The Drosophila surface glia transcriptome: insights into conserved blood-brain barrier physiologies

Maintenance of central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis requires tight regulation over the metabolites, drugs, cells, and pathogens entering the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) carries out these functions, but the regulatory mechanisms underlying BBB physiology are not completely understood. In addition, the BBB has long been an obstacle to the pharmacologic treatment of CNS diseases, thus molecular model systems that can parse BBB functions and understand the complex integration of sophisticated cellular anatomy and highly polarized chemical protection physiology are desperately needed.

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