A Resource for Manipulating Gene Expression and Analyzing cis-Regulatory Modules in the Drosophila CNS

Here, we describe the embryonic central nervous system expression of 5,000 GAL4 lines made using molecularly defined cis-regulatory DNA inserted into a single attP genomic location. We document and annotate the patterns in early embryos when neurogenesis is at its peak, and in older embryos where there is maximal neuronal diversity and the first neural circuits are established. We note expression in other tissues, such as the lateral body wall (muscle, sensory neurons, and trachea) and viscera. Companion papers report on the adult brain and larval imaginal discs, and the integrated data sets are available online (http://www.janelia.org/gal4-gen1). This collection of embryonically expressed GAL4 lines will be valuable for determining neuronal morphology and function. The 1,862 lines expressed in small subsets of neurons (95% of central nervous system neurons The ability to manipulate gene expression in a single cell type is useful for developmental and neurobiological experiments, and it has been challenging to develop tools for this purpose in all model organisms. Doe and colleagues describe the Drosophila embryonic expression patterns for 5,000 unique GAL4 lines, focusing on expression in the central nervous system. These lines will be valuable for determining neuronal morphology and function. Lines expressed in small subsets will be valuable for characterizing interneuronal diversity and function, which have been virtually unexplored to date.