IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL MAPPING OF A C-TERMINUS ANTIPEPTIDE ANTIBODY TO THE GABA RECEPTOR SUBUNIT, RDL IN THE NERVOUS-SYSTEM OF DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER

An antibody raised against a peptide based on the C-terminal derived a mino acid sequence from a cloned Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) g ene, Rdl (resistant to dieldrin), was used to investigate localization of a GABA receptor subunit in adult male D. melanogaster. Many region s in the brain and thoracic ganglia were stained with this antibody. F or example, staining was detected in the medulla, lobula and lobular p late optic neurpiles. Also stained were the antennal lobe glomeruli, t he ellipsoid body of the central complex and the mushroom bodies. Thes e results suggest possible roles for an RDL-like GABA receptor subunit in the processing of olfactory, visual and mechanosensory information in the nervous system of D. melanogaster.