Fig. 2
From: The gut-microbiota-brain axis in autism: what Drosophila models can offer?
Advantages of using Drosophila to study GUMBA in autism. (1) Transgenic flies can be generated to overexpress or knockdown genes of interest in the whole organism or specific cells. The expression of proteins can be easily visualized using immunohistochemistry. The effect of gene knockdown on brain development can also be analyzed by imaging techniques. (2) Flies that are microbiologically sterile (germ-free) or bear microbiota of interest (gnotobiotic) can be readily generated and maintained in large numbers. (3) and (4) In flies obtained from genetic manipulation or microbiome manipulations, autism-related behavioral aspects such as anxiety, social interaction, and stimulus habituation, and comorbidities such as gastrointestinal issues (fecal sampling), physical abnormalities, and epilepsy, can be effortlessly studied using simple, optimized, and robust assays (Created with BioRender.com)