ShineGAL4 drivers for tissue and cell-type specific optogenetics in Drosophila.

Victor Girard, Sebastian Sorge, Joachim Kurth, Cyrille Alexandre, Alex P Gould

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Development (Cambridge, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Credit to the Fruit Fly: How the Tiny Insect Lights Up Our Understanding of Human Disease.Insects · 2026
Review

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Victor GirardThe Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5743-9503

Sebastian SorgeThe Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8015-1420

Joachim KurthThe Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK.

Cyrille AlexandreThe Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK.

Alex P GouldThe Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6875-6985

Funding

Cancer Research UK FC001088EMBO 543-2022Francis Crick InstituteMedical Research Council FC001088Wellcome Trust 104566Wellcome Trust 223760Wellcome Trust FC001088

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

An optogenetic split-GAL4 system, ShineGAL4, allows genes to be manipulated with unprecedented spatiotemporal precision. Here, we convert a panel of 14 GAL4 drivers widely used in Drosophila research into their ShineGAL4 counterparts. Homology assisted CRISPR knock-in (HACK) is used to replace GAL4 with the GAL4 DNA binding domain fused to a Magnet photoswitch. We show that the resulting ShineGAL4 drivers enable gene expression to be rapidly induced by light specifically in fat body, muscles, enterocytes, oenocytes, Malpighian tubules, neurons, neuroblast lineages, glial subtypes or in all glia. We also develop an optogenetic cassette for photoactivation of GAL4 in 'silent' FLP-out clones. This panel of optogenetic tools will enable precise spatiotemporal control of gene expression in a wide range of different Drosophila tissues and cell-types.

Indexed as

DrosophilaDrosophila melanogasterDrosophila ProteinsOptogeneticsTranscription FactorsAnimalsAnimals, Genetically ModifiedDNA-Binding ProteinsLightNeuronsOrgan SpecificityDNA-Binding ProteinsDrosophila ProteinsGAL4 protein, DrosophilaTranscription FactorsDrosophilaGAL4MagnetOptogeneticsPhotoactivationShineGAL4

Identifiers

PMID41738557

DOI10.1242/dev.204981

PMCPMC12967137

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.