Ensheathment of axons by glial processes is essential for normal brain function. While considerable progress has been made to define molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the maintenance of axon ensheathment, less is known about molecular details of early events for the wrapping of axons by glial processes in the developing nervous system. In this study, we investigate the role of the transmembrane protein Borderless (Bdl) in the developing Drosophila visual system. Bdl belongs to the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily, and its in vivo function is unknown. We show that Bdl is expressed in wrapping glia (WG) in the developing eye disc. Cell-type-specific transgene rescue and knockdown indicate that Bdl is specifically required in WG for the extension of glial processes along photoreceptor axons in the optic lobe, and axon ensheathment. Our results identify Bdl as a novel glia-specific cell-surface recognition molecule in regulating glial extension and axon ensheathment.

The establishment of the functional nervous system requires coordinated development of neurons and glia in the embryo. Our understanding of underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms, however, remains limited. The developing Drosophila visual system is an excellent model for understanding the developmental control of the nervous system. By performing a systematic transgenic RNAi screen, we investigated the requirements of secreted proteins and cell-surface receptors for the development of photoreceptor neurons (R cells) and wrapping glia (WG) in the Drosophila visual system. From the screen, we identified seven genes whose knockdown disrupted the development of R cells and/or WG, including amalgam (ama), domeless (dome), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), kuzbanian (kuz), N-Cadherin (CadN), neuroglian (nrg), and shotgun (shg). Cell-type-specific analysis revealed that ama is required in the developing eye disc for promoting cell proliferation and differentiation, which is essential for the migration of glia in the optic stalk. Our results also suggest that nrg functions in both eye disc and WG for coordinating R-cell and WG development.

Proper recognition between axons and glial processes is required for the establishment of axon ensheathment in the developing nervous system. Recent studies have begun to reveal molecular events underlying developmental control of axon-glia recognition. In our previous work, we showed that the transmembrane protein Borderless (Bdl) is specifically expressed in wrapping glia (WG), and is required for the extension of glial processes and the ensheathment of photoreceptor axons in the developing Drosophila visual system. The exact mechanism by which Bdl mediates axon-glia recognition, however, remains unknown. Here, we present evidence showing that Bdl interacts with the Ig transmembrane protein Turtle (Tutl). Tutl is specifically expressed in photoreceptor axons. Loss of tutl in photoreceptors, like loss of bdl in WG, disrupts glial extension and axon ensheatment. Epistasis analysis shows that Tutl interacts genetically with Bdl. Tutl interacts with Bdl in trans in cultured cells. We propose that Tutl interacts with Bdl in mediating axon-glia recognition for WG extension and axon ensheathment.

Establishment of synaptic connections in the neuropils of the developing nervous system requires the coordination of specific neuriteneurite interactions (i.e., axon-axon, dendrite-dendrite and axon-dendrite interactions). The molecular mechanisms underlying coordination of neurite-neurite interactions for circuit assembly are incompletely understood. In this report, we identify a novel Ig superfamily transmembrane protein that we named Borderless (Bdl), as a novel regulator of neurite-neurite interactions in Drosophila. Bdl induces homotypic cell-cell adhesion in vitro and mediates neurite-neurite interactions in the developing visual system. Bdl interacts physically and genetically with the Ig transmembrane protein Turtle, a key regulator of axonal tiling. Our results also show that the receptor tyrosine phosphatase leukocyte common antigen-related protein (LAR) negatively regulates Bdl to control synaptic-layer selection. We propose that precise regulation of Bdl action coordinates neurite-neurite interactions for circuit formation in Drosophila.