One of the many functions of glial cells is to provide an efficient insulation of the nervous system and thereby allowing a fine tuned homeostasis of ions and other small molecules. Using EM analysis and single cell labeling experiments all glial cell layers of the Drosophila nervous system were characterized.
One of the many functions of glial cells is to provide an efficient insulation of the nervous system and thereby allowing a fine tuned homeostasis of ions and other small molecules. Using EM analysis and single cell labeling experiments all glial cell layers of the Drosophila nervous system were characterized. The functional roles of the different glial sheaths is studied using dye penetration experiments or sophisticated genetic techniques. Septate junctions formed by specific glial cells mediate most of the barrier function. Interestingly, septate-like junctions are also found in the mammalian nervous system where they ensure the tight link of myelin forming cells to the axon (paranodal loops). We currently determine the role of known septate junction components for the integrity of the blood brain barrier and are studying novel components that were identified in genetics screen done in the lab.