Drosophila blood brain barrier - The nuclei are labelled in green, the nervous system is labelled in magenta.
© R. Kottmeier - C. Klämbt

    Analysis of the Drosophila blood-brain barrier

    The blood-brain barrier in Drosophila is made by a set of specialized septate junction forming cells that establish an endothelial-like sheet around the entire nervous system. We seek to understand the role of tricellular junctions for the dynamics of septate junction formation and their transient opening during inflammation. We previously demonstrated transmigration of macrophages across the Drosophila blood-brain barrier and will now determine the signals that lure the macrophages towards and into the nervous system.

    Research area: Neurobiology

    Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Christian Klämbt (07/2012 - 06/2024)
    Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Stefan Luschnig (07/2016 - 06/2024)
    Dr. Stefanie Schirmeier (07/2016 - 06/2024; since 2021 at TU Dresden)

    Funding period: July 2012 - June 2024

    • Publications

      Original articles

      • Sauerwald, J., Backer, W., Matzat, T., Schnorrer, F., and Luschnig, S (2019) Matrix metalloproteinase 1 modulates invasive behavior of tracheal branches during ingression into Drosophila flight muscles. eLife. Elife 2;8. pii: e48857. doi: 10.7554/eLife.48857.
      • Petri, J., Syed, M. H., Rey, S. and Klämbt, C. (2019). Non-Cell-Autonomous Function of the GPI-Anchored Protein Undicht during Septate Junction Assembly. Cell Rep 26, 1641–1653.e4.
      • Dlugos CP, Picciotto C, Lepa C, Krakow M, Stöber A, Eddy ML, Weide T, Jeibmann A, P Krahn M, Van Marck V, Klingauf J, Ricker A, Wedlich-Söldner R, Pavenstädt H, Klämbt C, George B (2019) Nephrin Signaling Results in Integrin beta1 Activation. JASN 30: 1006-1019.
      • Babatz, F., Naffin, E. and Klämbt, C. (2018). The Drosophila Blood-Brain Barrier Adapts to Cell Growth by Unfolding of Pre-existing Septate Junctions. Developmental Cell 47, 697–710.e3.
      • Volkenhoff, A., Hirrlinger, J., Kappel, J. M., Klämbt, C. and Schirmeier, S. (2018). Live imaging using a FRET glucose sensor reveals glucose delivery to all cell types in the Drosophila brain. J Insect Physiol 106, 55–64.
      • Yildirim, K., Petri, J., Kottmeier, R. and Klämbt, C. (2018). Drosophila glia: Few cell types and many conserved functions. Glia 21, 276.
      • Zülbahar, S., Sieglitz, F., Kottmeier, R., Altenhein, B., Rumpf, S. and Klämbt, C. (2018). Differential expression of Öbek controls ploidy in the Drosophila blood-brain barrier. Development 145, dev164111.
      • Misra, T., Baccino-Calace, M., Meyenhofer, F., Rodriguez-Crespo, D., Akarsu, H., Armenta-Calderón, R., Gorr, T.A., Frei, C., Cantera, R., Egger, B. and Luschnig, S. (2017). A genetically encoded biosensor for visualising hypoxia responses in vivo. Biology Open 6, 296–304.
      • Matzat T, Sieglitz F, Kottmeier R, Babatz F, Engelen D, Klämbt C (2015) Axonal wrapping in the Drosophila PNS is controlled by glia-derived neuregulin homolog Vein. Development 142: 1336-1345.
      • Volkenhoff A, Weiler A, Letzel M, Stehling M, Klämbt C, Schirmeier S (2015) Glial glycolysis is essential for neuronal survival in Drosophila. Cell Metab 22: 437-447.
      • Limmer S, Weiler A, Volkenhoff A, Babatz F, Klämbt C (2014) The Drosophila blood-brain barrier: development and function of a glial endothelium. Front Neurosci 8: 365. [Stefanie Schirmeier, neé Limmer]

      Reviews

      • Schirmeier S, Matzat T, Klämbt C (2016) Axon ensheathment and metabolic supply by glial cells in Drosophila. Brain Res 1641(Pt A): 122-129. (doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.09.003. Epub 2015 Sep 12.)