Research article

Cell proliferation in the Drosophila adult brain revealed by clonal analysis and bromodeoxyuridine labelling

Jakob W von Trotha , Boris Egger and Andrea H Brand

The Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK

author email corresponding author email

Neural Development 2009, 4:9doi:10.1186/1749-8104-4-9

Published:	2 March 2009

Abstract

Background

The production of new neurons during adulthood and their subsequent integration into a mature central nervous system have been shown to occur in all vertebrate species examined to date. However, the situation in insects is less clear and, in particular, it has been reported that there is no proliferation in the Drosophila adult brain.

Results

We report here, using clonal analysis and 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labelling, that cell proliferation does occur in the Drosophila adult brain. The majority of clones cluster on the ventrolateral side of the antennal lobes, as do the BrdU-positive cells. Of the BrdU-labelled cells, 86% express the glial gene reversed polarity (repo), and 14% are repo negative.

Conclusion

We have observed cell proliferation in the Drosophila adult brain. The dividing cells may be adult stem cells, generating glial and/or non-glial cell types.