**Preethi Poovathumkadavil \* and Krzysztof Jagla**

Institute of Genetics Reproduction and Development, iGReD, INSERM U1103, CNRS UMR6293, University of Clermont Auvergne, 28 Place Henri Dunant, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; christophe.jagla@uca.fr

**\*** Correspondence: preethi.poovathumkadavil@uca.fr

Received: 30 May 2020; Accepted: 23 June 2020; Published: 25 June 2020

**Abstract:** In the fruit fly, *Drosophila melanogaster*, the larval somatic muscles or the adult thoracic flight and leg muscles are the major voluntary locomotory organs. They share several developmental and structural similarities with vertebrate skeletal muscles. To ensure appropriate activity levels for their functions such as hatching in the embryo, crawling in the larva, and jumping and flying in adult flies all muscle components need to be maintained in a functionally stable or homeostatic state despite constant strain. This requires that the muscles develop in a coordinated manner with appropriate connections to other cell types they communicate with. Various signaling pathways as well as extrinsic and intrinsic factors are known to play a role during *Drosophila* muscle development, diversification, and homeostasis. In this review, we discuss genetic control mechanisms of muscle contraction, development, and homeostasis with particular emphasis on the contractile unit of the muscle, the sarcomere.

**Keywords:** *Drosophila*; muscle; genetic control; muscle diversification; muscle homeostasis
