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Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences: CMLS logoLink to Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences: CMLS
. 2014 Feb 6;55(11):1386–1398. doi: 10.1007/s000180050379

Postembryonic sensory axon guidance in Drosophila

L A García-Alonso 1
PMCID: PMC11146940  PMID: 10518988

Abstract

The peripheral sensory system of the Drosophila adult has been used for the genetic analysis of axon guidance because of its accessibility for experimental manipulation and mutant screens. Wing, leg, antenna, or eye sensory axons are able to pathfind normally under different perturbations, indicating that sensory axon guidance is a highly canalized process. Similarly to other model systems, sensory growth cones seem to use multiple, simultaneous cues for guidance. In addition, sensory axons from peripheral structures seem to be capable of using alternative substrates for pathfinding. Developmental regulation could account for the high stability of axon guidance under experimental and natural perturbation conditions. Despite this flexibility, functional characterization of genes involved in sensory axon guidance is being carried out in situations where there appears to be less system redundancy.

Keywords: Key words. Sensory axon; axon guidance; canalization; developmental regulation; Drosophila.


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