Preparation for Dissecting and Immunofluorescent Staining
1:25
Dissection of Third-instar Larvae
3:05
Removal of Excess Tissue for Immunofluorescence
3:41
Mounting of Immunostained Larval Pelts
5:12
Larval Mounting and Immunostaining Results
5:50
Conclusion
The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of Drosophila melanogaster is an important model system for studying normal synaptic function as well as perturbations to synaptic function found in certain neurological diseases. We present a protocol for dissection of the Drosophila larval motor system and immunostaining for active zone proteins within the NMJ.