Abstract
Abstract Immunohistochemistry is often used to analyze expression patterns of different neuropeptides in our laboratory. Single neuron was segmented from image stacks of immunohistochemical results or Gal4 lines that were crossed to flies carrying reporter genes (Green fluorescent protein) and transformed into the standard brain by using Amira program. DAL3, VAL1 and VAL2 expressing Allatostatin-A, VPL expressing Allatostatin-C, DPM2 expressing both Allatostatin-C and Allatotropin, VPL2 expressing Ammesia, PM expressing Pyrokinin, and LNvs expressing pdf (pigment dispersing element) were analyzed separately and then put together in a standard brain to display as a simple neuropeptide-expression map. Furthermore, we have known that Amnesiac (AMN), a neuropeptide that is associated with learning and memory in Drosophila, expressed in VPL2 neuron and VPL2 is also expressed in several GAL4 lines as G0054, G0086, G0338, E0101 and E0163 by immunohistochemistry. We presume that GAL4 lines colocalized with AMN are also associated with learning and memory as other amnesiac mutant lines. If it is proved by behavior tests, we can use antibodies against other proteins associated with learning and memory to perform a large scale screen of all GAL4 lines. Finally, we can collect lots of GAL4 line colocalized with the protein and use them as tools for behavior tests to know more about learning and memory. Thus, immunohistochemistry can be a simple and fast method for us to collect lots of tools in studying learning and memory in Drosophila.