The development, structure and function of glial cells in the nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster

Glia is the most common cell type in the central nervous system. Interest in them has increased significantly over the past decades as it has become clear that glia are not just “support” cells for neurons. They also regulate important aspects of the development and functioning of the nervous system. In vertebrates, glial cells perform supporting, trophic, secretory, dividing and protective functions. Despite the fact that the nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster has a simple structure, it is similar in function to mammalian glia. The similarity of glia of Drosophila melanogaster and mammals at the molecular and morphological levels suggests that the study of invertebrate glia will provide a better understanding of the main issues in the development of glia in mammals. Using Drosophila melanogaster makes it possible to study various neuron-glia interactions in an intact organism and the use of a wide range of molecular genetic methods allows us to investigate fundamental questions about the nature of glia. The review presents the classification of glial cells in Drosophila melanogaster, describes the currently known functions of all glial cell types in insects, and compares the functions of various glia types of mammals and Drosophila glial cells.