Transcriptional Regulation of Peripheral Glial Cell Differentiation in the Embryonic Nervous System of Drosophila

The Drosophila nervous system is ideally suited to study glial cell development and function, because it harbors only relatively few glial cells, and nervous system development is very well conserved during evolution. In the past, enhancer trap studies provided tools allowing to study glial cells with a single-cell resolution and, moreover, disclosed a surprising molecular heterogeneity among the different glial cells. The peripheral nervous system in the embryo comprises only 12 glial cells in one hemisegment and thus offers a unique opportunity to decipher the mechanisms directing glial development. Here, we focus on transcriptional regulators that have been reported to function during gliogenesis. To uncover additional regulators, we have conducted a genetic screen and report the identification of two additional transcriptional regulators involved in the control of peripheral glial migration: nejire and tango. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.