Nicolaï, L.J., Ramaekers, A., Raemaekers, T., Drozdzecki, A., Mauss, A.S., Yan, J., Landgraf, M., Annaert, W., Hassan, B.A. (2010). Genetically encoded dendritic marker sheds light on neuronal connectivity in Drosophila.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107(47): 20553--20558.

FBrf0212380

Research paper

In recent years, Drosophila melanogaster has emerged as a powerful model for neuronal circuit development, pathology, and function. A major impediment to these studies has been the lack of a genetically encoded, specific, universal, and phenotypically neutral marker of the somatodendritic compartment. We have developed such a marker and show that it is effective and specific in all neuronal populations tested in the peripheral and central nervous system. The marker, which we name DenMark (Dendritic Marker), is a hybrid protein of the mouse protein ICAM5/Telencephalin and the red fluorescent protein mCherry. We show that DenMark is a powerful tool for revealing novel aspects of the neuroanatomy of developing dendrites, identifying previously unknown dendritic arbors, and elucidating neuronal connectivity.

PMC2996714 (PMC) (EuropePMC)