“...we show that flies essentially lacking this protein in their brains have severe behavioral deficits such as reduced locomotion and inability to fly, which lead us to name the protein bruchpilot (German for crash pilot).”

A monoclonal antibody from our hybridoma library against Drosophila brain has been used by the Drosophila research community for several years to mark all presynaptic active zones of nerve cells in the Drosophila nervous system. We have now identified the protein recognized by this antibody as a homologue of an active zone protein of mammals whose function is largely unknown. We could show that in Drosophila this protein is required for intact ultrastructure and function of neurotransmitter release sites.

It describes the discovery of a new brain protein of Drosophila and characterizes its function.

It helps to understand the molecular mechanisms by which the nerve cells communicate with each other and thus are able to process, store, and retrieve information and control behavior. In particular, we show that flies, essentially lacking this protein in their brains, have severe behavioral deficits such as reduced locomotion and inability to fly, which led us to name the protein bruchpilot (German for crash pilot).

This project is part of a long-term endeavor to identify and study new brain proteins and the corresponding genes in order to understand their role in brain function. The numerous technical challenges of the project could only be met by a close collaboration with other scientists, in particular Drs. Esther Asan, Alois Hofbauer, Marie-Christine Dabauvalle, Carolin Wichmann, and Stephan J. Sigrist, along with the hard work and dedication of our students.

As long as the molecular mechanisms that cause most neurological and psychiatric diseases are unknown, fundamental brain research is likely to have long-term implications for medical diagnosis and therapy.