Histological Characterization of the Brain and Eye in Drosophila Melanogaster: A Model for Neurodegenerative Research
Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
2 Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
10.22084/avr.2025.31018.1005
Abstract
Background: Drosophila melanogaster, a key model in genetic and neurological research, offers advantages due to its short life cycle (10 days), high fertility (400{500 offspring per cycle), and ethical feasibility for experiments. It has been widely used in studies of Alzheimer's, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease, yet limited histological analysis of its head structures has been conducted in Iran. This study aims to characterize its brain and ocular histology to enhance its application in neurodegenerative disease modeling. Material & Methods: Drosophila melanogaster specimens were anes-thetized at temperatures below 4◦ C, then sex-separated under a dissecting microscope. Heads were dissected from the thorax, ensuring optimal penetration of Carnoy's xative. Samples underwent xation, dehydration, paraffin embedding, and serial sectioning. Histological staining was performed, and imaging was conducted using Dino-Lite digital microscopy, processed via Dino Capture software (Version 2). Results: Histological analysis showed that the eye's external surface consists of mosaic-shaped photoreceptor cells, beneath which lies the retinal layer. Below the retina, the lamina was identi ed. The brain contains two hemispheres, each with lamina, medulla, lobula plate, and lobula. Lobular architecture revealed dense neuronal nuclei surrounding each lobe, with interspersed bers and centrally distributed neuroglial matrix. Neuronal ber degeneration led to vacuolated spaces, mainly within lobular cores, indicating neurodegenerative changes. Conclusion: Considering the distinct histological characteristics of Drosophila melanogaster especially the prominent staining properties of its head structures it appears to be a highly suitable laboratory model for studying neurodegenerative diseases and evaluating the impact of various factors on disease induction and recovery.
Keywords
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Tissue Processing Management. 1st ed. Tehran
University Press. p. 100-175. 2019.
[2] Sang JH. Drosophila melanogaster: the fruit y.
InEncyclopedia of genetics 2014 Jan 14 (pp. 157-
162). Routledge.
[3] Marygold SJ, Crosby MA, Goodman JL, Fly-
Base Consortium. Using FlyBase, a database of
Drosophila genes and genomes. Drosophila: Meth-
ods and Protocols. 2016: 1-31.
[4] Adams MD, Celniker SE, Holt RA, Evans CA,
Gocayne JD, Amanatides PG, Scherer SE, Li
PW, Hoskins RA, Galle RF, George RA. The
genome sequence of Drosophila melanogaster. Sci-
ence. 2000 Mar 24; 287(5461): 2185-95.
[5] Huang Y, Wan Z, Wang Z, Zhou B. Insulin signal-
ing in Drosophila melanogaster mediates A tox-
icity. Communications biology. 2019 Jan 8; 2(1):
13.
[6] Drobysheva D, Ameel K, Welch B, Ellison
E, Chaichana K, Hoang B, Sharma S, Neck-
ameyer W, Srinakevitch I, Murphy KJ, Schmid
A. An optimized method for histological de-
tection of dopaminergic neurons in Drosophila
melanogaster. Journal of Histochemistry & Cyto-
chemistry. 2008 Dec; 56(12): 1049-63.
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ogy to quantify neurodegeneration in Drosophila.
Journal of visualized experiments: JoVE. 2016
Dec 15(118): 54809.
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