Color Vision Processing in Drosophila melanogaster: An Enhancer-Trap Screen for Related Neuron Populations

Edwin Wintermute
New York University

Color vision processing in Drosophila requires that the sensory inputs of differently-sensitive photoreceptor cells be compared and integrated at the neuronal level across all of the nearly 800 ommatidia that compose the Drosophila compound eye. Although many neuronal types in the medulla and elsewhere have been identified by Golgi staining, their functional meaning remains a mystery. Molecular genetics provides powerful tools for selectively and reproducibly labeling specific subsets of medulla neurons, significantly increasing the resolution with which these neurons can be mapped and improving our ability to analyze their functionality. I will describe an enhancer-trap screen for expression in specific subsets of neurons that synapse with those photoreceptors responsible for the perception of color. A number of interesting neuronal populations have been identified, each representing a new tool for use in experiments at the behavioral, cellular, or genetic level.