ABSTRACT
Neurotrophic signaling regulates neural repair, but the signaling outcome depends on when and where the pathways are activated. This chapter covers the design of two optogenetic systems, optoRaf and optoAKT, the production of transgenic Drosophila strains carrying these optogenetic systems, and the optogenetic activation of neurotrophic signaling in Drosophila larvae, and the in vivo model for neural repair. Because light can be precisely delivered at the single-cell level, models and assays described in this chapter provide insights into the mechanism by which compartmentalized neurotrophic signaling promotes and guides neural repair.
