Editing Drosophila (section)

===Neurochemistry===
Fruit flies use several fast-acting neurotransmitters, similar to those found in humans, which allow neurons to communicate and coordinate behavior. Acetylcholine, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), dopamine, serotonin, and histamine are all neurotransmitters that can be found in humans, but Drosophila also have another neurotransmitter, octopamine, the analog of norepinephrine. Acetylcholine is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter and GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter utilized in the drosophila central nervous system. In Drosophila, the effects of many neurotransmitters can vary depending on the receptors and signaling pathways involved, allowing them to act as excitatory or inhibitory signals under different contexts. This versatility enables complex neural processing and behavioral flexibility.

Glutamate can serve as an excitatory neurotransmitter, specifically at the neuromuscular junction in fruit flies. This differs from vertebrates, where acetylcholine is used at these junctions. 

In Drosophila, histamine primarily functions as a neurotransmitter in the visual system. It is released by photoreceptor cells to transmit visual information from the eye to the brain, making it essential for vision. 

As with many Eukaryotes, this genus is known to express [[SNARE (protein)|SNARE]]s, and as with several others the components of the SNARE complex are known to be somewhat substitutable: Although the loss of [[SNAP-25]] - a component of neuronal SNAREs - is lethal, [[SNAP-24]] can fully replace it. For another example, an [[R-SNARE]] not normally found in [[synapse]]s can substitute for [[synaptobrevin]].<ref name="Ungar-Hughson-2003">{{cite journal | vauthors = Ungar D, Hughson FM | title = SNARE protein structure and function | journal = Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology | volume = 19 | issue = 1 | pages = 493–517 | year = 2003 | pmid = 14570579 | doi = 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.19.110701.155609 | publisher = [[Annual Reviews (publisher)|Annual Reviews]] }}</ref>