Kuraishi, Shoichiro Kurata; A subset of neurons controls the permeability of the peritrophic matrix and midgut structure in Drosophila adults. J Exp Biol 2016; jeb.122960. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.122960
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