Mutagenic effects of irradiated glucose in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varma, M.B.; Rao, K.P.; Nandan, S.D.; Rao, M.S.

1982-01-01

The mutagenic effects of irradiated glucose were studied using the sex-linked recessive lethal test in Drosophila melanogaster. Oregon K males of D. melanogaster reared on a medium containing 20 or 40% glucose irradiated with a dose of 0.02, 0.10, 0.20, 2 or 5 Mrad #betta#-rays were scored for the induction of sex-linked recessive lethals. The results showed no significant increase in the frequency of X-lethals in Drosophila at any of the dose levels. (author)

Assessing population and environmental effects on thermal resistance in Drosophila melanogaster using ecologically relevant assays

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overgaard, Johannes; Hoffmann, Ary A; Kristensen, Torsten Nygård

2011-01-01

To make laboratory studies of thermal resistance in ectotherms more ecologically relevant, temperature changes that reflect conditions experienced by individuals in nature should be used. Here we describe an assay that is useful for quantifying multiple measures of thermal resistance of individual...... adult flies. We use this approach to assess upper and lower thermal limits and functional thermal scope for Drosophila melanogaster and also show that the method can be used to (1) detect a previously described latitudinal cline for cold tolerance in D. melanogaster populations collected along the east...... thermal environments have wider thermal limits compared to those from the less variable tropics, at least when flies were reared under constant temperature conditions and (4) demonstrate that different measures of cold resistance are often not strongly correlated. Based on our findings, we suggest...

Population-based resequencing of experimentally evolved populations reveals the genetic basis of body size variation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas L Turner

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Body size is a classic quantitative trait with evolutionarily significant variation within many species. Locating the alleles responsible for this variation would help understand the maintenance of variation in body size in particular, as well as quantitative traits in general. However, successful genome-wide association of genotype and phenotype may require very large sample sizes if alleles have low population frequencies or modest effects. As a complementary approach, we propose that population-based resequencing of experimentally evolved populations allows for considerable power to map functional variation. Here, we use this technique to investigate the genetic basis of natural variation in body size in Drosophila melanogaster. Significant differentiation of hundreds of loci in replicate selection populations supports the hypothesis that the genetic basis of body size variation is very polygenic in D. melanogaster. Significantly differentiated variants are limited to single genes at some loci, allowing precise hypotheses to be formed regarding causal polymorphisms, while other significant regions are large and contain many genes. By using significantly associated polymorphisms as a priori candidates in follow-up studies, these data are expected to provide considerable power to determine the genetic basis of natural variation in body size.

Nucleotide variation at the dopa decarboxylase (Ddc) gene in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatarenkov, Andrey; Ayala, Francisco J

2007-08-01

We studied nucleotide sequence variation at the gene coding for dopa decarboxylase (Ddc) in seven populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Strength and pattern of linkage disequilibrium are somewhat distinct in the extensively sampled Spanish and Raleigh populations. In the Spanish population, a few sites are in strong positive association, whereas a large number of sites in the Raleigh population are associated nonrandomly but the association is not strong. Linkage disequilibrium analysis shows presence of two groups of haplotypes in the populations, each of which is fairly diverged, suggesting epistasis or inversion polymorphism. There is evidence of two forms of natural selection acting on Ddc. The McDonald-Kreitman test indicates a deficit of fixed amino acid differences between D. melanogaster and D. simulans, which may be due to negative selection. An excess of derived alleles at high frequency, significant according to the H-test, is consistent with the effect of hitchhiking. The hitchhiking may have been caused by directional selection downstream of the locus studied, as suggested by a gradual decrease of the polymorphism-to-divergence ratio. Altogether, the Ddc locus exhibits a complicated pattern of variation apparently due to several evolutionary forces. Such a complex pattern may be a result of an unusually high density of functionally important genes.

Natural populations of drosophila melanogaster from radioactively contaminated territories of Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Protsenko, A.V.; Kozeretskaya, I.A.

2007-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. Drosophila melanogaster has been used as a model object to study Chernobyl NPP after-effects on biological processes. We performed study of natural populations from sites contaminated with radionuclides. Drosophila individuals were collected in autumn 2005 and 2006 in the regions with different degrees of radioactive contamination. The flies were sampled in Polesskoe with radioactive background of 50 uR/h; near cooling pond of Chernobyl NPP (2100 uR/h); Chernobyl city (60 uR/h); Kyiv (17 uR/h), Lubny (16 uR/h); Piryatin (15 uR/h); Uman (12 uR/h); Odessa (13 uR/h). Hybridological analysis was performed using drosophila laboratory lines Canton S (wild type strain) and C(1)DX (to detect lethal mutations in sex chromosome). The flies were kept on a standard medium in laboratory conditions. Occurrence of hybrid dysgenesis was monitored by gonad reduction, isolating the gonads and evaluating visually the degree of their development. Visual mutations have not been found in all the natural populations studied. When the populations were transferred to culture breeding, an elevation of the mutation visible frequency in generations has been detected. The elevation was the highest for Chernobyl (2100 uR/h) population. All the mutations observed are typical for Ukraine. Low frequency of gonad reduction has been detected. Since the gonad reduction is one of the traits of mobile elements activity in drosophilids, a conclusion has been made about the absence of mobile elements activity in all the populations, including the laboratory wild-type line Canton S. The results of the gonad reduction analysis indirectly confirm the low frequency of visual mutations in the populations studied. To assess the spontaneous level of lethal sex-linked mutations, the male/female ratio was evaluated in the first generation and compared with the ratio in the strain Canton S (using as control) using χ2-criterion. In natural populations from Lubny and Piryatin

Behavioral Teratogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Monalisa; Barik, Bedanta Kumar

2018-01-01

Developmental biology is a fascinating branch of science which helps us to understand the mechanism of development, thus the findings are used in various therapeutic approach. Drosophila melanogaster served as a model to find the key molecules that initiate and regulate the mechanism of development. Various genes, transcription factors, and signaling pathways helping in development are identified in Drosophila. Many toxic compounds, which can affect the development, are also recognized using Drosophila model. These compounds, which can affect the development, are named as a teratogen. Many teratogens identified using Drosophila may also act as a teratogen for a human being since 75% of conservation exist between the disease genes present in Drosophila and human. There are certain teratogens, which do not cause developmental defect if exposed during pregnancy, however; behavioral defect appears in later part of development. Such compounds are named as a behavioral teratogen. Thus, it is worthy to identify the potential behavioral teratogen using Drosophila model. Drosophila behavior is well studied in various developmental stages. This chapter describes various methods which can be employed to test behavioral teratogenesis in Drosophila.

Dominant lethal mutations in Drosophila melanogaster natural populations flown on board ISS.

Science.gov (United States)

Larina, Olga; Bekker, Anna

The resistance to mutagenic impacts represents an important issue of manned space missions. However the reasons of its individual variability as well as the factors which could induce mutations in space flight are not fully understood. Drosophila studies accomplished by several research teams at real space flights, revealed pronounced increase of mutations in somatic and reproductive cells, nonetheless, quite an opposite spaceflight effects also occurred, i.e., mei-41 laboratory strain showed postflight mutation rates lower than that in ground control. In order to monitor the influence of space flight on the mutational process, 4 series of space experiment with D. melanogaster wild type populations were performed at International Space Station (ISS). The appliance “Drosophila-2” used for breeding of drosophila in spaceflight conditions, enabled to conduct synchronous studies with two samples of fly populations. First instar drosophila larvae were placed into the experimental appliance 12 hours before the start of transport spacecraft. The duration of experiments was 7.9 through 19.7 days. In 19.7-day experiment, two generations of the flies were raised during the space flight, and then delivered to the earth. The frequency of dominant lethal mutations (DLM) was evaluated as the percentage of embryonic death in the progeny of experimental drosophila samples. DLM tests in VV-09 and Chas-09 natural populations, performed after the exposure to 10.9-day flight, showed the increase of DLM rate in Chas-09 (0.077 in flight series vs. 0.43 in earth-based control) while post-flight DLM value in VV-09 did not diverge from on-earth sample (0.025 and 0.027 correspondingly). The same results for VV-09 were obtained after the 14.7-day and 7.9-day flights with the only exception: 7.9-day flight experiment employed DLM measurements in two VV-09 spaceflight samples, differing by the age of the flies, and the above DLM rates were detected in “younger” VV-09 sample only. DLM

A Quantitative Genomic Approach for Analysis of Fitness and Stress Related Traits in a Drosophila melanogaster Model Population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rohde, Palle Duun; Krag, Kristian; Loeschcke, Volker

2016-01-01

, to investigate whether this population harbors genetic variation for a set of stress resistance and life history traits. Using a genomic approach, we found substantial genetic variation for metabolic rate, heat stress resistance, expression of a major heat shock protein, and egg-to-adult viability investigated......The ability of natural populations to withstand environmental stresses relies partly on their adaptive ability. In this study, we used a subset of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel, a population of inbred, genome-sequenced lines derived from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster...... at a benign and a higher stressful temperature. This suggests that these traits will be able to evolve. In addition, we outline an approach to conduct pathway associations based on genomic linear models, which has potential to identify adaptive genes and pathways, and therefore can be a valuable tool...

Evolution of the Drosophila melanogaster-sigma virus system in natural populations from Languedoc (southern France).

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A; Periquet, G

1993-01-01

An analysis of natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster in a southern French region (Languedoc) was started in 1983, concerning two non Mendelian systems: the P-M system of transposable elements and the sigma virus. This virus is not contagious, but only transmitted through gametes; it is usually present in a minority of individuals in natural populations. The first data collected revealed unexpectedly clear and fast-evolving phenomena; they also gave evidence of some interesting correlations between the two systems. This paper presents all the results gathered from 1983 to 1991 in the Drosophila-sigma system. Striking correlations were observed for three interconnected parameters: frequency of infected flies, frequency of an allele of the fly giving resistance to the virus, and adaptation of the virus to this allele. This adaptation consisted of a qualitative step (change of viral type) followed by quantitative variation (better adaptation to the allele). This analysis also showed, firstly, that the evolution of natural populations differs completely in Languedoc from the rest of France; secondly, that three geographical zones where selective forces worked differently persisted over time in Languedoc.

A genome-wide gene function prediction resource for Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Han Yan

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Predicting gene functions by integrating large-scale biological data remains a challenge for systems biology. Here we present a resource for Drosophila melanogaster gene function predictions. We trained function-specific classifiers to optimize the influence of different biological datasets for each functional category. Our model predicted GO terms and KEGG pathway memberships for Drosophila melanogaster genes with high accuracy, as affirmed by cross-validation, supporting literature evidence, and large-scale RNAi screens. The resulting resource of prioritized associations between Drosophila genes and their potential functions offers a guide for experimental investigations.

Isolation of protease-free alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from Drosophila simulans and several homozygous and heterozygous Drosophila melanogaster variants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smilda, T; Lamme, DA; Collu, G; Jekel, PA; Reinders, P; Beintema, JJ

The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from several naturally occurring ADH variants of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans Lc,as isolated. Affinity chromatography with the ligand Cibacron Blue and elution with NAD(+) showed similar behavior for D. melanogaster ADH-FF, ADH-71k, and D.

The Drosophila melanogaster host model

Science.gov (United States)

Igboin, Christina O.; Griffen, Ann L.; Leys, Eugene J.

2012-01-01

The deleterious and sometimes fatal outcomes of bacterial infectious diseases are the net result of the interactions between the pathogen and the host, and the genetically tractable fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has emerged as a valuable tool for modeling the pathogen–host interactions of a wide variety of bacteria. These studies have revealed that there is a remarkable conservation of bacterial pathogenesis and host defence mechanisms between higher host organisms and Drosophila. This review presents an in-depth discussion of the Drosophila immune response, the Drosophila killing model, and the use of the model to examine bacterial–host interactions. The recent introduction of the Drosophila model into the oral microbiology field is discussed, specifically the use of the model to examine Porphyromonas gingivalis–host interactions, and finally the potential uses of this powerful model system to further elucidate oral bacterial-host interactions are addressed. PMID:22368770

The Drosophila melanogaster host model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina O. Igboin

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The deleterious and sometimes fatal outcomes of bacterial infectious diseases are the net result of the interactions between the pathogen and the host, and the genetically tractable fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has emerged as a valuable tool for modeling the pathogen–host interactions of a wide variety of bacteria. These studies have revealed that there is a remarkable conservation of bacterial pathogenesis and host defence mechanisms between higher host organisms and Drosophila. This review presents an in-depth discussion of the Drosophila immune response, the Drosophila killing model, and the use of the model to examine bacterial–host interactions. The recent introduction of the Drosophila model into the oral microbiology field is discussed, specifically the use of the model to examine Porphyromonas gingivalis–host interactions, and finally the potential uses of this powerful model system to further elucidate oral bacterial-host interactions are addressed.

The Drosophila melanogaster host model.

Science.gov (United States)

Igboin, Christina O; Griffen, Ann L; Leys, Eugene J

2012-01-01

The deleterious and sometimes fatal outcomes of bacterial infectious diseases are the net result of the interactions between the pathogen and the host, and the genetically tractable fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has emerged as a valuable tool for modeling the pathogen-host interactions of a wide variety of bacteria. These studies have revealed that there is a remarkable conservation of bacterial pathogenesis and host defence mechanisms between higher host organisms and Drosophila. This review presents an in-depth discussion of the Drosophila immune response, the Drosophila killing model, and the use of the model to examine bacterial-host interactions. The recent introduction of the Drosophila model into the oral microbiology field is discussed, specifically the use of the model to examine Porphyromonas gingivalis-host interactions, and finally the potential uses of this powerful model system to further elucidate oral bacterial-host interactions are addressed.

Patterns of Nucleotide Diversity at the Regions Encompassing the Drosophila Insulin-Like Peptide (dilp) Genes: Demography vs. Positive Selection in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Guirao-Rico, Sara; Aguadé, Montserrat

2013-01-01

In Drosophila, the insulin-signaling pathway controls some life history traits, such as fertility and lifespan, and it is considered to be the main metabolic pathway involved in establishing adult body size. Several observations concerning variation in body size in the Drosophila genus are suggestive of its adaptive character. Genes encoding proteins in this pathway are, therefore, good candidates to have experienced adaptive changes and to reveal the footprint of positive selection. The Drosophila insulin-like peptides (DILPs) are the ligands that trigger the insulin-signaling cascade. In Drosophila melanogaster, there are several peptides that are structurally similar to the single mammalian insulin peptide. The footprint of recent adaptive changes on nucleotide variation can be unveiled through the analysis of polymorphism and divergence. With this aim, we have surveyed nucleotide sequence variation at the dilp1-7 genes in a natural population of D. melanogaster. The comparison of polymorphism in D. melanogaster and divergence from D. simulans at different functional classes of the dilp genes provided no evidence of adaptive protein evolution after the split of the D. melanogaster and D. simulans lineages. However, our survey of polymorphism at the dilp gene regions of D. melanogaster has provided some evidence for the action of positive selection at or near these genes. The regions encompassing the dilp1-4 genes and the dilp6 gene stand out as likely affected by recent adaptive events. PMID:23308258

Wolbachia Influences the Maternal Transmission of the gypsy Endogenous Retrovirus in Drosophila melanogaster

OpenAIRE

Touret, Franck; Guiguen, Francois; Terzian, Christophe

2014-01-01

The endosymbiotic bacteria of the genus Wolbachia are present in most insects and are maternally transmitted through the germline. Moreover, these intracellular bacteria exert antiviral activity against insect RNA viruses, as in Drosophila melanogaster, which could explain the prevalence of Wolbachia bacteria in natural populations. Wolbachia is maternally transmitted in D. melanogaster through a mechanism that involves distribution at the posterior pole of mature oocytes and then incorporati...

Parallel Evolution of Copy-Number Variation across Continents in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Schrider, Daniel R.; Hahn, Matthew W.; Begun, David J.

2016-01-01

Genetic differentiation across populations that is maintained in the presence of gene flow is a hallmark of spatially varying selection. In Drosophila melanogaster, the latitudinal clines across the eastern coasts of Australia and North America appear to be examples of this type of selection, with recent studies showing that a substantial portion of the D. melanogaster genome exhibits allele frequency differentiation with respect to latitude on both continents. As of yet there has been no genome-wide examination of differentiated copy-number variants (CNVs) in these geographic regions, despite their potential importance for phenotypic variation in Drosophila and other taxa. Here, we present an analysis of geographic variation in CNVs in D. melanogaster. We also present the first genomic analysis of geographic variation for copy-number variation in the sister species, D. simulans, in order to investigate patterns of parallel evolution in these close relatives. In D. melanogaster we find hundreds of CNVs, many of which show parallel patterns of geographic variation on both continents, lending support to the idea that they are influenced by spatially varying selection. These findings support the idea that polymorphic CNVs contribute to local adaptation in D. melanogaster. In contrast, we find very few CNVs in D. simulans that are geographically differentiated in parallel on both continents, consistent with earlier work suggesting that clinal patterns are weaker in this species. PMID:26809315

Evolution of natural populations in the Drosophila melanogaster sigma system II. Northern and central France.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A

1990-01-01

A survey of French natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster has been systematically performed, concerning their status of infection by the sigma virus and the characteristics of viral clones. These investigations, which were not as extensive as those performed in the Languedoc region (Fleuriet et al., 1990) nevertheless give a good representation of the evolution of this system because of the long period involved (almost 20 years). Some trends were observed in all French populations such as (1) a decrease in the high efficiency of transmission by males (which is an important parameter for the viral invading ability); (2) high frequency of a best adapted viral Type. These high frequencies might be due to a recent invasion which is expected to spread to other European populations. However, the frequency of infected flies remained low in northern and central France, unlike in Languedoc. The complexity of this, apparently simple, system of two well-known coevolving organisms should once again be stressed. It is impossible with the known parameters to arrive at a general interpretation of observations made in Languedoc and the rest of France. These data may also throw some light on the structure of French wild populations of D. melanogaster which appear to be subdivided into local populations between which gene flow might be low.

A Quantitative Genomic Approach for Analysis of Fitness and Stress Related Traits in a Drosophila melanogaster Model Population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Palle Duun Rohde

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The ability of natural populations to withstand environmental stresses relies partly on their adaptive ability. In this study, we used a subset of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel, a population of inbred, genome-sequenced lines derived from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster, to investigate whether this population harbors genetic variation for a set of stress resistance and life history traits. Using a genomic approach, we found substantial genetic variation for metabolic rate, heat stress resistance, expression of a major heat shock protein, and egg-to-adult viability investigated at a benign and a higher stressful temperature. This suggests that these traits will be able to evolve. In addition, we outline an approach to conduct pathway associations based on genomic linear models, which has potential to identify adaptive genes and pathways, and therefore can be a valuable tool in conservation genomics.

Genome-Wide Fine-Scale Recombination Rate Variation in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yun S.

2012-01-01

Estimating fine-scale recombination maps of Drosophila from population genomic data is a challenging problem, in particular because of the high background recombination rate. In this paper, a new computational method is developed to address this challenge. Through an extensive simulation study, it is demonstrated that the method allows more accurate inference, and exhibits greater robustness to the effects of natural selection and noise, compared to a well-used previous method developed for studying fine-scale recombination rate variation in the human genome. As an application, a genome-wide analysis of genetic variation data is performed for two Drosophila melanogaster populations, one from North America (Raleigh, USA) and the other from Africa (Gikongoro, Rwanda). It is shown that fine-scale recombination rate variation is widespread throughout the D. melanogaster genome, across all chromosomes and in both populations. At the fine-scale, a conservative, systematic search for evidence of recombination hotspots suggests the existence of a handful of putative hotspots each with at least a tenfold increase in intensity over the background rate. A wavelet analysis is carried out to compare the estimated recombination maps in the two populations and to quantify the extent to which recombination rates are conserved. In general, similarity is observed at very broad scales, but substantial differences are seen at fine scales. The average recombination rate of the X chromosome appears to be higher than that of the autosomes in both populations, and this pattern is much more pronounced in the African population than the North American population. The correlation between various genomic features—including recombination rates, diversity, divergence, GC content, gene content, and sequence quality—is examined using the wavelet analysis, and it is shown that the most notable difference between D. melanogaster and humans is in the correlation between recombination and

Drosophila melanogaster gene expression changes after spaceflight.

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Gene expression levels were determined in 3rd instar and adult Drosophila melanogaster reared during spaceflight to elucidate the genetic and molecular mechanisms...

Parallel Gene Expression Differences between Low and High Latitude Populations of Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Li; Wit, Janneke; Svetec, Nicolas; Begun, David J

2015-05-01

Gene expression variation within species is relatively common, however, the role of natural selection in the maintenance of this variation is poorly understood. Here we investigate low and high latitude populations of Drosophila melanogaster and its sister species, D. simulans, to determine whether the two species show similar patterns of population differentiation, consistent with a role for spatially varying selection in maintaining gene expression variation. We compared at two temperatures the whole male transcriptome of D. melanogaster and D. simulans sampled from Panama City (Panama) and Maine (USA). We observed a significant excess of genes exhibiting differential expression in both species, consistent with parallel adaptation to heterogeneous environments. Moreover, the majority of genes showing parallel expression differentiation showed the same direction of differential expression in the two species and the magnitudes of expression differences between high and low latitude populations were correlated across species, further bolstering the conclusion that parallelism for expression phenotypes results from spatially varying selection. However, the species also exhibited important differences in expression phenotypes. For example, the genomic extent of genotype × environment interaction was much more common in D. melanogaster. Highly differentiated SNPs between low and high latitudes were enriched in the 3' UTRs and CDS of the geographically differently expressed genes in both species, consistent with an important role for cis-acting variants in driving local adaptation for expression-related phenotypes.

Whole-genome sequencing of two North American Drosophila melanogaster populations reveals genetic differentiation and positive selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Campo, D; Lehmann, K; Fjeldsted, C; Souaiaia, T; Kao, J; Nuzhdin, S V

2013-10-01

The prevailing demographic model for Drosophila melanogaster suggests that the colonization of North America occurred very recently from a subset of European flies that rapidly expanded across the continent. This model implies a sudden population growth and range expansion consistent with very low or no population subdivision. As flies adapt to new environments, local adaptation events may be expected. To describe demographic and selective events during North American colonization, we have generated a data set of 35 individual whole-genome sequences from inbred lines of D. melanogaster from a west coast US population (Winters, California, USA) and compared them with a public genome data set from Raleigh (Raleigh, North Carolina, USA). We analysed nuclear and mitochondrial genomes and described levels of variation and divergence within and between these two North American D. melanogaster populations. Both populations exhibit negative values of Tajima's D across the genome, a common signature of demographic expansion. We also detected a low but significant level of genome-wide differentiation between the two populations, as well as multiple allele surfing events, which can be the result of gene drift in local subpopulations on the edge of an expansion wave. In contrast to this genome-wide pattern, we uncovered a 50-kilobase segment in chromosome arm 3L that showed all the hallmarks of a soft selective sweep in both populations. A comparison of allele frequencies within this divergent region among six populations from three continents allowed us to cluster these populations in two differentiated groups, providing evidence for the action of natural selection on a global scale. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Population Genomics of sub-saharan Drosophila melanogaster: African diversity and non-African admixture.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John E Pool

Full Text Available Drosophila melanogaster has played a pivotal role in the development of modern population genetics. However, many basic questions regarding the demographic and adaptive history of this species remain unresolved. We report the genome sequencing of 139 wild-derived strains of D. melanogaster, representing 22 population samples from the sub-Saharan ancestral range of this species, along with one European population. Most genomes were sequenced above 25X depth from haploid embryos. Results indicated a pervasive influence of non-African admixture in many African populations, motivating the development and application of a novel admixture detection method. Admixture proportions varied among populations, with greater admixture in urban locations. Admixture levels also varied across the genome, with localized peaks and valleys suggestive of a non-neutral introgression process. Genomes from the same location differed starkly in ancestry, suggesting that isolation mechanisms may exist within African populations. After removing putatively admixed genomic segments, the greatest genetic diversity was observed in southern Africa (e.g. Zambia, while diversity in other populations was largely consistent with a geographic expansion from this potentially ancestral region. The European population showed different levels of diversity reduction on each chromosome arm, and some African populations displayed chromosome arm-specific diversity reductions. Inversions in the European sample were associated with strong elevations in diversity across chromosome arms. Genomic scans were conducted to identify loci that may represent targets of positive selection within an African population, between African populations, and between European and African populations. A disproportionate number of candidate selective sweep regions were located near genes with varied roles in gene regulation. Outliers for Europe-Africa F(ST were found to be enriched in genomic regions of locally

Population Genomics of Sub-Saharan Drosophila melanogaster: African Diversity and Non-African Admixture

Science.gov (United States)

Pool, John E.; Corbett-Detig, Russell B.; Sugino, Ryuichi P.; Stevens, Kristian A.; Cardeno, Charis M.; Crepeau, Marc W.; Duchen, Pablo; Emerson, J. J.; Saelao, Perot; Begun, David J.; Langley, Charles H.

2012-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster has played a pivotal role in the development of modern population genetics. However, many basic questions regarding the demographic and adaptive history of this species remain unresolved. We report the genome sequencing of 139 wild-derived strains of D. melanogaster, representing 22 population samples from the sub-Saharan ancestral range of this species, along with one European population. Most genomes were sequenced above 25X depth from haploid embryos. Results indicated a pervasive influence of non-African admixture in many African populations, motivating the development and application of a novel admixture detection method. Admixture proportions varied among populations, with greater admixture in urban locations. Admixture levels also varied across the genome, with localized peaks and valleys suggestive of a non-neutral introgression process. Genomes from the same location differed starkly in ancestry, suggesting that isolation mechanisms may exist within African populations. After removing putatively admixed genomic segments, the greatest genetic diversity was observed in southern Africa (e.g. Zambia), while diversity in other populations was largely consistent with a geographic expansion from this potentially ancestral region. The European population showed different levels of diversity reduction on each chromosome arm, and some African populations displayed chromosome arm-specific diversity reductions. Inversions in the European sample were associated with strong elevations in diversity across chromosome arms. Genomic scans were conducted to identify loci that may represent targets of positive selection within an African population, between African populations, and between European and African populations. A disproportionate number of candidate selective sweep regions were located near genes with varied roles in gene regulation. Outliers for Europe-Africa FST were found to be enriched in genomic regions of locally elevated cosmopolitan

Drosophila melanogaster deoxyribonucleoside kinase activates gemcitabine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knecht, Wolfgang; Mikkelsen, N.E.; Clausen, A.R.

2009-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster multisubstrate deoxyribonucleoside kinase (Dm-dNK) can additionally sensitize human cancer cell lines towards the anti-cancer drug gemcitabine. We show that this property is based on the Dm-dNK ability to efficiently phosphorylate gemcitabine. The 2.2 angstrom resolution...

The translation factors of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Marygold, Steven J; Attrill, Helen; Lasko, Paul

2017-01-02

Synthesis of polypeptides from mRNA (translation) is a fundamental cellular process that is coordinated and catalyzed by a set of canonical 'translation factors'. Surprisingly, the translation factors of Drosophila melanogaster have not yet been systematically identified, leading to inconsistencies in their nomenclature and shortcomings in functional (Gene Ontology, GO) annotations. Here, we describe the complete set of translation factors in D. melanogaster, applying nomenclature already in widespread use in other species, and revising their functional annotation. The collection comprises 43 initiation factors, 12 elongation factors, 3 release factors and 6 recycling factors, totaling 64 of which 55 are cytoplasmic and 9 are mitochondrial. We also provide an overview of notable findings and particular insights derived from Drosophila about these factors. This catalog, together with the incorporation of the improved nomenclature and GO annotation into FlyBase, will greatly facilitate access to information about the functional roles of these important proteins.

Field tests reveal genetic variation for performance atlow temperatures in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overgaard, Johannes; Sørensen, Jesper Givskov; Jensen, Louise Toft

2010-01-01

investigated a population of Drosophila melanogaster for performance at low temperature conditions in the field using release recapture assays and in the laboratory using standard cold resistance assays. The aim of the study was to get a better understanding of the nature and underlying mechanisms of the trait...

The Discovery, Distribution, and Evolution of Viruses Associated with Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Webster, Claire L; Waldron, Fergal M; Robertson, Shaun; Crowson, Daisy; Ferrari, Giada; Quintana, Juan F; Brouqui, Jean-Michel; Bayne, Elizabeth H; Longdon, Ben; Buck, Amy H; Lazzaro, Brian P; Akorli, Jewelna; Haddrill, Penelope R; Obbard, Darren J

2015-07-01

Drosophila melanogaster is a valuable invertebrate model for viral infection and antiviral immunity, and is a focus for studies of insect-virus coevolution. Here we use a metagenomic approach to identify more than 20 previously undetected RNA viruses and a DNA virus associated with wild D. melanogaster. These viruses not only include distant relatives of known insect pathogens but also novel groups of insect-infecting viruses. By sequencing virus-derived small RNAs, we show that the viruses represent active infections of Drosophila. We find that the RNA viruses differ in the number and properties of their small RNAs, and we detect both siRNAs and a novel miRNA from the DNA virus. Analysis of small RNAs also allows us to identify putative viral sequences that lack detectable sequence similarity to known viruses. By surveying >2,000 individually collected wild adult Drosophila we show that more than 30% of D. melanogaster carry a detectable virus, and more than 6% carry multiple viruses. However, despite a high prevalence of the Wolbachia endosymbiont--which is known to be protective against virus infections in Drosophila--we were unable to detect any relationship between the presence of Wolbachia and the presence of any virus. Using publicly available RNA-seq datasets, we show that the community of viruses in Drosophila laboratories is very different from that seen in the wild, but that some of the newly discovered viruses are nevertheless widespread in laboratory lines and are ubiquitous in cell culture. By sequencing viruses from individual wild-collected flies we show that some viruses are shared between D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Our results provide an essential evolutionary and ecological context for host-virus interaction in Drosophila, and the newly reported viral sequences will help develop D. melanogaster further as a model for molecular and evolutionary virus research.

The developmental transcriptome of Drosophila melanogaster

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University of Connecticut; Graveley, Brenton R.; Brooks, Angela N.; Carlson, Joseph W.; Duff, Michael O.; Landolin, Jane M.; Yang, Li; Artieri, Carlo G.; van Baren, Marijke J.; Boley, Nathan; Booth, Benjamin W.; Brown, James B.; Cherbas, Lucy; Davis, Carrie A.; Dobin, Alex; Li, Renhua; Lin, Wei; Malone, John H.; Mattiuzzo, Nicolas R.; Miller, David; Sturgill, David; Tuch, Brian B.; Zaleski, Chris; Zhang, Dayu; Blanchette, Marco; Dudoit, Sandrine; Eads, Brian; Green, Richard E.; Hammonds, Ann; Jiang, Lichun; Kapranov, Phil; Langton, Laura; Perrimon, Norbert; Sandler, Jeremy E.; Wan, Kenneth H.; Willingham, Aarron; Zhang, Yu; Zou, Yi; Andrews, Justen; Bicke, Peter J.; Brenner, Steven E.; Brent, Michael R.; Cherbas, Peter; Gingeras, Thomas R.; Hoskins, Roger A.; Kaufman, Thomas C.; Oliver, Brian; Celniker, Susan E.

2010-12-02

Drosophila melanogaster is one of the most well studied genetic model organisms; nonetheless, its genome still contains unannotated coding and non-coding genes, transcripts, exons and RNA editing sites. Full discovery and annotation are pre-requisites for understanding how the regulation of transcription, splicing and RNA editing directs the development of this complex organism. Here we used RNA-Seq, tiling microarrays and cDNA sequencing to explore the transcriptome in 30 distinct developmental stages. We identified 111,195 new elements, including thousands of genes, coding and non-coding transcripts, exons, splicing and editing events, and inferred protein isoforms that previously eluded discovery using established experimental, prediction and conservation-based approaches. These data substantially expand the number of known transcribed elements in the Drosophila genome and provide a high-resolution view of transcriptome dynamics throughout development. Drosophila melanogaster is an important non-mammalian model system that has had a critical role in basic biological discoveries, such as identifying chromosomes as the carriers of genetic information and uncovering the role of genes in development. Because it shares a substantial genic content with humans, Drosophila is increasingly used as a translational model for human development, homeostasis and disease. High-quality maps are needed for all functional genomic elements. Previous studies demonstrated that a rich collection of genes is deployed during the life cycle of the fly. Although expression profiling using microarrays has revealed the expression of, 13,000 annotated genes, it is difficult to map splice junctions and individual base modifications generated by RNA editing using such approaches. Single-base resolution is essential to define precisely the elements that comprise the Drosophila transcriptome. Estimates of the number of transcript isoforms are less accurate than estimates of the number of genes

Radioresistance and radiosensitivity in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reguly, M.L.; Marques, E.K.

1987-01-01

The mechanisms of radioresistance in Drosophila are studied. The mutagenic effects of 5KR of 60 Cobalt gamma radiation and of 0,006M dose of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) on four D. Melanogaster strains (RC 1 , CO 3 , BUE and LEN) are investigated. (M.A.C.) [pt

Metabolic Activity of Radish Sprouts Derived Isothiocyanates in Drosophila melanogaster

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Nieves Baenas

2016-02-01

Full Text Available We used Drosophila melanogaster as a model system to study the absorption, metabolism and potential health benefits of plant bioactives derived from radish sprouts (Raphanus sativus cv. Rambo, a Brassicaceae species rich in glucosinolates and other phytochemicals. Flies were subjected to a diet supplemented with lyophilized radish sprouts (10.6 g/L for 10 days, containing high amounts of glucoraphenin and glucoraphasatin, which can be hydrolyzed by myrosinase to the isothiocyanates sulforaphene and raphasatin, respectively. We demonstrate that Drosophila melanogaster takes up and metabolizes isothiocyanates from radish sprouts through the detection of the metabolite sulforaphane-cysteine in fly homogenates. Moreover, we report a decrease in the glucose content of flies, an upregulation of spargel expression, the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian PPARγ-coactivator 1 α, as well as the inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase in vitro. Overall, we show that the consumption of radish sprouts affects energy metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster which is reflected by lower glucose levels and an increased expression of spargel, a central player in mitochondrial biogenesis. These processes are often affected in chronic diseases associated with aging, including type II diabetes mellitus.

Metabolic Activity of Radish Sprouts Derived Isothiocyanates in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Baenas, Nieves; Piegholdt, Stefanie; Schloesser, Anke; Moreno, Diego A.; García-Viguera, Cristina; Rimbach, Gerald; Wagner, Anika E.

2016-01-01

We used Drosophila melanogaster as a model system to study the absorption, metabolism and potential health benefits of plant bioactives derived from radish sprouts (Raphanus sativus cv. Rambo), a Brassicaceae species rich in glucosinolates and other phytochemicals. Flies were subjected to a diet supplemented with lyophilized radish sprouts (10.6 g/L) for 10 days, containing high amounts of glucoraphenin and glucoraphasatin, which can be hydrolyzed by myrosinase to the isothiocyanates sulforaphene and raphasatin, respectively. We demonstrate that Drosophila melanogaster takes up and metabolizes isothiocyanates from radish sprouts through the detection of the metabolite sulforaphane-cysteine in fly homogenates. Moreover, we report a decrease in the glucose content of flies, an upregulation of spargel expression, the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian PPARγ-coactivator 1 α, as well as the inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase in vitro. Overall, we show that the consumption of radish sprouts affects energy metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster which is reflected by lower glucose levels and an increased expression of spargel, a central player in mitochondrial biogenesis. These processes are often affected in chronic diseases associated with aging, including type II diabetes mellitus. PMID:26901196

Genomic Variation in Natural Populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Langley, Charles H.; Stevens, Kristian; Cardeno, Charis; Lee, Yuh Chwen G.; Schrider, Daniel R.; Pool, John E.; Langley, Sasha A.; Suarez, Charlyn; Corbett-Detig, Russell B.; Kolaczkowski, Bryan; Fang, Shu; Nista, Phillip M.; Holloway, Alisha K.; Kern, Andrew D.; Dewey, Colin N.; Song, Yun S.; Hahn, Matthew W.; Begun, David J.

2012-01-01

This report of independent genome sequences of two natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster (37 from North America and 6 from Africa) provides unique insight into forces shaping genomic polymorphism and divergence. Evidence of interactions between natural selection and genetic linkage is abundant not only in centromere- and telomere-proximal regions, but also throughout the euchromatic arms. Linkage disequilibrium, which decays within 1 kbp, exhibits a strong bias toward coupling of the more frequent alleles and provides a high-resolution map of recombination rate. The juxtaposition of population genetics statistics in small genomic windows with gene structures and chromatin states yields a rich, high-resolution annotation, including the following: (1) 5′- and 3′-UTRs are enriched for regions of reduced polymorphism relative to lineage-specific divergence; (2) exons overlap with windows of excess relative polymorphism; (3) epigenetic marks associated with active transcription initiation sites overlap with regions of reduced relative polymorphism and relatively reduced estimates of the rate of recombination; (4) the rate of adaptive nonsynonymous fixation increases with the rate of crossing over per base pair; and (5) both duplications and deletions are enriched near origins of replication and their density correlates negatively with the rate of crossing over. Available demographic models of X and autosome descent cannot account for the increased divergence on the X and loss of diversity associated with the out-of-Africa migration. Comparison of the variation among these genomes to variation among genomes from D. simulans suggests that many targets of directional selection are shared between these species. PMID:22673804

Similar rates of protein adaptation in Drosophila miranda and D. melanogaster, two species with different current effective population sizes

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Bachtrog Doris

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Adaptive protein evolution is common in several Drosophila species investigated. Some studies point to very weak selection operating on amino-acid mutations, with average selection intensities on the order of Nes ~ 5 in D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Species with lower effective population sizes should undergo less adaptation since they generate fewer mutations and selection is ineffective on a greater proportion of beneficial mutations. Results Here I study patterns of polymorphism and divergence at 91 X-linked loci in D. miranda, a species with a roughly 5-fold smaller effective population size than D. melanogaster. Surprisingly, I find a similar fraction of amino-acid mutations being driven to fixation by positive selection in D. miranda and D. melanogaster. Genes with higher rates of amino-acid evolution show lower levels of neutral diversity, a pattern predicted by recurrent adaptive protein evolution. I fit a hitchhiking model to patterns of polymorphism in D. miranda and D. melanogaster and estimate an order of magnitude higher selection coefficients for beneficial mutations in D. miranda. Conclusion This analysis suggests that effective population size may not be a major determinant in rates of protein adaptation. Instead, adaptation may not be mutation-limited, or the distribution of fitness effects for beneficial mutations might differ vastly between different species or populations. Alternative explanation such as biases in estimating the fraction of beneficial mutations or slightly deleterious mutation models are also discussed.

Parallel Evolution of Copy-Number Variation across Continents in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Schrider, Daniel R; Hahn, Matthew W; Begun, David J

2016-05-01

Genetic differentiation across populations that is maintained in the presence of gene flow is a hallmark of spatially varying selection. In Drosophila melanogaster, the latitudinal clines across the eastern coasts of Australia and North America appear to be examples of this type of selection, with recent studies showing that a substantial portion of the D. melanogaster genome exhibits allele frequency differentiation with respect to latitude on both continents. As of yet there has been no genome-wide examination of differentiated copy-number variants (CNVs) in these geographic regions, despite their potential importance for phenotypic variation in Drosophila and other taxa. Here, we present an analysis of geographic variation in CNVs in D. melanogaster. We also present the first genomic analysis of geographic variation for copy-number variation in the sister species, D. simulans, in order to investigate patterns of parallel evolution in these close relatives. In D. melanogaster we find hundreds of CNVs, many of which show parallel patterns of geographic variation on both continents, lending support to the idea that they are influenced by spatially varying selection. These findings support the idea that polymorphic CNVs contribute to local adaptation in D. melanogaster In contrast, we find very few CNVs in D. simulans that are geographically differentiated in parallel on both continents, consistent with earlier work suggesting that clinal patterns are weaker in this species. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Ecdysteroid receptors in Drosophila melanogaster adult females

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Ecdysteroid receptors were identified and partially characterized from total cell extracts of whole animals and dissected tissues from Drosophila melanogaster adult females. Binding studies indicated the presence of two ecdysteroid binding components having high affinity and specificity consistent w...

Evolution of increased adult longevity in Drosophila melanogaster populations selected for adaptation to larval crowding.

Science.gov (United States)

Shenoi, V N; Ali, S Z; Prasad, N G

2016-02-01

In holometabolous animals such as Drosophila melanogaster, larval crowding can affect a wide range of larval and adult traits. Adults emerging from high larval density cultures have smaller body size and increased mean life span compared to flies emerging from low larval density cultures. Therefore, adaptation to larval crowding could potentially affect adult longevity as a correlated response. We addressed this issue by studying a set of large, outbred populations of D. melanogaster, experimentally evolved for adaptation to larval crowding for 83 generations. We assayed longevity of adult flies from both selected (MCUs) and control populations (MBs) after growing them at different larval densities. We found that MCUs have evolved increased mean longevity compared to MBs at all larval densities. The interaction between selection regime and larval density was not significant, indicating that the density dependence of mean longevity had not evolved in the MCU populations. The increase in longevity in MCUs can be partially attributed to their lower rates of ageing. It is also noteworthy that reaction norm of dry body weight, a trait probably under direct selection in our populations, has indeed evolved in MCU populations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the evolution of adult longevity as a correlated response of adaptation to larval crowding. © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Starvation-Induced Dietary Behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster Larvae and Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Muhammad; Chaudhary, Safee Ullah; Afzal, Ahmed Jawaad; Tariq, Muhammad

2015-09-24

Drosophila melanogaster larvae are classified as herbivores and known to feed on non-carnivorous diet under normal conditions. However, when nutritionally challenged these larvae exhibit cannibalistic behaviour by consuming a diet composed of larger conspecifics. Herein, we report that cannibalism in Drosophila larvae is confined not only to scavenging on conspecifics that are larger in size, but also on their eggs. Moreover, such cannibalistic larvae develop as normally as those grown on standard cornmeal medium. When stressed, Drosophila melanogaster larvae can also consume a carnivorous diet derived from carcasses of organisms belonging to diverse taxonomic groups, including Musca domestica, Apis mellifera, and Lycosidae sp. While adults are ill-equipped to devour conspecific carcasses, they selectively oviposit on them and also consume damaged cadavers of conspecifics. Thus, our results suggest that nutritionally stressed Drosophila show distinct as well as unusual feeding behaviours that can be classified as detritivorous, cannibalistic and/or carnivorous.

Genetic effects of radon 222 in a population of Drosophila melanogaster chronically exposed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salceda, V.M.

1997-01-01

It was investigated the mutagenic effect of Radon 222 during a experimental period of 11 generations. In this lapse Drosophila melanogaster larvae line Canton-S were maintained in a radon atmosphere. In each test generation had been extracted males, consequently exposed to radiation which were subjected to a crossing series with a bearer marker genes of according to the Wallace experimental design (1956). Due to the experimental conditions it only was determined the recessive lethal mutations frequency for the second chromosome in the 1,4,7 and 11 generations. Of all study it was conduced in parallel way a non-treated witness population. The concentrations at which was subjected the experimental population varied of generation to generation from 12 ± 2 to 43 ± 5 kBq/m 3 . Our analysis correspond to lethality determination in 1182 second chromosomes distributed between two populations and the different exposition generations. The study allow to determine the respective frequencies of recessive lethal genes varying according to the population and/or generation between 10.53 and 22.02%. The statistical analysis of data did not show significant differences among the different populations. (Author)

Drosophila melanogaster: a fly through its history and current use.

Science.gov (United States)

Stephenson, R; Metcalfe, N H

2013-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, has been used as a model organism in both medical and scientific research for over a century. Work by Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945) and his students at Columbia University at the beginning of the twentieth century led to great discoveries such as sex-linked inheritance and that ionising radiation causes mutations in genes. However, the use of Drosophila was not limited to genetic research. Experimentation with this model organism has also led to discoveries in neuroscience and neurodevelopment, including the basis of circadian rhythms. Its complex nervous system, conserved neurological function, and human disease-related loci allow Drosophila to be an ideal model organism for the study of neurodegenerative disease, for which it is used today, aiding research into diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, which are becoming more prevalent in today's ageing population.

Physiology declines prior to death in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahrestani, Parvin; Tran, Xuan; Mueller, Laurence D

2012-10-01

For a period of 6-15 days prior to death, the fecundity and virility of Drosophila melanogaster fall significantly below those of same-aged flies that are not near death. It is likely that other aspects of physiology may decline during this period. This study attempts to document changes in two physiological characteristics prior to death: desiccation resistance and time-in-motion. Using individual fecundity estimates and previously described models, it is possible to accurately predict which flies in a population are near death at any given age; these flies are said to be in the "death spiral". In this study of approximately 7,600 females, we used cohort mortality data and individual fecundity estimates to dichotomize each of five replicate populations of same-aged D. melanogaster into "death spiral" and "non-spiral" groups. We then compared these groups for two physiological characteristics that decline during aging. We describe the statistical properties of a new multivariate test statistic that allows us to compare the desiccation resistance and time-in-motion for two populations chosen on the basis of their fecundity. This multivariate representation of the desiccation resistance and time-in-motion of spiral and non-spiral females was shown to be significantly different with the spiral females characterized by lower desiccation resistance and time spent in motion. Our results suggest that D. melanogaster may be used as a model organism to study physiological changes that occur when death is imminent.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Markers for Genetic Mapping in Drosophila melanogaster

OpenAIRE

Hoskins, Roger A.; Phan, Alexander C.; Naeemuddin, Mohammed; Mapa, Felipa A.; Ruddy, David A.; Ryan, Jessica J.; Young, Lynn M.; Wells, Trent; Kopczynski, Casey; Ellis, Michael C.

2001-01-01

For nearly a century, genetic analysis in Drosophila melanogaster has been a powerful tool for analyzing gene function, yet Drosophila lacks the molecular genetic mapping tools that recently have revolutionized human, mouse, and plant genetics. Here, we describe the systematic characterization of a dense set of molecular markers in Drosophila by using a sequence tagged site-based physical map of the genome. We identify 474 biallelic markers in standard laboratory strains of Drosophila that sp...

Structure of PCNA from Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Ke; Shi, Zhubing; Zhang, Min; Cheng, Dianlin

2013-01-01

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) plays essential roles in DNA replication, DNA repair, cell-cycle regulation and chromatin metabolism. The PCNA from Drosophila melanogaster (DmPCNA) has been purified and crystallized. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) plays essential roles in DNA replication, DNA repair, cell-cycle regulation and chromatin metabolism. The PCNA from Drosophila melanogaster (DmPCNA) was purified and crystallized. The crystal of DmPCNA diffracted to 2.0 Å resolution and belonged to space group H3, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 151.16, c = 38.28 Å. The structure of DmPCNA was determined by molecular replacement. DmPCNA forms a symmetric homotrimer in a head-to-tail manner. An interdomain connector loop (IDCL) links the N- and C-terminal domains. Additionally, the N-terminal and C-terminal domains contact each other through hydrophobic associations. Compared with human PCNA, the IDCL of DmPCNA has conformational changes, which may explain their difference in function. This work provides a structural basis for further functional and evolutionary studies of PCNA

Pharmacodynamic study on insomnia-curing effects of Shuangxia Decoction in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhi-Qian; Degejin; Geng, Di; Zhang, Qi; Tian, Yan; Xi, Yuan; Wang, Wen-Qi; Tang, Hua-Qi; Xu, Bing; Lin, Hong-Ying; Sun, Yi-Kun

2016-09-01

The present study aimed to establish a pharmacodynamic method using the pySolo software to explore the influence of freeze-dried powders of Shuangxia Decoction (SXD) on the sleep of normal Drosophila melanogaster and the Drosophila melanogaster whose sleep was divested by light. The dose-effect and the time-effect relationships of SXD on sleep were examined. The effect-onset concentration of SXD was 0.25%, the plateau appeared at the concentration of 2.5% and the total sleep time showed a downtrend when the concentration was greater than 2.5%. The sleep time was the longest on the fourth day after SXD was given. The fruit fly sleep deprivation model was repeated by light stimulation at night. The middle dosage group (2.5%) had the best insomnia-curing effect. In conclusion, using the pySolo software, an approach for the pharmacodynamics study was established with Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to determine the insomnia-curing effects of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Our results demonstrated the reliability of this method. The freeze-dried powders of SXD could effectively improve the sleep quality of Drosophila melanogaster. Copyright © 2016 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ionizing radiation causes the stress response in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruntenko, N.E.; Zakharenko, L.P.; Raushenbakh, I.Yu.

1998-01-01

Potentiality of the stress-reaction arising in Drosophila melanogaster under gamma-irradiation of the source with 137 Cs (irradiation dose is 10 Gy , radiation dose rate amounts 180 c Gy/min) is studied. It is shown that radiation induces the stress-reaction in Drosophila resulting in alterations in energetic metabolism (biogenic amines metabolic system) and in reproductive function [ru

Genetic effects of radon 222 in a population of Drosophila melanogaster chronically exposed; Efectos geneticos del radon 222 en una poblacion de Drosophila melanogaster cronicamente expuesta

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salceda, V M [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, A.P. 18-1027, 11801 Mexico D.F. (Mexico). Dept. de Biologia

1997-07-01

It was investigated the mutagenic effect of Radon 222 during a experimental period of 11 generations. In this lapse Drosophila melanogaster larvae line Canton-S were maintained in a radon atmosphere. In each test generation had been extracted males, consequently exposed to radiation which were subjected to a crossing series with a bearer marker genes of according to the Wallace experimental design (1956). Due to the experimental conditions it only was determined the recessive lethal mutations frequency for the second chromosome in the 1,4,7 and 11 generations. Of all study it was conduced in parallel way a non-treated witness population. The concentrations at which was subjected the experimental population varied of generation to generation from 12 {+-} 2 to 43 {+-} 5 kBq/m{sup 3}. Our analysis correspond to lethality determination in 1182 second chromosomes distributed between two populations and the different exposition generations. The study allow to determine the respective frequencies of recessive lethal genes varying according to the population and/or generation between 10.53 and 22.02%. The statistical analysis of data did not show significant differences among the different populations. (Author)

Spatially varying selection shapes life history clines among populations of Drosophila melanogaster from sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Fabian, D K; Lack, J B; Mathur, V; Schlötterer, C; Schmidt, P S; Pool, J E; Flatt, T

2015-04-01

Clines in life history traits, presumably driven by spatially varying selection, are widespread. Major latitudinal clines have been observed, for example, in Drosophila melanogaster, an ancestrally tropical insect from Africa that has colonized temperate habitats on multiple continents. Yet, how geographic factors other than latitude, such as altitude or longitude, affect life history in this species remains poorly understood. Moreover, most previous work has been performed on derived European, American and Australian populations, but whether life history also varies predictably with geography in the ancestral Afro-tropical range has not been investigated systematically. Here, we have examined life history variation among populations of D. melanogaster from sub-Saharan Africa. Viability and reproductive diapause did not vary with geography, but body size increased with altitude, latitude and longitude. Early fecundity covaried positively with altitude and latitude, whereas lifespan showed the opposite trend. Examination of genetic variance-covariance matrices revealed geographic differentiation also in trade-off structure, and QST -FST analysis showed that life history differentiation among populations is likely shaped by selection. Together, our results suggest that geographic and/or climatic factors drive adaptive phenotypic differentiation among ancestral African populations and confirm the widely held notion that latitude and altitude represent parallel gradients. © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

The mutation frequency of Drosophila melanogaster populations living under conditions of increased background radiation due to the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zainullin, V.G.; Rakin, A.O.; Shevchenko, V.A.; Myasnyankina, E.N.; Generalova, M.V.

1992-01-01

One of the problems facing the program in the wake of the Chernobyl accident is the estimation of genetic damage to plants and animals. Special attention was directed to studying the influence of radioactive pollutants at the accident site by means of an appropriate test system, using standard genetic subjects. The present study describes such investigations. Levels of persistent genetic damage in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster found in the vicinity of the Chernobyl accident site were examined from August 1986-September 1989. Evidence is presented which indicates a relationship between the levels of radioactive pollution resulting from the Chernobyl accident and increasing genetic damage to exposed populations. The possible reasons for the decrease of mutation frequency observed in 1988 and 1989 are also discussed. Furthermore, evidence is presented which suggests that radiosensitive Drosophila mutants may be particularly sensitive indicators of radioactive pollution. (author). 16 refs.; 6 figs

Evolution of natural populations in the Drosophila melanogaster sigma virus system I. Languedoc (southern France).

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A; Periquet, G; Anxolabéhère, D

1990-01-01

In natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster, sigma virus is usually present in a minority of individuals. The virus is transmitted transovarially but is not contagious from fly to fly. Two viral Types (I and II) are found in populations. One of them (Type II) is better adapted to an allele for resistance to the virus, present as a polymorphism in fly populations. Previous observations have led to the hypothesis that a viral Type II originating in central France might be invading populations. The study of Languedoc populations was undertaken to examine this hypothesis. Two striking phenomena were observed. The strong increase in Type II clones frequency (from 0.53 to 0.91) confirmed that there was invasion in this region. The frequency of infected flies also increased dramatically, at levels never observed elsewhere yet, which indicates that Languedoc should present some unusual characteristics. The epidemiological consequences of such a burst, in the case of a pathogenic virus would have to be taken into consideration. Significant changes in other viral characteristics, from 1983 to 1987, in Languedoc populations have also been documented.

Neurogenetics of female reproductive behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laturney, Meghan; Billeter, Jean-Christophe; Friedmann, T; Dunlap, JC; Goodwin, SF

2014-01-01

We follow an adult Drosophila melanogaster female through the major reproductive decisions she makes during her lifetime, including habitat selection, precopulatory mate choice, postcopulatory physiological changes, polyandry, and egg-laying site selection. In the process, we review the molecular

Effects of atmospheric hydrogen fluoride upon Drosophila melanogaster. I. Differential genotyptic response

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerdes, R A; Smith, J D; Applegate, H G

1971-01-01

Four inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster were exposed to various concentrations of gaseous hydrogen fluoride for a period of six weeks. The effects upon the viability of these populations were predominantly linear with respect to fluoride concentration over the range tested. Differential responses of the inbred lines were interpreted to mean that tolerance to fluoride contamination is influenced by genotype. 4 references, 1 figure, 1 table.

Proteome reference map of Drosophila melanogaster head.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Tian-Ren; Huang, Shun-Hong; Lee, Chi-Ching; Lee, Hsiao-Yun; Chan, Hsin-Tzu; Lin, Kuo-Sen; Chan, Hong-Lin; Lyu, Ping-Chiang

2012-06-01

Drosophila melanogaster has been used as a genetic model organism to understand the fundamental molecular mechanisms in human biology including memory formation that has been reported involving protein synthesis and/or post-translational modification. In this study, we employed a proteomic platform based on fluorescent 2DE and MALDI-TOF MS to build a standard D. melanogaster head proteome map for proteome-proteome comparison. In order to facilitate the comparison, an interactive database has been constructed for systematically integrating and analyzing the proteomes from different conditions and further implicated to study human diseases related to D. melanogaster model. In summary, the fundamental head proteomic database and bioinformatic analysis will be useful for further elucidating the biological mechanisms such as memory formation and neurodegenerative diseases. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Genetic effects induced by neutrons in Drosophila melanogaster I. Determination of absorbed dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delfin, A.; Paredes, L.C.; Zambrano, F.; Guzman-Rincon, J.; Urena-Nunez, F.

2001-01-01

A method to obtain the absorbed dose in Drosophila melanogaster irradiated in the thermal column facility of the Triga Mark III Reactor has been developed. The method is based on the measurements of neutron activation of gold foils produced by neutron capture to obtain the neutron fluxes. These fluxes, combined with the calculations of kinetic energy released per unit mass, enables one to obtain the absorbed doses in Drosophila melanogaster

Unraveling the evolutionary scenario of the hobo element in populations of Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans in South America using the TPE repeats as markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geovani T. Ragagnin

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Transposable elements (TEs are nucleotide sequences found in most studied genomes. These elements are highly diversified and have a large variation in nucleotide structure and mechanisms of transposition. hobo is a member of class II, belonging to hAT superfamily, described inDrosophila melanogaster, and it presents in its Open Reading Frame, a repetitive region encoding the amino acids threonine-proline-glutamic acid (TPE, which shows variability in the number of repeats in some regions of the world. Due to this variability some evolutionary scenarios of the hobo element are discussed, such as the scenario of the invasion of hobo element in populations ofD. melanogaster. In the present study, we investigated 22 DNA sequences of D. melanogaster and seven sequences ofD. simulans, both from South America, to check the number of repetitions of TPE, in order to clarify the evolutionary scenario of thehobo element in these populations. Our results showed a monomorphism in populations of both species in South America, with only three TPE repeats. Hence, we discuss and propose an evolutionary scenario of the invasion of the hobo element in populations of D. melanogaster and D. simulans.

Study of radioadaptive response in Drosophila melanogaster at different oogenesis stages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glushkova, I.V.; Aksyutik, T.V.

2005-01-01

We study radioadaptive response in the Canton-S strain of Drosophila melanogaster at different oogenesis stages using the test of dominant lethal mutations (DLM). AR was not revealed at the stages of 14-7 and 7--1 oocytes in the studied Drosophila stock. It is likely to be associated with a genetic constitution of the Drosophila strain under study. (authors)

Acetylcholine receptors and cholinergic ligands: biochemical and genetic aspects in Torpedo californica and Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenthal, L.S.

1987-01-01

This study evaluates the biochemical and genetic aspects of the acetylcholine receptor proteins and cholinergic ligands in Drosophila melanogaster and Torpedo californica. Included are (1) a comparative study of nicotinic ligand-induced cation release from acetylcholine receptors isolated from Torpedo californica and from Drosophila melanogaster, (2) solution studies of the cholinergic ligands, nikethamide and ethamivan, aimed at measuring internal molecular rotational barriers in solvents of different polarity; and (3) the isolation and characterization of the gene(s) for the acetylcholine receptor in Drosophila melasogaster. Acetylcholine receptor proteins isolated from Drosphila melanogaster heads were found to behave kinetically similar (with regards to cholinergic ligand-induced 155 Eu: 3+ displacement from prelabeled proteins) to receptor proteins isolated from Torpedo californica electric tissue, providing additional biochemical evidence for the existence of a Drosophila acetylcholine receptor

Male killing Spiroplasma protects Drosophila melanogaster against two parasitoid wasps

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, J; Butler, S; Sanchez, G; Mateos, M

2014-01-01

Maternally transmitted associations between endosymbiotic bacteria and insects are diverse and widespread in nature. Owing to imperfect vertical transmission, many heritable microbes have evolved compensational mechanisms to enhance their persistence in host lineages, such as manipulating host reproduction and conferring fitness benefits to host. Symbiont-mediated defense against natural enemies of hosts is increasingly recognized as an important mechanism by which endosymbionts enhance host fitness. Members of the genus Spiroplasma associated with distantly related Drosophila hosts are known to engage in either reproductive parasitism (i.e., male killing) or defense against natural enemies (the parasitic wasp Leptopilina heterotoma and a nematode). A male-killing strain of Spiroplasma (strain Melanogaster Sex Ratio Organism (MSRO)) co-occurs with Wolbachia (strain wMel) in certain wild populations of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. We examined the effects of Spiroplasma MSRO and Wolbachia wMel on Drosophila survival against parasitism by two common wasps, Leptopilina heterotoma and Leptopilina boulardi, that differ in their host ranges and host evasion strategies. The results indicate that Spiroplasma MSRO prevents successful development of both wasps, and confers a small, albeit significant, increase in larva-to-adult survival of flies subjected to wasp attacks. We modeled the conditions under which defense can contribute to Spiroplasma persistence. Wolbachia also confers a weak, but significant, survival advantage to flies attacked by L. heterotoma. The host protective effects exhibited by Spiroplasma and Wolbachia are additive and may provide the conditions for such cotransmitted symbionts to become mutualists. Occurrence of Spiroplasma-mediated protection against distinct parasitoids in divergent Drosophila hosts suggests a general protection mechanism. PMID:24281548

The transcriptional response of Drosophila melanogaster to infection with the sigma virus (Rhabdoviridae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Carpenter

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Bacterial and fungal infections induce a potent immune response in Drosophila melanogaster, but it is unclear whether viral infections induce an antiviral immune response. Using microarrays, we examined the changes in gene expression in Drosophila that occur in response to infection with the sigma virus, a negative-stranded RNA virus (Rhabdoviridae that occurs in wild populations of D. melanogaster.We detected many changes in gene expression in infected flies, but found no evidence for the activation of the Toll, IMD or Jak-STAT pathways, which control immune responses against bacteria and fungi. We identified a number of functional categories of genes, including serine proteases, ribosomal proteins and chorion proteins that were overrepresented among the differentially expressed genes. We also found that the sigma virus alters the expression of many more genes in males than in females.These data suggest that either Drosophila do not mount an immune response against the sigma virus, or that the immune response is not controlled by known immune pathways. If the latter is true, the genes that we identified as differentially expressed after infection are promising candidates for controlling the host's response to the sigma virus.

The transcriptional response of Drosophila melanogaster to infection with the sigma virus (Rhabdoviridae).

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Jennifer; Hutter, Stephan; Baines, John F; Roller, Julia; Saminadin-Peter, Sarah S; Parsch, John; Jiggins, Francis M

2009-08-31

Bacterial and fungal infections induce a potent immune response in Drosophila melanogaster, but it is unclear whether viral infections induce an antiviral immune response. Using microarrays, we examined the changes in gene expression in Drosophila that occur in response to infection with the sigma virus, a negative-stranded RNA virus (Rhabdoviridae) that occurs in wild populations of D. melanogaster. We detected many changes in gene expression in infected flies, but found no evidence for the activation of the Toll, IMD or Jak-STAT pathways, which control immune responses against bacteria and fungi. We identified a number of functional categories of genes, including serine proteases, ribosomal proteins and chorion proteins that were overrepresented among the differentially expressed genes. We also found that the sigma virus alters the expression of many more genes in males than in females. These data suggest that either Drosophila do not mount an immune response against the sigma virus, or that the immune response is not controlled by known immune pathways. If the latter is true, the genes that we identified as differentially expressed after infection are promising candidates for controlling the host's response to the sigma virus.

The Transcriptional Response of Drosophila melanogaster to Infection with the Sigma Virus (Rhabdoviridae)

Science.gov (United States)

Baines, John F.; Roller, Julia; Saminadin-Peter, Sarah S.; Parsch, John; Jiggins, Francis M.

2009-01-01

Background Bacterial and fungal infections induce a potent immune response in Drosophila melanogaster, but it is unclear whether viral infections induce an antiviral immune response. Using microarrays, we examined the changes in gene expression in Drosophila that occur in response to infection with the sigma virus, a negative-stranded RNA virus (Rhabdoviridae) that occurs in wild populations of D. melanogaster. Principal Findings We detected many changes in gene expression in infected flies, but found no evidence for the activation of the Toll, IMD or Jak-STAT pathways, which control immune responses against bacteria and fungi. We identified a number of functional categories of genes, including serine proteases, ribosomal proteins and chorion proteins that were overrepresented among the differentially expressed genes. We also found that the sigma virus alters the expression of many more genes in males than in females. Conclusions These data suggest that either Drosophila do not mount an immune response against the sigma virus, or that the immune response is not controlled by known immune pathways. If the latter is true, the genes that we identified as differentially expressed after infection are promising candidates for controlling the host's response to the sigma virus. PMID:19718442

Whole-Genome Resequencing of Experimental Populations Reveals Polygenic Basis of Egg-Size Variation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Jha, Aashish R; Miles, Cecelia M; Lippert, Nodia R; Brown, Christopher D; White, Kevin P; Kreitman, Martin

2015-10-01

Complete genome resequencing of populations holds great promise in deconstructing complex polygenic traits to elucidate molecular and developmental mechanisms of adaptation. Egg size is a classic adaptive trait in insects, birds, and other taxa, but its highly polygenic architecture has prevented high-resolution genetic analysis. We used replicated experimental evolution in Drosophila melanogaster and whole-genome sequencing to identify consistent signatures of polygenic egg-size adaptation. A generalized linear-mixed model revealed reproducible allele frequency differences between replicated experimental populations selected for large and small egg volumes at approximately 4,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Several hundred distinct genomic regions contain clusters of these SNPs and have lower heterozygosity than the genomic background, consistent with selection acting on polymorphisms in these regions. These SNPs are also enriched among genes expressed in Drosophila ovaries and many of these genes have well-defined functions in Drosophila oogenesis. Additional genes regulating egg development, growth, and cell size show evidence of directional selection as genes regulating these biological processes are enriched for highly differentiated SNPs. Genetic crosses performed with a subset of candidate genes demonstrated that these genes influence egg size, at least in the large genetic background. These findings confirm the highly polygenic architecture of this adaptive trait, and suggest the involvement of many novel candidate genes in regulating egg size. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

The metabolic profile of long-lived Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sarup, Pernille Merete; Pedersen, Simon Metz; Nielsen, Niels Christian

2012-01-01

We investigated the age-related changes in the metabolic profile of male Drosophila melanogaster and compared the metabolic profile of flies selected for increased longevity to that of control flies of equal age. We found clear differences in metabolite composition between selection regimes...

Variation in male mate choice in Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominic A Edward

Full Text Available Male mate choice has been reported in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, even though males of this species were previously thought to maximise their fitness by mating with all available females. To understand the evolution of male mate choice it is important to understand variation in male mating preferences. Two studies, using different stock populations and different methods, have reported contrasting patterns of variation in male mate choice in D. melanogaster. Two possible explanations are that there are evolved differences in each stock population or that the methods used to measure choice could have biased the results. We investigated these hypotheses here by repeating the methods used in one study in which variable male mate choice was found, using the stock population from the other study in which choice was not variable. The results showed a significant resource-independent male preference for less fecund, smaller females, which contrasts with previous observations of male mate choice. This indicates that different selection pressures between populations have resulted in evolved differences in the expression of male mate choice. It also reveals phenotypic plasticity in male mate choice in response to cues encountered in each choice environment. The results highlight the importance of variation in male mate choice, and of identifying mechanisms in order to understand the evolution of mate choice under varying ecological conditions.

Effect on the viability in populations of Drosophila Melanogaster chronically exposed to Radon; Efecto sobre la viabilidad en poblaciones de Drosophila melanogaster cronicamente expuestas a Radon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salceda, V M [Depto. de Biologia, ININ, Km.36.5 Carr. Mexico-Toluca, Salazar, Edo. de Mexico (Mexico)

2004-07-01

A four generations population of Drosophila melanogaster chronically subjected to the following radon concentrations were analyzed: 30 {+-} 7, 12 {+-} 2, 43 {+-} 5, 25 {+-} 7, 14 {+-} 2, 6 {+-} 2, 78 {+-} 1, 58 {+-} 5 and 74 {+-} 7 k B/m{sup 3} with estimated doses of 1.209, 0.1, 2.088, 0.869, 0.156, 0.03, 3.18, 2.12 and 2.878 mGy by generation and their respective ones witness, in order to determine the effect of the radiation in the induction of detrimental genes, also measuring the effect of the viability with regard to the fecundity and the differential viability in categories of genes with smaller effects. So much the induction of detrimental genes like the distribution of the viability with regard to the fecundity for categories they did not show inductor effect due to the treatment with radon. Notwithstanding, the changes caused by the relating treatment to the fecundity they caused in three of the four comparisons possible significant results in the production of descendants, improving the adaptation of the populations, like it has been demonstrated by other authors.

DIRECT SELECTION ON LIFE-SPAN IN DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ZWAAN, B; BIJLSMA, R; HOEKSTRA, RE

An important issue in the study of the evolution of aging in Drosophila melanogaster is whether decreased early fecundity is inextricably coupled with increased life span in selection experiments on age at reproduction. Here, this problem has been tackled using an experimental design in which

The Drosophila melanogaster methuselah gene: a novel gene with ancient functions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Rita Araújo

Full Text Available The Drosophila melanogaster G protein-coupled receptor gene, methuselah (mth, has been described as a novel gene that is less than 10 million years old. Nevertheless, it shows a highly specific expression pattern in embryos, larvae, and adults, and has been implicated in larval development, stress resistance, and in the setting of adult lifespan, among others. Although mth belongs to a gene subfamily with 16 members in D. melanogaster, there is no evidence for functional redundancy in this subfamily. Therefore, it is surprising that a novel gene influences so many traits. Here, we explore the alternative hypothesis that mth is an old gene. Under this hypothesis, in species distantly related to D. melanogaster, there should be a gene with features similar to those of mth. By performing detailed phylogenetic, synteny, protein structure, and gene expression analyses we show that the D. virilis GJ12490 gene is the orthologous of mth in species distantly related to D. melanogaster. We also show that, in D. americana (a species of the virilis group of Drosophila, a common amino acid polymorphism at the GJ12490 orthologous gene is significantly associated with developmental time, size, and lifespan differences. Our results imply that GJ12490 orthologous genes are candidates for developmental time and lifespan differences in Drosophila in general.

Drosophila Melanogaster as an Emerging Translational Model of Human Nephrolithiasis

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Joe; Chi, Thomas; Kapahi, Pankaj; Kahn, Arnold J.; Kim, Man Su; Hirata, Taku; Romero, Michael F.; Dow, Julian A.T.; Stoller, Marshall L.

2013-01-01

Purpose The limitations imposed by human clinical studies and mammalian models of nephrolithiasis have hampered the development of effective medical treatments and preventative measures for decades. The simple but elegant Drosophila melanogaster is emerging as a powerful translational model of human disease, including nephrolithiasis and may provide important information essential to our understanding of stone formation. We present the current state of research using D. melanogaster as a model of human nephrolithiasis. Materials and Methods A comprehensive review of the English language literature was performed using PUBMED. When necessary, authoritative texts on relevant subtopics were consulted. Results The genetic composition, anatomic structure and physiologic function of Drosophila Malpighian tubules are remarkably similar to those of the human nephron. The direct effects of dietary manipulation, environmental alteration, and genetic variation on stone formation can be observed and quantified in a matter of days. Several Drosophila models of human nephrolithiasis, including genetically linked and environmentally induced stones, have been developed. A model of calcium oxalate stone formation is among the most recent fly models of human nephrolithiasis. Conclusions The ability to readily manipulate and quantify stone formation in D. melanogaster models of human nephrolithiasis presents the urologic community with a unique opportunity to increase our understanding of this enigmatic disease. PMID:23500641

Characterization of reproductive dormancy in male Drosophila melanogaster

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kubrak, O. I.; Kučerová, Lucie; Theopold, U.; Nylin, S.; Nässel, D. R.

2016-01-01

Roč. 7, NOV 24 (2016), č. článku 572. ISSN 1664-042X Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Drosophila melanogaster * diapause * reproduction Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 4.134, year: 2016 http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2016.00572/full

Neuronal Cbl Controls Biosynthesis of Insulin-Like Peptides in Drosophila melanogaster

OpenAIRE

Yu, Yue; Sun, Ying; He, Shengqi; Yan, Cheng; Rui, Liangyou; Li, Wenjun; Liu, Yong

2012-01-01

The Cbl family proteins function as both E3 ubiquitin ligases and adaptor proteins to regulate various cellular signaling events, including the insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) pathways. These pathways play essential roles in growth, development, metabolism, and survival. Here we show that in Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila Cbl (dCbl) regulates longevity and carbohydrate metabolism through downregulating the production of Drosophila insulin-lik...

Seasonal fluctuation in susceptibility to insecticides within natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster. II. Features of genetic variation in susceptibility to organophosphate insecticides within natural populations of D. melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyo, Takahiro; Oguma, Yuzuru; Charlesworth, Brian

2006-08-01

To elucidate genetic variation in susceptibility to organophosphate insecticides within natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster, we conducted an analysis of variance for mortality data sets of isofemale lines (10-286 lines) used in the previous studies. Susceptibility of isofemale lines to the three organophosphate insecticides was continuously distributed within each natural population, ranging from susceptible to resistant. Analysis of variance showed highly significant variation among isofemale lines in susceptibility to each insecticide for each natural population. Significant genetic variances in susceptibility to the three chemicals were estimated for the Katsunuma population; 0.0529-0.2722 for malathion, 0.0492-0.1603 for prothiophos, and 0.0469-0.1696 for fenitrothion. Contrary to the consistent seasonal tendency towards an increase in mean susceptibility in the fall, reported in the previous study, genetic variances in susceptibility to the three organophosphates did not change significantly in 1997 but tended to increase by 2- to 5-times in 1998. We tested whether both the observed situations, maintenance and increase in genetic variance in organophosphate resistance, can be generated under circumstances in which the levels of resistance to the three organophosphates tended to decrease, by conducting a simulation analysis, based on the hypothesis that resistant genotypes have lower fitnesses than susceptible ones under the density-independent condition. The simulation analysis generally explained the pattern in the mean susceptibility and genetic variances in susceptibility to the three organophosphates, observed in the Katsunuma population of D. melanogaster. It was suggested that the differences in the frequencies of resistance genes in the summer population could affect the patterns in genetic variance in organophosphate resistance in the fall population.

Molecular Mechanisms for High Hydrostatic Pressure-Induced Wing Mutagenesis in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hua; Wang, Kai; Xiao, Guanjun; Ma, Junfeng; Wang, Bingying; Shen, Sile; Fu, Xueqi; Zou, Guangtian; Zou, Bo

2015-10-08

Although High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) as an important physical and chemical tool has been increasingly applied to research of organism, the response mechanisms of organism to HHP have not been elucidated clearly thus far. To identify mutagenic mechanisms of HHP on organisms, here, we treated Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) eggs with HHP. Approximately 75% of the surviving flies showed significant morphological abnormalities from the egg to the adult stages compared with control flies (p melanogaster induced by HHP were used to investigate the mutagenic mechanisms of HHP on organism. Thus 285 differentially expressed genes associated with wing mutations were identified using Affymetrix Drosophila Genome Array 2.0 and verified with RT-PCR. We also compared wing development-related central genes in the mutant flies with control flies using DNA sequencing to show two point mutations in the vestigial (vg) gene. This study revealed the mutagenic mechanisms of HHP-induced mutagenesis in D. melanogaster and provided a new model for the study of evolution on organisms.

Metabolome analysis of Drosophila melanogaster during embryogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Phan Nguyen Thuy; Yamaguchi, Masamitsu; Bamba, Takeshi; Fukusaki, Eiichiro

2014-01-01

The Drosophila melanogaster embryo has been widely utilized as a model for genetics and developmental biology due to its small size, short generation time, and large brood size. Information on embryonic metabolism during developmental progression is important for further understanding the mechanisms of Drosophila embryogenesis. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the changes in embryos' metabolome that occur at different stages of the Drosophila embryonic development. Time course samples of Drosophila embryos were subjected to GC/MS-based metabolome analysis for profiling of low molecular weight hydrophilic metabolites, including sugars, amino acids, and organic acids. The results showed that the metabolic profiles of Drosophila embryo varied during the course of development and there was a strong correlation between the metabolome and different embryonic stages. Using the metabolome information, we were able to establish a prediction model for developmental stages of embryos starting from their high-resolution quantitative metabolite composition. Among the important metabolites revealed from our model, we suggest that different amino acids appear to play distinct roles in different developmental stages and an appropriate balance in trehalose-glucose ratio is crucial to supply the carbohydrate source for the development of Drosophila embryo.

mutations of Drosophila melanogaster cause nonrandom cell death ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

In Drosophila melanogaster, the intersex (ix) is a terminally positioned gene in somatic sex determination hierarchy and function with the female specific product of double sex (DSXF) to implement female sexual differentiation. The null phenotype of ix is to transform diplo-X individuals into intersexes while leaving haplo-X ...

Cerebral Innate Immunity in Drosophila Melanogaster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian P. Leung

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Modeling innate immunity in Drosophila melanogaster has a rich history that includes ground-breaking discoveries in pathogen detection and signaling. These studies revealed the evolutionary conservation of innate immune pathways and mechanisms of pathogen detection, resulting in an explosion of findings in the innate immunity field. In D. melanogaster, studies have focused primarily on responses driven by the larval fat body and hemocytes, analogs to vertebrate liver and macrophages, respectively. Aside from pathogen detection, many recent mammalian studies associate innate immune pathways with development and disease pathogenesis. Importantly, these studies stress that the innate immune response is integral to maintain central nervous system (CNS health. Microglia, which are the vertebrate CNS mononuclear phagocytes, drive vertebrate cerebral innate immunity. The invertebrate CNS contains microglial-like cells-ensheathing glia and reticular glia-that could be used to answer basic questions regarding the evolutionarily conserved innate immune processes in CNS development and health. A deeper understanding of the relationship between D. melanogaster phagocytic microglial-like cells and vertebrate microglia will be key to answering basic and translational questions related to cerebral innate immunity.

Female characteristics in the Drosophila melanogaster-sigma virus system in natural populations from Languedoc (southern France).

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A

1994-01-01

The Drosophila melanogaster-sigma virus system has been extensively analysed for some years in Languedoc. The sigma virus, endemically present in natural populations of the fly, is not contagious but vertically transmitted. The frequency of infected flies dramatically increased from 1983 to 1988 in Languedoc and the increase was clearly correlated with some viral characteristics. From 1988 onwards, this frequency steadily decreased. Three zones were identified in Languedoc, from North to South, in each of which the virus evolved differently. Transovarial transmission and other parameters on the female side in the host virus system were investigated in samples collected in 1992. There were differences in values between the three zones. The contribution of these parameters to the observed differential frequencies of infected flies is discussed.

Effect of overwintering on the frequency of flies infected by the rhabdovirus sigma in experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A

1981-01-01

Artificial overwintering, assuming that adulthood is the overwintering stage, has been performed on six experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster. In five of them, the frequency of flies infected by the hereditary Rhabdovirus sigma is always in the first spring generation than it was in the last generation of the preceding fall. This result might indicate a higher sensitivity of infected flies to winter conditions, but other interpretations, connected with the genes for resistance to the virus might be considered. In one of the six populations, no effect was detected after any of the three successive winters. It appears therefore that the genetic background of the flies or/and of the propagated virus intervenes in the response to overwintering.

A high-quality catalog of the Drosophila melanogaster proteome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brunner, Erich; Ahrens, Christian H.; Mohanty, Sonaly

2007-01-01

% of the predicted Drosophila melanogaster proteome by detecting 9,124 proteins from 498,000 redundant and 72,281 distinct peptide identifications. This unprecedented high proteome coverage for a complex eukaryote was achieved by combining sample diversity, multidimensional biochemical fractionation and analysis...

Effect on the viability in populations of Drosophila Melanogaster chronically exposed to Radon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salceda, V.M.

2004-01-01

A four generations population of Drosophila melanogaster chronically subjected to the following radon concentrations were analyzed: 30 ± 7, 12 ± 2, 43 ± 5, 25 ± 7, 14 ± 2, 6 ± 2, 78 ± 1, 58 ± 5 and 74 ± 7 k B/m 3 with estimated doses of 1.209, 0.1, 2.088, 0.869, 0.156, 0.03, 3.18, 2.12 and 2.878 mGy by generation and their respective ones witness, in order to determine the effect of the radiation in the induction of detrimental genes, also measuring the effect of the viability with regard to the fecundity and the differential viability in categories of genes with smaller effects. So much the induction of detrimental genes like the distribution of the viability with regard to the fecundity for categories they did not show inductor effect due to the treatment with radon. Notwithstanding, the changes caused by the relating treatment to the fecundity they caused in three of the four comparisons possible significant results in the production of descendants, improving the adaptation of the populations, like it has been demonstrated by other authors

Induction of morphological aberrations by enzyme inhibition in Drosophila melanogaster

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, M.; Scharloo, W.; Bijlsma, R.; de Boer, I.M.; den Hollander, J.

1969-01-01

Zusatz zum Futter vonDrosophila melanogaster von 5-Fluoro-2-deoxyuridin oder Aminopterin induziert überzählige Skutellar- und Dorsozentralborsten sowie gekerbte Flügel. Diese Modifikationen wurden als Konsequenz von Enzymhemmung interpretiert.

Drosophila melanogaster as a Versatile Model Organism in Food and Nutrition Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Staats, Stefanie; Lüersen, Kai; Wagner, Anika E; Rimbach, Gerald

2018-04-18

Drosophila melanogaster has been widely used in the biological sciences as a model organism. Drosophila has a relatively short life span of 60-80 days, which makes it attractive for life span studies. Moreover, approximately 60% of the fruit fly genes are orthologs to mammals. Thus, metabolic and signal transduction pathways are highly conserved. Maintenance and reproduction of Drosophila do not require sophisticated equipment and are rather cheap. Furthermore, there are fewer ethical issues involved in experimental Drosophila research compared with studies in laboratory rodents, such as rats and mice. Drosophila is increasingly recognized as a model organism in food and nutrition research. Drosophila is often fed complex solid diets based on yeast, corn, and agar. There are also so-called holidic diets available that are defined in terms of their amino acid, fatty acid, carbohydrate, vitamin, mineral, and trace element compositions. Feed intake, body composition, locomotor activity, intestinal barrier function, microbiota, cognition, fertility, aging, and life span can be systematically determined in Drosophila in response to dietary factors. Furthermore, diet-induced pathophysiological mechanisms including inflammation and stress responses may be evaluated in the fly under defined experimental conditions. Here, we critically evaluate Drosophila melanogaster as a versatile model organism in experimental food and nutrition research, review the corresponding data in the literature, and make suggestions for future directions of research.

P element excision in drosophila melanogaster and related drosophilids

Science.gov (United States)

The frequency of P element excision and the structure of the resulting excision products were determined in three drosophilid species, Drosophila melanogaster, D. virilis, and Chymomyza procnemis. A transient P element mobility assay was conducted in the cells of developing insect embryos, but unlik...

Comprehensive assessment of geographic variation in heat tolerance and hardening capacity in populations of Drosophila melanogaster from eastern Australia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sgro, Carla M.; Overgaard, Johannes; Kristensen, Torsten Nygård

2010-01-01

We examined latitudinal variation in adult and larval heat tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster from eastern Australia. Adults were assessed using static and ramping assays. Basal and hardened static heat knockdown time showed significant linear clines; heat tolerance increased towards the tropics...

Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to study nanotoxicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ong, Cynthia; Yung, Lin-Yue Lanry; Cai, Yu; Bay, Boon-Huat; Baeg, Gyeong-Hun

2015-05-01

Drosophila melanogaster has been used as an in vivo model organism for the study of genetics and development since 100 years ago. Recently, the fruit fly Drosophila was also developed as an in vivo model organism for toxicology studies, in particular, the field of nanotoxicity. The incorporation of nanomaterials into consumer and biomedical products is a cause for concern as nanomaterials are often associated with toxicity in many in vitro studies. In vivo animal studies of the toxicity of nanomaterials with rodents and other mammals are, however, limited due to high operational cost and ethical objections. Hence, Drosophila, a genetically tractable organism with distinct developmental stages and short life cycle, serves as an ideal organism to study nanomaterial-mediated toxicity. This review discusses the basic biology of Drosophila, the toxicity of nanomaterials, as well as how the Drosophila model can be used to study the toxicity of various types of nanomaterials.

Proteomic Characterization of Inbreeding-Related Cold Sensitivity in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vermeulen, C.J.; Pedersen, Kamilla Sofie; Beck, Hans C.

2013-01-01

insight into the molecular interplay between intrinsic stress responses, inbreeding depression and temperature tolerance, we performed a proteomic characterization of a well-defined conditional inbreeding effect in a single line of Drosophila melanogaster, which suffers from extreme cold sensitivity...

Optogenetic pacing in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Alex, Aneesh; Li, Airong; Tanzi, Rudolph E.; Zhou, Chao

2015-01-01

Electrical stimulation is currently the gold standard for cardiac pacing. However, it is invasive and nonspecific for cardiac tissues. We recently developed a noninvasive cardiac pacing technique using optogenetic tools, which are widely used in neuroscience. Optogenetic pacing of the heart provides high spatial and temporal precisions, is specific for cardiac tissues, avoids artifacts associated with electrical stimulation, and therefore promises to be a powerful tool in basic cardiac research. We demonstrated optogenetic control of heart rhythm in a well-established model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. We developed transgenic flies expressing a light-gated cation channel, channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), specifically in their hearts and demonstrated successful optogenetic pacing of ChR2-expressing Drosophila at different developmental stages, including the larva, pupa, and adult stages. A high-speed and ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence microscopy imaging system that is capable of providing images at a rate of 130 frames/s with axial and transverse resolutions of 1.5 and 3.9 μm, respectively, was used to noninvasively monitor Drosophila cardiac function and its response to pacing stimulation. The development of a noninvasive integrated optical pacing and imaging system provides a novel platform for performing research studies in developmental cardiology. PMID:26601299

Resources for Functional Genomics Studies in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Mohr, Stephanie E.; Hu, Yanhui; Kim, Kevin; Housden, Benjamin E.; Perrimon, Norbert

2014-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster has become a system of choice for functional genomic studies. Many resources, including online databases and software tools, are now available to support design or identification of relevant fly stocks and reagents or analysis and mining of existing functional genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, etc. datasets. These include large community collections of fly stocks and plasmid clones, “meta” information sites like FlyBase and FlyMine, and an increasing number of more specialized reagents, databases, and online tools. Here, we introduce key resources useful to plan large-scale functional genomics studies in Drosophila and to analyze, integrate, and mine the results of those studies in ways that facilitate identification of highest-confidence results and generation of new hypotheses. We also discuss ways in which existing resources can be used and might be improved and suggest a few areas of future development that would further support large- and small-scale studies in Drosophila and facilitate use of Drosophila information by the research community more generally. PMID:24653003

Characterization of Autophagic Responses in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, T; Kumar, S; Denton, D

2017-01-01

Drosophila is an excellent model system for studying autophagy during animal development due to the availability of genetic reagents and opportunity for in vivo cell biological analysis. The regulation and mechanism of autophagy are highly evolutionarily conserved and the role of autophagy has been characterized during various stages of Drosophila development as well as following starvation. Studies in Drosophila have revealed novel insights into the role of distinct components of the autophagy machinery. This chapter describes protocols for examining autophagy during Drosophila development. A crucial step in the induction of autophagy is the incorporation of Atg8a into the autophagosome. This can be measured as autophagic puncta using live fluorescent imaging, immunostaining, or immunoblot analysis of LC3/Atg8a processing. The level of autophagy can also be examined using other specific components of the autophagy pathway as markers detected by immunofluorescent imaging. Based on the distinct morphology of autophagy, it can also be examined by transmission electron microscopy. In addition, one of the advantages of using Drosophila as a model is the ability to undertake genetic analysis of individual components of the autophagy machinery. Current approaches that can be used to monitor autophagy, including the overall flux and individual steps in Drosophila melanogaster, will be discussed. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Origin, evolution, and population genetics of the selfish Segregation Distorter gene duplication in European and African populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Brand, Cara L; Larracuente, Amanda M; Presgraves, Daven C

2015-05-01

Meiotic drive elements are a special class of evolutionarily "selfish genes" that subvert Mendelian segregation to gain preferential transmission at the expense of homologous loci. Many drive elements appear to be maintained in populations as stable polymorphisms, their equilibrium frequencies determined by the balance between drive (increasing frequency) and selection (decreasing frequency). Here we show that a classic, seemingly balanced, drive system is instead characterized by frequent evolutionary turnover giving rise to dynamic, rather than stable, equilibrium frequencies. The autosomal Segregation Distorter (SD) system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a selfish coadapted meiotic drive gene complex in which the major driver corresponds to a partial duplication of the gene Ran-GTPase activating protein (RanGAP). SD chromosomes segregate at similar, low frequencies of 1-5% in natural populations worldwide, consistent with a balanced polymorphism. Surprisingly, our population genetic analyses reveal evidence for parallel, independent selective sweeps of different SD chromosomes in populations on different continents. These findings suggest that, rather than persisting at a single stable equilibrium, SD chromosomes turn over frequently within populations. © 2015 The Author(s). Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Gut-associated microbes of Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Broderick, Nichole; Lemaitre, Bruno

2012-01-01

There is growing interest in using Drosophila melanogaster to elucidate mechanisms that underlie the complex relationships between a host and its microbiota. In addition to the many genetic resources and tools Drosophila provides, its associated microbiota is relatively simple (1–30 taxa), in contrast to the complex diversity associated with vertebrates (> 500 taxa). These attributes highlight the potential of this system to dissect the complex cellular and molecular interactions that occur between a host and its microbiota. In this review, we summarize what is known regarding the composition of gut-associated microbes of Drosophila and their impact on host physiology. We also discuss these interactions in the context of their natural history and ecology and describe some recent insights into mechanisms by which Drosophila and its gut microbiota interact. “Workers with Drosophila have been considered fortunate in that they deal with the first multicellular invertebrate to be cultured monoxenically (Delcourt and Guyenot, 1910); the first to be handled axenically on a semisynthetic diet (Guyenot, 1917); and the first to be grown on a defined diet (Schultz et al., 1946). This list of advantages is somewhat embarrassing, since it implies an interest in nutrition that, in reality, was only secondary. The very first studies were concerned with the reduction of variability in genetic experiments (Delcourt and Guyenot, 1910) and standardization of the nutritional environment.” -James Sang, 1959 Ann NY Acad 1 PMID:22572876

Heat shock protection against cold stress of Drosophila melanogaster

OpenAIRE

Burton, Vicky; Mitchell, Herschel K.; Young, Patricia; Petersen, Nancy S.

1988-01-01

Heat shock protein synthesis can be induced during recovery from cold treatment of Drosophila melanogaster larvae. Survival of larvae after a cold treatment is dramatically improved by a mild heat shock just before the cold shock. The conditions which induce tolerance to cold are similar to those which confer tolerance to heat.

The frequency of allelic lethals and complementation maps in natural populations of drosophila melanogaster from Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salceda Victor M.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Departing from a previous study on the genetic loads affecting the second chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster in four natural populations, 171 lethal chromosomes were recovered and maintained as a balanced stocks in the condition Cy L / 1 (l=lethal; of those lethais 24 correspond to population A, 50 to populations B and C and 47 to population D. later on an intra-population allelism test for the four populations was performed for each one. A total of 3807 inter lethal crosses were done yielding a total of i 10 allelic combinations, from them the respective percentage of allelism for each population was calculated and they are as follow: 3.98 % for population A, 1.80 % for population B, 3.67 % for population C and 2.96 % for population D. the observed values for the frequency of allelism in these populations are not significantly different from those reported by other authors in similar studies in natural and/or experimental populations. Beside these values the frequency for singles, doubles, triplets and even quadruplets present in each population were determined, they shown the presence of various complementation maps due to the clustering of few different lethals: also a large complementation map formed by a large cluster involving the presence of 26 different lethals found in population D all of them combined constituting a single unit was found.

Density-independent population projection trajectories of chromosome-substituted lines resistant and susceptible to organophosphate insecticides in Drosophila melanogaster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miyo Takahiro

2004-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Seasonal fluctuations in susceptibility to organophosphate insecticides were observed in the Katsunuma population of Drosophila melanogaster for two consecutive years; susceptibility to three organophosphates tended to increase in the fall. To examine the hypothesis that variation in fitness among resistant and susceptible genotypes could trigger the change of genetic constitution within the fall population, we investigated density-independent population projection trajectories starting from single adult females with characteristics of chromosome-substituted lines resistant and susceptible to the three organophosphates. Results Density-independent population projection trajectories, expressed as the ratios of the number of each chromosome-substituted line to that of line SSS, for which all chromosomes were derived from the susceptible line, showed significant declines in numbers with time for all the resistant chromosome-substituted lines. Conclusion The declining tendency in the density-independent population projection trajectories of the resistant chromosome-substituted lines could explain the simultaneous decline in the levels of resistance to the three organophosphates, observed in the Katsunuma population in the fall.

Drosophila melanogaster deoxyribonucleoside kinase activates gemcitabine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knecht, Wolfgang [BioCentrum-DTU, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Mikkelsen, Nils Egil [Department of Molecular Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Biomedical Centre, SE-751 24 Uppsala (Sweden); Clausen, Anders Ranegaard [Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Soelvegatan 35, SE-22362 Lund (Sweden); Willer, Mette [ZGene A/S, Agern Alle 7, DK-2970 Horsholm (Denmark); Eklund, Hans [Department of Molecular Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Biomedical Centre, SE-751 24 Uppsala (Sweden); Gojkovic, Zoran [ZGene A/S, Agern Alle 7, DK-2970 Horsholm (Denmark); Piskur, Jure, E-mail: Jure.Piskur@cob.lu.se [BioCentrum-DTU, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Soelvegatan 35, SE-22362 Lund (Sweden)

2009-05-01

Drosophila melanogaster multisubstrate deoxyribonucleoside kinase (Dm-dNK) can additionally sensitize human cancer cell lines towards the anti-cancer drug gemcitabine. We show that this property is based on the Dm-dNK ability to efficiently phosphorylate gemcitabine. The 2.2 A resolution structure of Dm-dNK in complex with gemcitabine shows that the residues Tyr70 and Arg105 play a crucial role in the firm positioning of gemcitabine by extra interactions made by the fluoride atoms. This explains why gemcitabine is a good substrate for Dm-dNK.

Endosymbiont-based immunity in Drosophila melanogaster against parasitic nematode infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, Shruti; Frazer, Joanna; Banga, Ashima; Pruitt, Katherine; Harsh, Sneh; Jaenike, John; Eleftherianos, Ioannis

2018-01-01

Associations between endosymbiotic bacteria and their hosts represent a complex ecosystem within organisms ranging from humans to protozoa. Drosophila species are known to naturally harbor Wolbachia and Spiroplasma endosymbionts, which play a protective role against certain microbial infections. Here, we investigated whether the presence or absence of endosymbionts affects the immune response of Drosophila melanogaster larvae to infection by Steinernema carpocapsae nematodes carrying or lacking their mutualistic Gram-negative bacteria Xenorhabdus nematophila (symbiotic or axenic nematodes, respectively). We find that the presence of Wolbachia alone or together with Spiroplasma promotes the survival of larvae in response to infection with S. carpocapsae symbiotic nematodes, but not against axenic nematodes. We also find that Wolbachia numbers are reduced in Spiroplasma-free larvae infected with axenic compared to symbiotic nematodes, and they are also reduced in Spiroplasma-containing compared to Spiroplasma-free larvae infected with axenic nematodes. We further show that S. carpocapsae axenic nematode infection induces the Toll pathway in the absence of Wolbachia, and that symbiotic nematode infection leads to increased phenoloxidase activity in D. melanogaster larvae devoid of endosymbionts. Finally, infection with either type of nematode alters the metabolic status and the fat body lipid droplet size in D. melanogaster larvae containing only Wolbachia or both endosymbionts. Our results suggest an interaction between Wolbachia endosymbionts with the immune response of D. melanogaster against infection with the entomopathogenic nematodes S. carpocapsae. Results from this study indicate a complex interplay between insect hosts, endosymbiotic microbes and pathogenic organisms.

Neurogenetics of female reproductive behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Laturney, Meghan; Billeter, Jean-Christophe

2014-01-01

We follow an adult Drosophila melanogaster female through the major reproductive decisions she makes during her lifetime, including habitat selection, precopulatory mate choice, postcopulatory physiological changes, polyandry, and egg-laying site selection. In the process, we review the molecular and neuronal mechanisms allowing females to integrate signals from both environmental and social sources to produce those behavioral outputs. We pay attention to how an understanding of D. melanogaster female reproductive behaviors contributes to a wider understanding of evolutionary processes such as pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection as well as sexual conflict. Within each section, we attempt to connect the theories that pertain to the evolution of female reproductive behaviors with the molecular and neurobiological data that support these theories. We draw attention to the fact that the evolutionary and mechanistic basis of female reproductive behaviors, even in a species as extensively studied as D. melanogaster, remains poorly understood. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experimental evolution under hyper-promiscuity in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Jennifer C; Joag, Richa; Hosken, David J; Wedell, Nina; Radwan, Jacek; Wigby, Stuart

2016-06-16

The number of partners that individuals mate with over their lifetime is a defining feature of mating systems, and variation in mate number is thought to be a major driver of sexual evolution. Although previous research has investigated the evolutionary consequences of reductions in the number of mates, we know little about the costs and benefits of increased numbers of mates. Here, we use a genetic manipulation of mating frequency in Drosophila melanogaster to create a novel, highly promiscuous mating system. We generated D. melanogaster populations in which flies were deficient for the sex peptide receptor (SPR) gene - resulting in SPR- females that mated more frequently - and genetically-matched control populations, and allowed them to evolve for 55 generations. At several time-points during this experimental evolution, we assayed behavioural, morphological and transcriptional reproductive phenotypes expected to evolve in response to increased population mating frequencies. We found that males from the high mating frequency SPR- populations evolved decreased ability to inhibit the receptivity of their mates and decreased copulation duration, in line with predictions of decreased per-mating investment with increased sperm competition. Unexpectedly, SPR- population males also evolved weakly increased sex peptide (SP) gene expression. Males from SPR- populations initially (i.e., before experimental evolution) exhibited more frequent courtship and faster time until mating relative to controls, but over evolutionary time these differences diminished or reversed. In response to experimentally increased mating frequency, SPR- males evolved behavioural responses consistent with decreased male post-copulatory investment at each mating and decreased overall pre-copulatory performance. The trend towards increased SP gene expression might plausibly relate to functional differences in the two domains of the SP protein. Our study highlights the utility of genetic

Noninvasive Analysis of Microbiome Dynamics in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster

OpenAIRE

Fink, Christine; Staubach, Fabian; Kuenzel, Sven; Baines, John F.; Roeder, Thomas

2013-01-01

The diversity and structure of the intestinal microbial community has a strong influence on life history. To understand how hosts and microbes interact, model organisms with comparatively simple microbial communities, such as the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), offer key advantages. However, studies of the Drosophila microbiome are limited to a single point in time, because flies are typically sacrificed for DNA extraction. In order to test whether noninvasive approaches, such as samplin...

Inference of chromosomal inversion dynamics from Pool-Seq data in natural and laboratory populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Kapun, Martin; van Schalkwyk, Hester; McAllister, Bryant; Flatt, Thomas; Schlötterer, Christian

2014-04-01

Sequencing of pools of individuals (Pool-Seq) represents a reliable and cost-effective approach for estimating genome-wide SNP and transposable element insertion frequencies. However, Pool-Seq does not provide direct information on haplotypes so that, for example, obtaining inversion frequencies has not been possible until now. Here, we have developed a new set of diagnostic marker SNPs for seven cosmopolitan inversions in Drosophila melanogaster that can be used to infer inversion frequencies from Pool-Seq data. We applied our novel marker set to Pool-Seq data from an experimental evolution study and from North American and Australian latitudinal clines. In the experimental evolution data, we find evidence that positive selection has driven the frequencies of In(3R)C and In(3R)Mo to increase over time. In the clinal data, we confirm the existence of frequency clines for In(2L)t, In(3L)P and In(3R)Payne in both North America and Australia and detect a previously unknown latitudinal cline for In(3R)Mo in North America. The inversion markers developed here provide a versatile and robust tool for characterizing inversion frequencies and their dynamics in Pool-Seq data from diverse D. melanogaster populations. © 2013 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genetic effects of organic mercury compounds. II. Chromosome segregation in Drosophila melanogaster

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramel, C; Magnusson, J

1969-01-01

The genetic effect of organic mercury compounds on the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster was investigated. Treatments of larvae with methyl and phenyl mercury gave rise to development disturbances. Chromosomal abnormalities were noted.

Inbreeding affects locomotor activity in Drosophila melanogaster at different ages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manenti, Tommaso; Pertoldi, Cino; Nasiri Moghadam, Neda

2015-01-01

The ability to move is essential for many behavioural traits closely related to fitness. Here we studied the effect of inbreeding on locomotor activity (LA) of Drosophila melanogaster at different ages under both dark and light regimes. We expected to find a decreased LA in inbred lines compared...

Editor's Highlight: Genetic Targets of Acute Toluene Inhalation in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Interpretation and use of data from high-throughput assays for chemical toxicity require links between effects at molecular targets and adverse outcomes in whole animals. The well-characterized genome of Drosophila melanogaster provides a potential model system by which phenotypi...

Wolbachia influences the maternal transmission of the gypsy endogenous retrovirus in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Touret, Franck; Guiguen, François; Terzian, Christophe

2014-09-02

The endosymbiotic bacteria of the genus Wolbachia are present in most insects and are maternally transmitted through the germline. Moreover, these intracellular bacteria exert antiviral activity against insect RNA viruses, as in Drosophila melanogaster, which could explain the prevalence of Wolbachia bacteria in natural populations. Wolbachia is maternally transmitted in D. melanogaster through a mechanism that involves distribution at the posterior pole of mature oocytes and then incorporation into the pole cells of the embryos. In parallel, maternal transmission of several endogenous retroviruses is well documented in D. melanogaster. Notably, gypsy retrovirus is expressed in permissive follicle cells and transferred to the oocyte and then to the offspring by integrating into their genomes. Here, we show that the presence of Wolbachia wMel reduces the rate of gypsy insertion into the ovo gene. However, the presence of Wolbachia does not modify the expression levels of gypsy RNA and envelope glycoprotein from either permissive or restrictive ovaries. Moreover, Wolbachia affects the pattern of distribution of the retroviral particles and the gypsy envelope protein in permissive follicle cells. Altogether, our results enlarge the knowledge of the antiviral activity of Wolbachia to include reducing the maternal transmission of endogenous retroviruses in D. melanogaster. Animals have established complex relationships with bacteria and viruses that spread horizontally among individuals or are vertically transmitted, i.e., from parents to offspring. It is well established that members of the genus Wolbachia, maternally inherited symbiotic bacteria present mainly in arthropods, reduce the replication of several RNA viruses transmitted horizontally. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that Wolbachia diminishes the maternal transmission of gypsy, an endogenous retrovirus in Drosophila melanogaster. We hypothesize that gypsy cannot efficiently integrate into the germ

Investigations on radiosensitive and radioresistant populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Pt. 12

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noethel, H.

1981-01-01

In earlier studies the recessive genetic factor rar-3 (3 - 49.8) of Drosophila melanogaster had been found to reduce the sensitivity of immature oocytes to the mutagenic action of X-rays. The present work was devoted to an extension of these studies to other germ-cell stages in both male and female and also somatic cells. The results show that, in the female, the effects of rar-3 are manifest in all germ-cell stages including gonia and nurse cells but not in mature oocytes. In the male germ-cell stages, rar-3 was without any measurable effect; maternal-effect studies were likewise negative. Somatic tissues were also unaffected. Furthermore, rar-3 was apparently not active in larval oogonia. It is therefore concluded that the activity of rar-3 is switched on in oogonia during puparium formation or metamorphosis and persists until before the formation of the mature oocyte. (orig.)

Effects of gamma-rays in combination with chloropyrifos on drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abuyoussef, A.Y.; Youssef, M.K.; Omar, A.A.; Kamal, T.H.; Elbendary, A.

1984-01-01

Mutagenicity effects of the organophosphorus insecticide chloropyrifos alone and in combination with gamma irradiation using two biological criteria on D. melanogaster were studied. Dominant lethal test for control and chloropyrifos treated populations revealed a significant increase of these mutations above their spontaneous frequency. For the sex-linked recessive lethals, no significat induction of these mutations was detected at any brood after treatment with the insecticide. Radiation-Dursban treated populations suggest that Dursban can interfere with the recovery process from radiation damage. In view of these results it may be suggested that chloropyrifos is a week mutagen in Drosophila and the significant effect on the induction of dominant lethals was explained as a temporary physiological effect due to the toxic action of the insecticide

The Mosaic Ancestry of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel and the D. melanogaster Reference Genome Reveals a Network of Epistatic Fitness Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Pool, John E.

2015-01-01

North American populations of Drosophila melanogaster derive from both European and African source populations, but despite their importance for genetic research, patterns of ancestry along their genomes are largely undocumented. Here, I infer geographic ancestry along genomes of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) and the D. melanogaster reference genome, which may have implications for reference alignment, association mapping, and population genomic studies in Drosophila. Overall, the proportion of African ancestry was estimated to be 20% for the DGRP and 9% for the reference genome. Combining my estimate of admixture timing with historical records, I provide the first estimate of natural generation time for this species (approximately 15 generations per year). Ancestry levels were found to vary strikingly across the genome, with less African introgression on the X chromosome, in regions of high recombination, and at genes involved in specific processes (e.g., circadian rhythm). An important role for natural selection during the admixture process was further supported by evidence that many unlinked pairs of loci showed a deficiency of Africa–Europe allele combinations between them. Numerous epistatic fitness interactions may therefore exist between African and European genotypes, leading to ongoing selection against incompatible variants. By focusing on hubs in this network of fitness interactions, I identified a set of interacting loci that include genes with roles in sensation and neuropeptide/hormone reception. These findings suggest that admixed D. melanogaster samples could become an important study system for the genetics of early-stage isolation between populations. PMID:26354524

Influence of incorporated radionuclides on the life span of Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koshel', N.M.; Vajserman, O.M.; Vojtenko, V.P.; Kutlakhmedov, Yu.O.; Mikhjejev, O.M.

2004-01-01

Influence of incorporated radionuclides ( 137 Cs and 90 Sr) on the life span of Drosophila melanogaster was studied. External irradiation modified the formation of cumulative dose of incorporated radionuclides. All influences leaded to significant (p 90 Sr was higher comparing to 137 Cs

Drosophila melanogaster seminal fluid can protect the sperm of other males

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holman, Luke

2009-01-01

a different male. This study therefore provides strong evidence that seminal fluid does not kill rival sperm, and instead can actually protect them. This study also tested whether chemicals in the female reproductive tract harm sperm as in another Drosophila species, but found no evidence of this. # 3...... physiology. # 2. Seminal fluid is well-studied in Drosophila melanogaster, a species in which it has been suggested to 'incapacitate' the sperm of rival males (e.g. by killing them) and thereby provide an advantage in sperm competition. This hypothesis has been tested several times over many years......, but different studies have yielded conflicting conclusions. Here, I use fluorescent staining to directly measure the effects of D. melanogaster seminal fluid on the survival of sperm from the same male or from a rival. The results suggest that seminal fluid improves sperm survival, even if the sperm are from...

Behavioural response to combined insecticide and temperature stress in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Fournier-Level, A; Neumann-Mondlak, A; Good, R T; Green, L M; Schmidt, J M; Robin, C

2016-05-01

Insecticide resistance evolves extremely rapidly, providing an illuminating model for the study of adaptation. With climate change reshaping species distribution, pest and disease vector control needs rethinking to include the effects of environmental variation and insect stress physiology. Here, we assessed how both long-term adaptation of populations to temperature and immediate temperature variation affect the genetic architecture of DDT insecticide response in Drosophila melanogaster. Mortality assays and behavioural assays based on continuous activity monitoring were used to assess the interaction between DDT and temperature on three field-derived populations from climate extremes (Raleigh for warm temperate, Tasmania for cold oceanic and Queensland for hot tropical). The Raleigh population showed the highest mortality to DDT, whereas the Queensland population, epicentre for derived alleles of the resistance gene Cyp6g1, showed the lowest. Interaction between insecticide and temperature strongly affected mortality, particularly for the Tasmanian population. Activity profiles analysed using self-organizing maps show that the insecticide promoted an early response, whereas elevated temperature promoted a later response. These distinctive early or later activity phases revealed similar responses to temperature and DDT dose alone but with more or less genetic variance depending on the population. This change in genetic variance among populations suggests that selection particularly depleted genetic variance for DDT response in the Queensland population. Finally, despite similar (co)variation between traits in benign conditions, the genetic responses across population differed under stressful conditions. This showed how stress-responsive genetic variation only reveals itself in specific conditions and thereby escapes potential trade-offs in benign environments. © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2016 European

Pervasive gene expression responses to a fluctuating diet in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zandveld, Jelle; van den Heuvel, Joost; Mulder, Maarten

2017-01-01

Phenotypic plasticity is an important concept in life-history evolution, and most organisms, including Drosophila melanogaster, show a plastic life-history response to diet. However, little is known about how these life-history responses are mediated. In this study, we compared adult female flies...

Pervasive gene expression responses to a fluctuating diet in Drosophila melanogaster

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zandveld, Jelle; Heuvel, van den Joost; Mulder, Maarten; Brakefield, Paul M.; Kirkwood, Thomas B.L.; Shanley, Daryl P.; Zwaan, Bas J.

2017-01-01

Phenotypic plasticity is an important concept in life-history evolution, and most organisms, including Drosophila melanogaster, show a plastic life-history response to diet. However, little is known about how these life-history responses are mediated. In this study, we compared adult female flies

Drosophila melanogaster Mounts a Unique Immune Response to the Rhabdovirus Sigma virus▿

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, C. W.; McGraw, E. A.; Ammar, E.-D.; Dietzgen, R. G.; Hogenhout, S. A.

2008-01-01

Rhabdoviruses are important pathogens of humans, livestock, and plants that are often vectored by insects. Rhabdovirus particles have a characteristic bullet shape with a lipid envelope and surface-exposed transmembrane glycoproteins. Sigma virus (SIGMAV) is a member of the Rhabdoviridae and is a naturally occurring disease agent of Drosophila melanogaster. The infection is maintained in Drosophila populations through vertical transmission via germ cells. We report here the nature of the Drosophila innate immune response to SIGMAV infection as revealed by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis of differentially expressed genes identified by microarray analysis. We have also compared and contrasted the immune response of the host with respect to two nonenveloped viruses, Drosophila C virus (DCV) and Drosophila X virus (DXV). We determined that SIGMAV infection upregulates expression of the peptidoglycan receptor protein genes PGRP-SB1 and PGRP-SD and the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes Diptericin-A, Attacin-A, Attacin-B, Cecropin-A1, and Drosocin. SIGMAV infection did not induce PGRP-SA and the AMP genes Drosomycin-B, Metchnikowin, and Defensin that are upregulated in DCV and/or DXV infections. Expression levels of the Toll and Imd signaling cascade genes are not significantly altered by SIGMAV infection. These results highlight shared and unique aspects of the Drosophila immune response to the three viruses and may shed light on the nature of the interaction with the host and the evolution of these associations. PMID:18378641

allele of the noncoding hsrω gene of Drosophila melanogaster is not ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

, Martinez P. et al. 2000 Identification of genes that modify ataxin-1-induced neurodegeneration. Nature 408, 101–. 106. Lakhotia S. C. 2003 The non-coding, developmentally active and stress inducible hsrω gene of Drosophila melanogaster ...

Sexual isolation between Drosophila melanogaster, D. simulans and D. mauritiana: sex and species specific discrimination.

Science.gov (United States)

Carracedo, M C; Suarez, C; Casares, P

2000-01-01

The sexual isolation among the related species Drosophila melanogaster, D. simulans and D. mauritiana is asymmetrical. While D. mauritiana males mate well with both D. melanogaster and D. simulans females, females of D. mauritiana discriminate strongly against males of these two species. Similarly, D. simulans males mate with D. melanogaster females but the reciprocal cross is difficult. Interspecific crosses between several populations of the three species were performed to determine if (i) males and females of the same species share a common sexual isolation genetic system, and (ii) males (or females) use the same genetic system to discriminate against females (or males) of the other two species. Results indicate that although differences in male and female isolation depend on the populations tested, the isolation behaviour between a pair of species is highly correlated despite the variations. However, the rank order of the isolation level along the populations was not correlated in both sexes, which suggests that different genes act in male and female sexual isolation. Neither for males nor for females, the isolation behaviour of one species was paralleled in the other two species, which indicates that the genetic systems involved in this trait are species-pair specific. The implications of these results are discussed.

Exquisite light sensitivity of Drosophila melanogaster cryptochrome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pooja Vinayak

Full Text Available Drosophila melanogaster shows exquisite light sensitivity for modulation of circadian functions in vivo, yet the activities of the Drosophila circadian photopigment cryptochrome (CRY have only been observed at high light levels. We studied intensity/duration parameters for light pulse induced circadian phase shifts under dim light conditions in vivo. Flies show far greater light sensitivity than previously appreciated, and show a surprising sensitivity increase with pulse duration, implying a process of photic integration active up to at least 6 hours. The CRY target timeless (TIM shows dim light dependent degradation in circadian pacemaker neurons that parallels phase shift amplitude, indicating that integration occurs at this step, with the strongest effect in a single identified pacemaker neuron. Our findings indicate that CRY compensates for limited light sensitivity in vivo by photon integration over extraordinarily long times, and point to select circadian pacemaker neurons as having important roles.

The Mosaic Ancestry of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel and the D. melanogaster Reference Genome Reveals a Network of Epistatic Fitness Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Pool, John E

2015-12-01

North American populations of Drosophila melanogaster derive from both European and African source populations, but despite their importance for genetic research, patterns of ancestry along their genomes are largely undocumented. Here, I infer geographic ancestry along genomes of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) and the D. melanogaster reference genome, which may have implications for reference alignment, association mapping, and population genomic studies in Drosophila. Overall, the proportion of African ancestry was estimated to be 20% for the DGRP and 9% for the reference genome. Combining my estimate of admixture timing with historical records, I provide the first estimate of natural generation time for this species (approximately 15 generations per year). Ancestry levels were found to vary strikingly across the genome, with less African introgression on the X chromosome, in regions of high recombination, and at genes involved in specific processes (e.g., circadian rhythm). An important role for natural selection during the admixture process was further supported by evidence that many unlinked pairs of loci showed a deficiency of Africa-Europe allele combinations between them. Numerous epistatic fitness interactions may therefore exist between African and European genotypes, leading to ongoing selection against incompatible variants. By focusing on hubs in this network of fitness interactions, I identified a set of interacting loci that include genes with roles in sensation and neuropeptide/hormone reception. These findings suggest that admixed D. melanogaster samples could become an important study system for the genetics of early-stage isolation between populations. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Comparative genomic analysis of Drosophila melanogaster and vector mosquito developmental genes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanta K Behura

Full Text Available Genome sequencing projects have presented the opportunity for analysis of developmental genes in three vector mosquito species: Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Anopheles gambiae. A comparative genomic analysis of developmental genes in Drosophila melanogaster and these three important vectors of human disease was performed in this investigation. While the study was comprehensive, special emphasis centered on genes that 1 are components of developmental signaling pathways, 2 regulate fundamental developmental processes, 3 are critical for the development of tissues of vector importance, 4 function in developmental processes known to have diverged within insects, and 5 encode microRNAs (miRNAs that regulate developmental transcripts in Drosophila. While most fruit fly developmental genes are conserved in the three vector mosquito species, several genes known to be critical for Drosophila development were not identified in one or more mosquito genomes. In other cases, mosquito lineage-specific gene gains with respect to D. melanogaster were noted. Sequence analyses also revealed that numerous repetitive sequences are a common structural feature of Drosophila and mosquito developmental genes. Finally, analysis of predicted miRNA binding sites in fruit fly and mosquito developmental genes suggests that the repertoire of developmental genes targeted by miRNAs is species-specific. The results of this study provide insight into the evolution of developmental genes and processes in dipterans and other arthropods, serve as a resource for those pursuing analysis of mosquito development, and will promote the design and refinement of functional analysis experiments.

Anti-Aging Effect of Riboflavin Via Endogenous Antioxidant in Fruit fly Drosophila Melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Y-X; Ruan, M-H; Luan, J; Feng, X; Chen, S; Chu, Z-Y

2017-01-01

This study investigated the effect of riboflavin on aging in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly). Experimental study. Naval Medical Research Institute. Fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. After lifelong supplement of riboflavin, the lifespan and the reproduction of fruit flies were observed. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was used to mimic oxidative stress damage to fruit flies and the survival time was recorded. The activity of copper-zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (SOD1), manganese containing SOD (SOD2) and catalase (CAT) and lipofuscin (LF) content were determined. Riboflavin significantly prolonged the lifespan (Log rank χ2=16.677, Priboflavin supplement. Riboflavin prolonged the lifespan and increased the reproduction of fruit flies through anti-oxidative stress pathway involving enhancing the activity of SOD1 and CAT and inhibiting LF accumulation. Riboflavin deserves more attention for slowing human aging.

Polymorphism at the ref(2)P locus in Drosophila melanogaster: preliminary experiments concerning the selection mechanisms involved in its maintenance.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A

1981-02-01

It has been shown previously that a polymorphism for two alleles of the ref(2)P locus is a regular feature of French natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster and that this is maintained in laboratory populations raised in cages. In this paper, an experimental population and egg-collection experiments are reported. Differential survival of the three genotypes would be the main factor leading to the equilibrium frequencies, working only in drastic conditions of larval competition.

The effect of X-radiation on a laboratory population of Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sushzhenko, O.V.; Evdokimov, E.V.; Plekhanov, G.F.

1985-01-01

A study was made of the effect of X radiation in doses of 13 to 416 mC/kg on a Dr. melanogaster population heterogenous in fertility. In the case of weak effects (13 and 26 mC/kg) the responses were diverse which was attributed to genetic differences between individuals of a population. With strong effects, the response of the population was identical

Structure of glutaminyl cyclase from Drosophila melanogaster in space group I4

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kolenko, Petr; Koch, B.; Rahfeld, J.-U.; Schilling, S.; Demuth, H.-U.; Stubbs, M. T.

2013-01-01

Roč. 69, č. 4 (2013), s. 358-361 ISSN 1744-3091 R&D Projects: GA MŠk EE2.3.30.0029 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : glutaminyl cyclases * Drosophila melanogaster * soaking Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 0.568, year: 2013

Three Strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens Exhibit Differential Toxicity Against Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Three strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens were tested for toxicity to Drosophila melanogaster in an insect feeding assay. Insect eggs were placed on the surface of a non-nutritive agar plate supplemented with a food source that was non-inoculated or inoculated with P. fluorescens Pf0-1, SBW25, or Pf-...

Evolutionary consequences of altered atmospheric oxygen in Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marc Charette

Full Text Available Twelve replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster, all derived from a common ancestor, were independently evolved for 34+ generations in one of three treatment environments of varying PO(2: hypoxia (5.0-10.1 kPa, normoxia (21.3 kPa, and hyperoxia (40.5 kPa. Several traits related to whole animal performance and metabolism were assayed at various stages via "common garden" and reciprocal transplant assays to directly compare evolved and acclimatory differences among treatments. Results clearly demonstrate the evolution of a greater tolerance to acute hypoxia in the hypoxia-evolved populations, consistent with adaptation to this environment. Greater hypoxia tolerance was associated with an increase in citrate synthase activity in fly homogenate when compared to normoxic (control populations, suggesting an increase in mitochondrial volume density in these populations. In contrast, no direct evidence of increased performance of the hyperoxia-evolved populations was detected, although a significant decrease in the tolerance of these populations to acute hypoxia suggests a cost to adaptation to hyperoxia. Hyperoxia-evolved populations had lower productivity overall (i.e., across treatment environments and there was no evidence that hypoxia or hyperoxia-evolved populations had greatest productivity or longevity in their respective treatment environments, suggesting that these assays failed to capture the components of fitness relevant to adaptation.

Genetic structure of populations of Drosophila melanogaster natives from Laguna Verde, Veracruz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salceda, V.M.

2005-01-01

The genetic variability hidden present in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster, it has been broadly analyzed, and it is a tool that allows to detect differences among the different populations of this species, so much of natural nature as experimental. In this occasion we use it to see if differences exist in two neighboring populations inside the Laguna Verde nuclear power plant, Veracruz, and this way to suggest, of having differences in the mount of the relative frequencies of lethal genes, semi lethals and normal, be due to the radioactive emanations product of the reactors operation of the plant. Its were took samples of flies in both towns during three successive seasons and they were transported to the laboratory of the ININ where they were carried out the tests to determine the frequency of the different types of genes. This was made by means of the denominated technique C y L / Pm that allows by means of a cross series with a stump marker to obtain, in the third generation, in isolated form the different types of genes and this way to calculate their relative frequencies. The study understands the analysis of 299 chromosomes extracted from the populations, of those that 95 correspond at the control population and 204 to the experimental one. As a result of the analysis we find that 30.52 percent of the genes of the population witness contains detrimental genes (sum of the lethal plus the semi lethal genes) as long as in the experimental population this value corresponds to 23.03 percent. In accordance with this information was not significant difference among the studied populations. A similar analysis, but now comparing the seasons, (summer against winter), it showed significant difference to 5% with regard to the lethal genes frequency only in the population witness. These results indicate the absence of damage, however it is necessary to consider that this can be due to that indeed there is not him or that the investigation protocol is not

Functional Characterization of CCHamide and Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Signalling in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ren, Guilin Robin

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute a large and ancient superfamily of membraneproteins responsible for the transduction of extracellular signals to the inside of the cells. In thisPh.D. thesis, Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) was used as a model organism to investigate a numberof topics...... is a newly discovered insect peptide hormone. The function of this novel peptide hasnot been well characterised. In this Ph.D. thesis, I identified CCHamide-2 peptides in endocrinecells of the gut and neurones of the brain of larvae and endocrine cells of the gut of adultDrosophila. Behavioural assays...... little is known about muscarinic acetylcholine receptorsignalling in insects. In this study, I found that two types of mAChRs occur in D. melanogaster, onecoupling to Gq (A-type) and the other to Gi (B-type). Both A- and B-type Dm-mAChRs can beactivated by acetylcholine (ACh), but the classical...

Rearing the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster Under Axenic and Gnotobiotic Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Koyle, Melinda L; Veloz, Madeline; Judd, Alec M; Wong, Adam C-N; Newell, Peter D; Douglas, Angela E; Chaston, John M

2016-07-30

The influence of microbes on myriad animal traits and behaviors has been increasingly recognized in recent years. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a model for understanding microbial interactions with animal hosts, facilitated by approaches to rear large sample sizes of Drosophila under microorganism-free (axenic) conditions, or with defined microbial communities (gnotobiotic). This work outlines a method for collection of Drosophila embryos, hypochlorite dechorionation and sterilization, and transfer to sterile diet. Sterilized embryos are transferred to sterile diet in 50 ml centrifuge tubes, and developing larvae and adults remain free of any exogenous microbes until the vials are opened. Alternatively, flies with a defined microbiota can be reared by inoculating sterile diet and embryos with microbial species of interest. We describe the introduction of 4 bacterial species to establish a representative gnotobiotic microbiota in Drosophila. Finally, we describe approaches for confirming bacterial community composition, including testing if axenic Drosophila remain bacteria-free into adulthood.

The influence of sterol metabolism upon radiation-induced aneuploidy of Drosophila melanogaster in the yeast-drosophila system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savitsij, V.V.; Luchnikova, E.M.; Inge-Vechtomov, S.I.

1985-01-01

The influence of sterol metabolism upon induced Drosophila melanogaster mutagenesis in an ecology-genetic yeast-drosophila system has been studied. The sterol deficit in fly organism has been created for account of using as food substrate for fremales of biomass of saccharomyces cerevisiae living cells of 9-2-PZ12 train with nyssup(r1) locus mutation which blocks the ergosterol synthesis. It has been found that the Drosophila females content on mutant yeast increases the frequency of losses and non discrepancy of X-chromosomes induced by X-radiation (1000 R). Addition into yeast biomass of 0.1 % cholesterol solution in 10 %-ethanol reduces the oocytes resistance to X-radiation up to control level. Possible hormonal and membrane mechanisms of increasing radiation-induced aneuploidy of Drosophila and the role of sterol metabolism in organism resistance to damaging factors are discussed

Genetic structure of populations of Drosophila melanogaster natives from Laguna Verde, Veracruz; Estructura genetica de poblaciones de Drosophila melanogaster originarias de Laguna Verde, Veracruz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salceda, V M [ININ, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

2005-07-01

The genetic variability hidden present in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster, it has been broadly analyzed, and it is a tool that allows to detect differences among the different populations of this species, so much of natural nature as experimental. In this occasion we use it to see if differences exist in two neighboring populations inside the Laguna Verde nuclear power plant, Veracruz, and this way to suggest, of having differences in the mount of the relative frequencies of lethal genes, semi lethals and normal, be due to the radioactive emanations product of the reactors operation of the plant. Its were took samples of flies in both towns during three successive seasons and they were transported to the laboratory of the ININ where they were carried out the tests to determine the frequency of the different types of genes. This was made by means of the denominated technique C y L / Pm that allows by means of a cross series with a stump marker to obtain, in the third generation, in isolated form the different types of genes and this way to calculate their relative frequencies. The study understands the analysis of 299 chromosomes extracted from the populations, of those that 95 correspond at the control population and 204 to the experimental one. As a result of the analysis we find that 30.52 percent of the genes of the population witness contains detrimental genes (sum of the lethal plus the semi lethal genes) as long as in the experimental population this value corresponds to 23.03 percent. In accordance with this information was not significant difference among the studied populations. A similar analysis, but now comparing the seasons, (summer against winter), it showed significant difference to 5% with regard to the lethal genes frequency only in the population witness. These results indicate the absence of damage, however it is necessary to consider that this can be due to that indeed there is not him or that the investigation protocol is not

Bowman-Birk inhibitor affects pathways associated with energy metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI) is toxic when fed to certain insects, including the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Dietary BBI has been demonstrated to slow growth and increase insect mortality by inhibiting the digestive enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin, resulting in a reduced supply of amino acid...

Crystal structure of enolase from Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Congcong; Xu, Baokui; Liu, Xueyan; Zhang, Zhen; Su, Zhongliang

2017-04-01

Enolase is an important enzyme in glycolysis and various biological processes. Its dysfunction is closely associated with diseases. Here, the enolase from Drosophila melanogaster (DmENO) was purified and crystallized. A crystal of DmENO diffracted to 2.0 Å resolution and belonged to space group R32. The structure was solved by molecular replacement. Like most enolases, DmENO forms a homodimer with conserved residues in the dimer interface. DmENO possesses an open conformation in this structure and contains conserved elements for catalytic activity. This work provides a structural basis for further functional and evolutionary studies of enolase.

Noninvasive analysis of microbiome dynamics in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Fink, Christine; Staubach, Fabian; Kuenzel, Sven; Baines, John F; Roeder, Thomas

2013-11-01

The diversity and structure of the intestinal microbial community has a strong influence on life history. To understand how hosts and microbes interact, model organisms with comparatively simple microbial communities, such as the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), offer key advantages. However, studies of the Drosophila microbiome are limited to a single point in time, because flies are typically sacrificed for DNA extraction. In order to test whether noninvasive approaches, such as sampling of fly feces, could be a means to assess fly-associated communities over time on the same cohort of flies, we compared the microbial communities of fly feces, dissected fly intestines, and whole flies across three different Drosophila strains. Bacterial species identified in either whole flies or isolated intestines were reproducibly found in feces samples. Although the bacterial communities of feces and intestinal samples were not identical, they shared similarities and obviously the same origin. In contrast to material from whole flies and intestines, feces samples were not compromised by Wolbachia spp. infections, which are widespread in laboratory and wild strains. In a proof-of-principle experiment, we showed that simple nutritional interventions, such as a high-fat diet or short-term starvation, had drastic and long-lasting effects on the micobiome. Thus, the analysis of feces can supplement the toolbox for microbiome studies in Drosophila, unleashing the full potential of such studies in time course experiments where multiple samples from single populations are obtained during aging, development, or experimental manipulations.

Large-scale discovery of promoter motifs in Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas A Down

2007-01-01

Full Text Available A key step in understanding gene regulation is to identify the repertoire of transcription factor binding motifs (TFBMs that form the building blocks of promoters and other regulatory elements. Identifying these experimentally is very laborious, and the number of TFBMs discovered remains relatively small, especially when compared with the hundreds of transcription factor genes predicted in metazoan genomes. We have used a recently developed statistical motif discovery approach, NestedMICA, to detect candidate TFBMs from a large set of Drosophila melanogaster promoter regions. Of the 120 motifs inferred in our initial analysis, 25 were statistically significant matches to previously reported motifs, while 87 appeared to be novel. Analysis of sequence conservation and motif positioning suggested that the great majority of these discovered motifs are predictive of functional elements in the genome. Many motifs showed associations with specific patterns of gene expression in the D. melanogaster embryo, and we were able to obtain confident annotation of expression patterns for 25 of our motifs, including eight of the novel motifs. The motifs are available through Tiffin, a new database of DNA sequence motifs. We have discovered many new motifs that are overrepresented in D. melanogaster promoter regions, and offer several independent lines of evidence that these are novel TFBMs. Our motif dictionary provides a solid foundation for further investigation of regulatory elements in Drosophila, and demonstrates techniques that should be applicable in other species. We suggest that further improvements in computational motif discovery should narrow the gap between the set of known motifs and the total number of transcription factors in metazoan genomes.

Mapping Second Chromosome Mutations to Defined Genomic Regions in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahsai, Lily; Cook, Kevin R

2018-01-04

Hundreds of Drosophila melanogaster stocks are currently maintained at the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center with mutations that have not been associated with sequence-defined genes. They have been preserved because they have interesting loss-of-function phenotypes. The experimental value of these mutations would be increased by tying them to specific genomic intervals so that geneticists can more easily associate them with annotated genes. Here, we report the mapping of 85 second chromosome complementation groups in the Bloomington collection to specific, small clusters of contiguous genes or individual genes in the sequenced genome. This information should prove valuable to Drosophila geneticists interested in processes associated with particular phenotypes and those searching for mutations affecting specific sequence-defined genes. Copyright © 2018 Kahsai,Cook.

Mapping Second Chromosome Mutations to Defined Genomic Regions in Drosophila melanogaster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lily Kahsai

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Hundreds of Drosophila melanogaster stocks are currently maintained at the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center with mutations that have not been associated with sequence-defined genes. They have been preserved because they have interesting loss-of-function phenotypes. The experimental value of these mutations would be increased by tying them to specific genomic intervals so that geneticists can more easily associate them with annotated genes. Here, we report the mapping of 85 second chromosome complementation groups in the Bloomington collection to specific, small clusters of contiguous genes or individual genes in the sequenced genome. This information should prove valuable to Drosophila geneticists interested in processes associated with particular phenotypes and those searching for mutations affecting specific sequence-defined genes.

The genetic effects induced by an irradiation in low doses at Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zajnullin, V.G.; Taskaev, A.I.; Moskalev, A.A.; Shaposhnikov, M.V.

2006-01-01

The review generalizes the results obtained in researches of genetic radiation effects for Drosophila melanogaster from contamination regions near the Chernobylsk NPP. The results of laboratory investigations of low dose irradiation effects on genotype variability and lifetime of Drosophila are presented too. It supposed that the main effect of low dose irradiation is caused by the induced genetic instability against the background of which the realization of different-directed radiobiological reactions is possible [ru

Obp56h Modulates Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

OpenAIRE

Shorter, John R.; Dembeck, Lauren M.; Everett, Logan J.; Morozova, Tatiana V.; Arya, Gunjan H.; Turlapati, Lavanya; St. Armour, Genevieve E.; Schal, Coby; Mackay, Trudy F. C.; Anholt, Robert R. H.

2016-01-01

Social interactions in insects are driven by conspecific chemical signals that are detected via olfactory and gustatory neurons. Odorant binding proteins (Obps) transport volatile odorants to chemosensory receptors, but their effects on behaviors remain poorly characterized. Here, we report that RNAi knockdown of Obp56h gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster enhances mating behavior by reducing courtship latency. The change in mating behavior that results from inhibition of Obp56h express...

Effects of arsenic upon the no-disyuntion and X chromosome loss mechanisms in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez C, M.T.

1994-01-01

In the present investigation we make the analysis of the effect of the sodium arsenite chemistry in concentration 0.2 m M over the events of no-disyuntion and chromosome loss X in germinal cells of Drosophila melanogaster. The Drosophila lineages used for this assay were: females (y 2 w a / y 2 w a ; e/e) and males (X C2 yf bb- / B s Y y+). Those lineages were propagated and isolated for to be used after in the assays. Subsequently these, we make some links types with these individuals with the object to observed the effects of the oral administration of sodium arsenite in the adult individuals, in each one, we induce a damage in the sperm of the male with gamma radiation (25 Gy) and was observed immediately the results of the different assay applied in the first generation (F 1 ). Finally, we analyze and compare the results in contrast with and other investigation we find that the chemistry cause a significant increment in the chromosome loss X either the No-disyuntion was not significative. Also, the arsenite sodium increment the male descendant productivity, so, we deduced that the sodium arsenite do not cause an inhibition of the reparation mechanisms present in the Drosophila melanogaster female ovocites, but the chemistry operated like a modulator of this mechanisms, and prevent an increment of the damage provoked for the gamma radiation over the Drosophila melanogaster male sperm. (Author)

The Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster as a Model for Aging Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, Annely; Vilcinskas, Andreas

2013-01-01

: Average human life expectancy is increasing and so is the impact on society of aging and age-related diseases. Here we highlight recent advances in the diverse and multidisciplinary field of aging research, focusing on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, an excellent model system in which to dissect the genetic and molecular basis of the aging processes. The conservation of human disease genes in D. melanogaster allows the functional analysis of orthologues implicated in human aging and age-related diseases. D. melanogaster models have been developed for a variety of age-related processes and disorders, including stem cell decline, Alzheimer's disease, and cardiovascular deterioration. Understanding the detailed molecular events involved in normal aging and age-related diseases could facilitate the development of strategies and treatments that reduce their impact, thus improving human health and increasing longevity.

Analysis of temporal transcription expression profiles reveal links between protein function and developmental stages of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Cen; Lees, Jonathan G; Minneci, Federico; Orengo, Christine A; Jones, David T

2017-10-01

Accurate gene or protein function prediction is a key challenge in the post-genome era. Most current methods perform well on molecular function prediction, but struggle to provide useful annotations relating to biological process functions due to the limited power of sequence-based features in that functional domain. In this work, we systematically evaluate the predictive power of temporal transcription expression profiles for protein function prediction in Drosophila melanogaster. Our results show significantly better performance on predicting protein function when transcription expression profile-based features are integrated with sequence-derived features, compared with the sequence-derived features alone. We also observe that the combination of expression-based and sequence-based features leads to further improvement of accuracy on predicting all three domains of gene function. Based on the optimal feature combinations, we then propose a novel multi-classifier-based function prediction method for Drosophila melanogaster proteins, FFPred-fly+. Interpreting our machine learning models also allows us to identify some of the underlying links between biological processes and developmental stages of Drosophila melanogaster.

Analysis of temporal transcription expression profiles reveal links between protein function and developmental stages of Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cen Wan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Accurate gene or protein function prediction is a key challenge in the post-genome era. Most current methods perform well on molecular function prediction, but struggle to provide useful annotations relating to biological process functions due to the limited power of sequence-based features in that functional domain. In this work, we systematically evaluate the predictive power of temporal transcription expression profiles for protein function prediction in Drosophila melanogaster. Our results show significantly better performance on predicting protein function when transcription expression profile-based features are integrated with sequence-derived features, compared with the sequence-derived features alone. We also observe that the combination of expression-based and sequence-based features leads to further improvement of accuracy on predicting all three domains of gene function. Based on the optimal feature combinations, we then propose a novel multi-classifier-based function prediction method for Drosophila melanogaster proteins, FFPred-fly+. Interpreting our machine learning models also allows us to identify some of the underlying links between biological processes and developmental stages of Drosophila melanogaster.

Optogenetic pacing in Drosophila melanogaster (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Alex, Aneesh; Li, Airong; Men, Jing; Jerwick, Jason; Tanzi, Rudolph E.; Zhou, Chao

2016-03-01

A non-invasive, contact-less cardiac pacing technology can be a powerful tool in basic cardiac research and in clinics. Currently, electrical pacing is the gold standard for cardiac pacing. Although highly effective in controlling the cardiac function, the invasive nature, non-specificity to cardiac tissues and possible tissue damage limits its capabilities. Optical pacing of heart is a promising alternative, which is non-invasive and more specific, has high spatial and temporal precision, and avoids shortcomings in electrical stimulation. Optical coherence tomography has been proved to be an effective technique in non-invasive imaging in vivo with ultrahigh resolution and imaging speed. In the last several years, non-invasive specific optical pacing in animal hearts has been reported in quail, zebrafish, and rabbit models. However， Drosophila Melanogaster, which is a significant model with orthologs of 75% of human disease genes, has rarely been studied concerning their optical pacing in heart. Here, we combined optogenetic control of Drosophila heartbeat with optical coherence microscopy (OCM) technique for the first time. The light-gated cation channel, channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) was specifically expressed by transgene as a pacemaker in drosophila heart. By stimulating the pacemaker with 472 nm pulsed laser light at different frequencies, we achieved non-invasive and more specific optical control of the Drosophila heart rhythm, which demonstrates the wide potential of optical pacing for studying cardiac dynamics and development. Imaging capability of our customized OCM system was also involved to observe the pacing effect visually. No tissue damage was found after long exposure to laser pulses, which proved the safety of optogenetic control of Drosophila heart.

Irradiated cocoa tested in the wing spot assay in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmering, S.; Olvera, O.; Cruces, M.P.; Pimentel, E.; Arceo, C.; Rosa, M.E. de la; Guzman, J.

1992-01-01

The result of treatment of Drosophila melanogaster with irradiated cocoa as scored in the somatic wing spot test is described. The test has been used previously in the evaluation of irradiated food and has registrated a significantly greater number of positives among chemicals tested than germ line counterparts. Irradiated cocoa has thus far been reported negative in other mutagenicity assays including those employing salmonella and Drosophila germ cells and mammalian cells. The wing spot test as described in Graf et al. was employed. Females of the genotype mwh were mated with flr 3 /TM3; Ser males. (author). 9 refs.; 1 tab

Mapping Linked Genes in "Drosophila Melanogaster" Using Data from the F2 Generation of a Dihybrid Cross

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Pamela A.

2008-01-01

"Drosophila melanogaster" is a commonly utilized organism for testing hypotheses about inheritance of traits. Students in both high school and university labs study the genetics of inheritance by analyzing offspring of appropriate "Drosophila" crosses to determine inheritance patterns, including gene linkage. However, most genetics investigations…

Proteomic characterization of a temperature-sensitive conditional lethal in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Kamilla Sofie; Codrea, M.C; Vermeulen, Corneel

2010-01-01

Genetic variation that is expressed only under specific environmental conditions can contribute to additional adverse effects of inbreeding if environmental conditions change. We present a proteomic characterization of a conditional lethal found in an inbred line of Drosophila melanogaster. The l...

Gustatory Processing in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Kristin

2018-01-07

The ability to identify nutrient-rich food and avoid toxic substances is essential for an animal's survival. Although olfaction and vision contribute to food detection, the gustatory system acts as a final checkpoint control for food acceptance or rejection. The vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster tastes many of the same stimuli as mammals and provides an excellent model system for comparative studies of taste detection. The relative simplicity of the fly brain and behaviors, along with the molecular genetic and functional approaches available in this system, allow the examination of gustatory neural circuits from sensory input to motor output. This review discusses the molecules and cells that detect taste compounds in the periphery and the circuits that process taste information in the brain. These studies are providing insight into how the detection of taste compounds regulates feeding decisions.

Metabolomic profiling of rapid cold hardening and cold shock in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overgaard, Johannes; Malmendal, Anders; Sørensen, Jesper

2007-01-01

study used untargeted (1)H NMR metabolomic profiling to examine the metabolomic response in Drosophila melanogaster during the 72 h following RCH and cold shock treatment. These findings are discussed in relation to the costs and benefits of RCH that are measured in terms of survival and reproductive...

Localization of tRNAsup(asp)2 genes from Drosophila melanogaster by 'in situ' hybridization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, T.; Egg, A.H.; Kubli, E.

1978-01-01

Transfer RNAsup(asp) 2 delta was isolated from Drosophila melanogaster by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose. The tRNA was iodinated 'in vitro' with Na[ 125 I] and hybridized 'in situ' to salivary gland chromosomes from Drosophila. Subsequent autoradiography allowed the localization of the genes for tRNAsup(asp) 2 delta to the left arm of the second chromosome in the regions 29 D and E. (orig.) [de

Irradiation-resistance conferred by superoxide dismutase: possible adaptive role of a natural polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, T.X.; Moya, A.; Ayala, F.J.

1986-01-01

The toxic effects of ionizing radiation to DNA are thought to be due to the generation of the superoxide radical, 02-. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), which scavenges 02-., has been invoked as a protecting enzyme against ionizing radiation in viruses, bacteria, mammalian cells in culture, and live mice. We now demonstrate that SOD is involved in the resistance of Drosophila melanogaster against irradiation. The protection is greatest when flies carry the S form of the enzyme (which exhibits highest in vitro specific activity), intermediate when they carry the F form of the enzyme, and lowest when they are homozygous for N, an allele that reduces the amount of the enzyme to 3.5% of the normal level. Natural selection experiments show that the fitness of the high-activity S allele is increased in an irradiated population relative to the nonirradiated control. These results point towards a possible adaptive function of the S/F polymorphism found in natural populations of D. melanogaster

The neurogenetics of group behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramdya, Pavan; Schneider, Jonathan; Levine, Joel D

2017-01-01

Organisms rarely act in isolation. Their decisions and movements are often heavily influenced by direct and indirect interactions with conspecifics. For example, we each represent a single node within a social network of family and friends, and an even larger network of strangers. This group membership can affect our opinions and actions. Similarly, when in a crowd, we often coordinate our movements with others like fish in a school, or birds in a flock. Contributions of the group to individual behaviors are observed across a wide variety of taxa but their biological mechanisms remain largely unknown. With the advent of powerful computational tools as well as the unparalleled genetic accessibility and surprisingly rich social life of Drosophila melanogaster, researchers now have a unique opportunity to investigate molecular and neuronal determinants of group behavior. Conserved mechanisms and/or selective pressures in D. melanogaster can likely inform a much wider phylogenetic scale. Here, we highlight two examples to illustrate how quantitative and genetic tools can be combined to uncover mechanisms of two group behaviors in D. melanogaster: social network formation and collective behavior. Lastly, we discuss future challenges towards a full understanding how coordinated brain activity across many individuals gives rise to the behavioral patterns of animal societies. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Dissecting genetic architecture of startle response in Drosophila melanogaster using multi-omics information.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Angli; Wang, Hongcheng; Zhu, Jun

2017-09-28

Startle behavior is important for survival, and abnormal startle responses are related to several neurological diseases. Drosophila melanogaster provides a powerful system to investigate the genetic underpinnings of variation in startle behavior. Since mechanically induced, startle responses and environmental conditions can be readily quantified and precisely controlled. The 156 wild-derived fully sequenced lines of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) were used to identify SNPs and transcripts associated with variation in startle behavior. The results validated highly significant effects of 33 quantitative trait SNPs (QTSs) and 81 quantitative trait transcripts (QTTs) directly associated with phenotypic variation of startle response. We also detected QTT variation controlled by 20 QTSs (tQTSs) and 73 transcripts (tQTTs). Association mapping based on genomic and transcriptomic data enabled us to construct a complex genetic network that underlies variation in startle behavior. Based on principles of evolutionary conservation, human orthologous genes could be superimposed on this network. This study provided both genetic and biological insights into the variation of startle response behavior of Drosophila melanogaster, and highlighted the importance of genetic network to understand the genetic architecture of complex traits.

GABAA receptor-expressing neurons promote consumption in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Samantha K; Scott, Kristin

2017-01-01

Feeding decisions are highly plastic and bidirectionally regulated by neurons that either promote or inhibit feeding. In Drosophila melanogaster, recent studies have identified four GABAergic interneurons that act as critical brakes to prevent incessant feeding. These GABAergic neurons may inhibit target neurons that drive consumption. Here, we tested this hypothesis by examining GABA receptors and neurons that promote consumption. We find that Resistance to dieldrin (RDL), a GABAA type receptor, is required for proper control of ingestion. Knockdown of Rdl in a subset of neurons causes overconsumption of tastants. Acute activation of these neurons is sufficient to drive consumption of appetitive substances and non-appetitive substances and acute silencing of these neurons decreases consumption. Taken together, these studies identify GABAA receptor-expressing neurons that promote Drosophila ingestive behavior and provide insight into feeding regulation.

Conserved family of glycerol kinase loci in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez Agosto, Julian A.; McCabe, Edward R.B.

2009-01-01

Glycerol kinase (GK) is an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of glycerol 3-phosphate from ATP and glycerol, the rate-limiting step in glycerol utilization. We analyzed the genome of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster and identified five GK orthologs, including two loci with sequence homology to the mammalian Xp21 GK protein. Using a combination of sequence analysis and evolutionary comparisons of orthologs between species, we characterized functional domains in the protein required for GK activity. Our findings include additional conserved domains that suggest novel nuclear and mitochondrial functions for glycerol kinase in apoptosis and transcriptional regulation. Investigation of GK function in Drosophila will inform us about the role of this enzyme in development and will provide us with a tool to examine genetic modifiers of human metabolic disorders. PMID:16545593

Drosophila melanogaster as a High-Throughput Model for Host–Microbiota Interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregor Reid

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Microbiota research often assumes that differences in abundance and identity of microorganisms have unique influences on host physiology. To test this concept mechanistically, germ-free mice are colonized with microbial communities to assess causation. Due to the cost, infrastructure challenges, and time-consuming nature of germ-free mouse models, an alternative approach is needed to investigate host–microbial interactions. Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies can be used as a high throughput in vivo screening model of host–microbiome interactions as they are affordable, convenient, and replicable. D. melanogaster were essential in discovering components of the innate immune response to pathogens. However, axenic D. melanogaster can easily be generated for microbiome studies without the need for ethical considerations. The simplified microbiota structure enables researchers to evaluate permutations of how each microbial species within the microbiota contribute to host phenotypes of interest. This enables the possibility of thorough strain-level analysis of host and microbial properties relevant to physiological outcomes. Moreover, a wide range of mutant D. melanogaster strains can be affordably obtained from public stock centers. Given this, D. melanogaster can be used to identify candidate mechanisms of host–microbe symbioses relevant to pathogen exclusion, innate immunity modulation, diet, xenobiotics, and probiotic/prebiotic properties in a high throughput manner. This perspective comments on the most promising areas of microbiota research that could immediately benefit from using the D. melanogaster model.

Drosophila melanogaster as a High-Throughput Model for Host-Microbiota Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Trinder, Mark; Daisley, Brendan A; Dube, Josh S; Reid, Gregor

2017-01-01

Microbiota research often assumes that differences in abundance and identity of microorganisms have unique influences on host physiology. To test this concept mechanistically, germ-free mice are colonized with microbial communities to assess causation. Due to the cost, infrastructure challenges, and time-consuming nature of germ-free mouse models, an alternative approach is needed to investigate host-microbial interactions. Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) can be used as a high throughput in vivo screening model of host-microbiome interactions as they are affordable, convenient, and replicable. D. melanogaster were essential in discovering components of the innate immune response to pathogens. However, axenic D. melanogaster can easily be generated for microbiome studies without the need for ethical considerations. The simplified microbiota structure enables researchers to evaluate permutations of how each microbial species within the microbiota contribute to host phenotypes of interest. This enables the possibility of thorough strain-level analysis of host and microbial properties relevant to physiological outcomes. Moreover, a wide range of mutant D. melanogaster strains can be affordably obtained from public stock centers. Given this, D. melanogaster can be used to identify candidate mechanisms of host-microbe symbioses relevant to pathogen exclusion, innate immunity modulation, diet, xenobiotics, and probiotic/prebiotic properties in a high throughput manner. This perspective comments on the most promising areas of microbiota research that could immediately benefit from using the D. melanogaster model.

Drosophila melanogaster as a Model for Lead Neurotoxicology and Toxicogenomics Research

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Douglas Mark Ruden

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model animal for studying the neurotoxicology of lead. It has been known since ancient Roman times that long-term exposure to low levels of lead results in behavioral abnormalities, such as what is now known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD. Because lead alters mechanisms that underlie developmental neuronal plasticity, chronic exposure of children, even at blood lead levels below the current CDC community action level (10 µg/dl, can result in reduced cognitive ability, increased likelihood of delinquency, behaviors associated with ADHD, changes in activity level, altered sensory function, delayed onset of sexual maturity in girls, and changes in immune function. In order to better understand how lead affects neuronal plasticity, we will describe recent findings from a Drosophila behavioral genetics laboratory, a Drosophila neurophysiology laboratory, and a Drosophila quantitative genetics laboratory who have joined forces to study the effects of lead on the Drosophila nervous system. Studying the effects of lead on Drosophila nervous system development will give us a better understanding of the mechanisms of Pb neurotoxicity in the developing human nervous system.

Prolonged stress induces adaptation of drosophila population to ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosse, I. B.; Glushkova, I. V.; Aksyutik, T. V.

2003-01-01

We studied natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster from radio-contaminated area (Vetka district of Gomel region with 24 Ci/km 2 of 137 Cs and 0.5 Cu/km 2 of 90 Sr) and from Berezynski Natural Reserve as a control area (region of Chernobyl catastrophe). Population samples were caught in 2000-2001 years. Natural insect populations from radio-contaminated areas are more resistant to additional irradiation than control populations. Keeping of natural populations under laboratory or vivarium conditions is a strong stress (limited space, overpopulation, other than in nature temperature and light conditions), which increases mutation process and induces unspecific adaptation. (authors)

Metabolomics with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in a Drosophila melanogaster Model of Surviving Sepsis

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Bakalov, Veli; Amathieu, Roland; Triba, Mohamed N.; Clément, Marie-Jeanne; Reyes Uribe, Laura; Le Moyec, Laurence; Kaynar, Ata Murat

2016-01-01

Patients surviving sepsis demonstrate sustained inflammation, which has been associated with long-term complications. One of the main mechanisms behind sustained inflammation is a metabolic switch in parenchymal and immune cells, thus understanding metabolic alterations after sepsis may provide important insights to the pathophysiology of sepsis recovery. In this study, we explored metabolomics in a novel Drosophila melanogaster model of surviving sepsis using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), to determine metabolite profiles. We used a model of percutaneous infection in Drosophila melanogaster to mimic sepsis. We had three experimental groups: sepsis survivors (infected with Staphylococcus aureus and treated with oral linezolid), sham (pricked with an aseptic needle), and unmanipulated (positive control). We performed metabolic measurements seven days after sepsis. We then implemented metabolites detected in NMR spectra into the MetExplore web server in order to identify the metabolic pathway alterations in sepsis surviving Drosophila. Our NMR metabolomic approach in a Drosophila model of recovery from sepsis clearly distinguished between all three groups and showed two different metabolomic signatures of inflammation. Sham flies had decreased levels of maltose, alanine, and glutamine, while their level of choline was increased. Sepsis survivors had a metabolic signature characterized by decreased glucose, maltose, tyrosine, beta-alanine, acetate, glutamine, and succinate. PMID:28009836

Pharmacological identification of cholinergic receptor subtypes on Drosophila melanogaster larval heart.

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Malloy, Cole A; Ritter, Kyle; Robinson, Jonathan; English, Connor; Cooper, Robin L

2016-01-01

The Drosophila melanogaster heart is a popular model in which to study cardiac physiology and development. Progress has been made in understanding the role of endogenous compounds in regulating cardiac function in this model. It is well characterized that common neurotransmitters act on many peripheral and non-neuronal tissues as they flow through the hemolymph of insects. Many of these neuromodulators, including acetylcholine (ACh), have been shown to act directly on the D. melanogaster larval heart. ACh is a primary neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS) of vertebrates and at the neuromuscular junctions on skeletal and cardiac tissue. In insects, ACh is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter of sensory neurons and is also prominent in the CNS. A full understanding regarding the regulation of the Drosophila cardiac physiology by the cholinergic system remains poorly understood. Here we use semi-intact D. melanogaster larvae to study the pharmacological profile of cholinergic receptor subtypes, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs), in modulating heart rate (HR). Cholinergic receptor agonists, nicotine and muscarine both increase HR, while nAChR agonist clothianidin exhibits no significant effect when exposed to an open preparation at concentrations as low as 100 nM. In addition, both nAChR and mAChR antagonists increase HR as well but also display capabilities of blocking agonist actions. These results provide evidence that both of these receptor subtypes display functional significance in regulating the larval heart's pacemaker activity.

Genome-wide sequencing and an open reading frame analysis of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) susceptible (91-C) and resistant (91-R) Drosophila melanogaster laboratory populations

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The Drosophila melanogaster 91-R and 91-C strains are of common origin, however, 91-R has been intensely selected for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) resistance over six decades while 91-C has been maintained as the non-selected control strain. These fly strains represent a unique genetic res...

Drosophila melanogaster--the model organism of choice for the complex biology of multi-cellular organisms

Science.gov (United States)

Beckingham, Kathleen M.; Armstrong, J. Douglas; Texada, Michael J.; Munjaal, Ravi; Baker, Dean A.

2005-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster has been intensely studied for almost 100 years. The sophisticated array of genetic and molecular tools that have evolved for analysis of gene function in this organism are unique. Further, Drosophila is a complex multi-cellular organism in which many aspects of development and behavior parallel those in human beings. These combined advantages have permitted research in Drosophila to make seminal contributions to the understanding of fundamental biological processes and ensure that Drosophila will continue to provide unique insights in the genomic era. An overview of the genetic methodologies available in Drosophila is given here, together with examples of outstanding recent contributions of Drosophila to our understanding of cell and organismal biology. The growing contribution of Drosophila to our knowledge of gravity-related responses is addressed.

Molecular cloning, genomic organization, and expression of a B-type (cricket-type) allatostatin preprohormone from Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Williamson, M; Lenz, C; Winther, A M

2001-01-01

and nonamidated C terminus. We have previously reported the structure of an A-type allatostatin preprohormone from the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. Here we describe the molecular cloning of a B-type prepro-allatostatin from Drosophila (DAP-B). DAP-B is 211 amino acid residues long and contains one copy each...

CK2(beta)tes gene encodes a testis-specific isoform of the regulatory subunit of casein kinase 2 in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kalmykova, Alla I; Shevelyov, Yuri Y; Polesskaya, Oksana O

2002-01-01

An earlier described CK2(beta)tes gene of Drosophila melanogaster is shown to encode a male germline specific isoform of regulatory beta subunit of casein kinase 2. Western-analysis using anti-CK2(beta)tes Ig revealed CK2(beta)tes protein in Drosophila testes extract. Expression of a CK2(beta...... and coimmunoprecipitation analysis of protein extract from Drosophila testes, we demonstrated an association between CK2(beta)tes and CK2alpha. Northern-analysis has shown that another regulatory (beta') subunit found recently in D. melanogaster genome is also testis-specific. Thus, we describe the first example of two...

Spaceflight Causes Increased Virulence of Serratia Marcescens on a Drosophila Melanogaster Host

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Bhattacharya, Sharmila; Wade, William; Clemens-Grisham, Rachel; Hosamani, Ravikumar; Bhardwaj, Shilpa R.; Lera, Matthew P.; Gresser, Amy L.

2015-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster, or the fruit fly, has long been an important organism for Earth-based research, and is now increasingly utilized as a model system to understand the biological effects of spaceflight. Studies in Drosophila melanogaster have shown altered immune responses in 3rd instar larvae and adult males following spaceflight, changes similar to those observed in astronauts. In addition, spaceflight has also been shown to affect bacterial physiology, as evidenced by studies describing altered virulence of Salmonella typhimurium following spaceflight and variation in biofilm growth patterns for the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa during flight. We recently sent Serratia marcescens Db11, a Drosophila pathogen and an opportunistic human pathogen, to the ISS on SpaceX-5 (Fruit Fly Lab-01). S. marcescens samples were stored at 4degC for 24 days on-orbit and then allowed to grow for 120 hours at ambient station temperature before being returned to Earth. Upon return, bacteria were isolated and preserved in 50% glycerol or RNAlater. Storage, growth, and isolation for ground control samples were performed using the same procedures. Spaceflight and ground samples stored in 50% glycerol were diluted and injected into 5-7-day-old ground-born adult D. melanogaster. Lethality was significantly greater in flies injected with the spaceflight samples compared to those injected with ground bacterial samples. These results indicate a shift in the virulence profile of the spaceflight S. marcescens Db11 and will be further assessed with molecular biological analyses. Our findings strengthen the conclusion that spaceflight impacts the virulence of bacterial pathogens on model host organisms such as the fruit fly. This research was supported by NASA's ISS Program Office (ISSPO) and Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications (SLPSRA).

MiMIC: a highly versatile transposon insertion resource for engineering Drosophila melanogaster genes

Science.gov (United States)

Venken, Koen J. T.; Schulze, Karen L.; Haelterman, Nele A.; Pan, Hongling; He, Yuchun; Evans-Holm, Martha; Carlson, Joseph W.; Levis, Robert W.; Spradling, Allan C.; Hoskins, Roger A.; Bellen, Hugo J.

2011-01-01

We demonstrate the versatility of a collection of insertions of the transposon Minos mediated integration cassette (MiMIC), in Drosophila melanogaster. MiMIC contains a gene-trap cassette and the yellow+ marker flanked by two inverted bacteriophage ΦC31 attP sites. MiMIC integrates almost at random in the genome to create sites for DNA manipulation. The attP sites allow the replacement of the intervening sequence of the transposon with any other sequence through recombinase mediated cassette exchange (RMCE). We can revert insertions that function as gene traps and cause mutant phenotypes to wild type by RMCE and modify insertions to control GAL4 or QF overexpression systems or perform lineage analysis using the Flp system. Insertions within coding introns can be exchanged with protein-tag cassettes to create fusion proteins to follow protein expression and perform biochemical experiments. The applications of MiMIC vastly extend the Drosophila melanogaster toolkit. PMID:21985007

Live Imaging of Meiosis I in Late-Stage Drosophila melanogaster Oocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Stacie E; Hawley, R Scott

2017-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster has been studied for a century as a genetic model to understand recombination, chromosome segregation, and the basic rules of inheritance. However, it has only been about 25 years since the events that occur during nuclear envelope breakdown, spindle assembly, and chromosome orientation during D. melanogaster female meiosis I were first visualized by fixed cytological methods (Theurkauf and Hawley, J Cell Biol 116:1167-1180, 1992). Although these fixed cytological studies revealed many important details about the events that occur during meiosis I, they failed to elucidate the timing or order of these events. The development of protocols for live imaging of meiotic events within the oocyte has enabled collection of real-time information on the kinetics and dynamics of spindle assembly, as well as the behavior of chromosomes during prometaphase I. Here, we describe a method to visualize spindle assembly and chromosome movement during meiosis I by injecting fluorescent dyes to label microtubules and DNA into stage 12-14 oocytes. This method enables the events during Drosophila female meiosis I, such as spindle assembly and chromosome movement, to be observed in vivo, regardless of genetic background, with exceptional spatial and temporal resolution.

The selfish Segregation Distorter gene complex of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Larracuente, Amanda M; Presgraves, Daven C

2012-09-01

Segregation Distorter (SD) is an autosomal meiotic drive gene complex found worldwide in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster. During spermatogenesis, SD induces dysfunction of SD(+) spermatids so that SD/SD(+) males sire almost exclusively SD-bearing progeny rather than the expected 1:1 Mendelian ratio. SD is thus evolutionarily "selfish," enhancing its own transmission at the expense of its bearers. Here we review the molecular and evolutionary genetics of SD. Genetic analyses show that the SD is a multilocus gene complex involving two key loci--the driver, Segregation distorter (Sd), and the target of drive, Responder (Rsp)--and at least three upward modifiers of distortion. Molecular analyses show that Sd encodes a truncated duplication of the gene RanGAP, whereas Rsp is a large pericentromeric block of satellite DNA. The Sd-RanGAP protein is enzymatically wild type but mislocalized within cells and, for reasons that remain unclear, appears to disrupt the histone-to-protamine transition in drive-sensitive spermatids bearing many Rsp satellite repeats but not drive-insensitive spermatids bearing few or no Rsp satellite repeats. Evolutionary analyses show that the Sd-RanGAP duplication arose recently within the D. melanogaster lineage, exploiting the preexisting and considerably older Rsp satellite locus. Once established, the SD haplotype collected enhancers of distortion and suppressors of recombination. Further dissection of the molecular genetic and cellular basis of SD-mediated distortion seems likely to provide insights into several important areas currently understudied, including the genetic control of spermatogenesis, the maintenance and evolution of satellite DNAs, the possible roles of small interfering RNAs in the germline, and the molecular population genetics of the interaction of genetic linkage and natural selection.

Effect of curcumin on aged Drosophila melanogaster: a pathway prediction analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhi-guo; Niu, Xu-yan; Lu, Ai-ping; Xiao, Gary Guishan

2015-02-01

To re-analyze the data published in order to explore plausible biological pathways that can be used to explain the anti-aging effect of curcumin. Microarray data generated from other study aiming to investigate effect of curcumin on extending lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster were further used for pathway prediction analysis. The differentially expressed genes were identified by using GeneSpring GX with a criterion of 3.0-fold change. Two Cytoscape plugins including BisoGenet and molecular complex detection (MCODE) were used to establish the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network based upon differential genes in order to detect highly connected regions. The function annotation clustering tool of Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) was used for pathway analysis. A total of 87 genes expressed differentially in D. melanogaster melanogaster treated with curcumin were identified, among which 50 were up-regulated significantly and 37 were remarkably down-regulated in D. melanogaster melanogaster treated with curcumin. Based upon these differential genes, PPI network was constructed with 1,082 nodes and 2,412 edges. Five highly connected regions in PPI networks were detected by MCODE algorithm, suggesting anti-aging effect of curcumin may be underlined through five different pathways including Notch signaling pathway, basal transcription factors, cell cycle regulation, ribosome, Wnt signaling pathway, and p53 pathway. Genes and their associated pathways in D. melanogaster melanogaster treated with anti-aging agent curcumin were identified using PPI network and MCODE algorithm, suggesting that curcumin may be developed as an alternative therapeutic medicine for treating aging-associated diseases.

Behavioural plasticity in support of a benefit for aggregation pheromone use in Drosophila melanogaster

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wertheim, B.; Dicke, M.; Vet, L.E.M.

2002-01-01

We explored behavioural plasticity in the use of aggregation pheromone in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Based on previous field observations, we formulated two hypotheses on a benefit of using aggregation pheromone for aggregated oviposition. One hypothesis

Behavioural plasticity in support of a benefit for aggregation pheromone use in Drosophila melanogaster

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wertheim, B; Dicke, Marcel; Vet, LEM

We explored behavioural plasticity in the use of aggregation pheromone in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Based on previous field observations, we formulated two hypotheses on a benefit of using aggregation pheromone for aggregated oviposition. One hypothesis

A genome-wide, fine-scale map of natural pigmentation variation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Héloïse Bastide

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Various approaches can be applied to uncover the genetic basis of natural phenotypic variation, each with their specific strengths and limitations. Here, we use a replicated genome-wide association approach (Pool-GWAS to fine-scale map genomic regions contributing to natural variation in female abdominal pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster, a trait that is highly variable in natural populations and highly heritable in the laboratory. We examined abdominal pigmentation phenotypes in approximately 8000 female European D. melanogaster, isolating 1000 individuals with extreme phenotypes. We then used whole-genome Illumina sequencing to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs segregating in our sample, and tested these for associations with pigmentation by contrasting allele frequencies between replicate pools of light and dark individuals. We identify two small regions near the pigmentation genes tan and bric-à-brac 1, both corresponding to known cis-regulatory regions, which contain SNPs showing significant associations with pigmentation variation. While the Pool-GWAS approach suffers some limitations, its cost advantage facilitates replication and it can be applied to any non-model system with an available reference genome.

A genome-wide, fine-scale map of natural pigmentation variation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastide, Héloïse; Betancourt, Andrea; Nolte, Viola; Tobler, Raymond; Stöbe, Petra; Futschik, Andreas; Schlötterer, Christian

2013-06-01

Various approaches can be applied to uncover the genetic basis of natural phenotypic variation, each with their specific strengths and limitations. Here, we use a replicated genome-wide association approach (Pool-GWAS) to fine-scale map genomic regions contributing to natural variation in female abdominal pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster, a trait that is highly variable in natural populations and highly heritable in the laboratory. We examined abdominal pigmentation phenotypes in approximately 8000 female European D. melanogaster, isolating 1000 individuals with extreme phenotypes. We then used whole-genome Illumina sequencing to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) segregating in our sample, and tested these for associations with pigmentation by contrasting allele frequencies between replicate pools of light and dark individuals. We identify two small regions near the pigmentation genes tan and bric-à-brac 1, both corresponding to known cis-regulatory regions, which contain SNPs showing significant associations with pigmentation variation. While the Pool-GWAS approach suffers some limitations, its cost advantage facilitates replication and it can be applied to any non-model system with an available reference genome.

Effective but costly, evolved mechanisms of defense against a virulent opportunistic pathogen in Drosophila melanogaster.

OpenAIRE

Yixin H Ye; Stephen F Chenoweth; Elizabeth A McGraw

2009-01-01

Drosophila harbor substantial genetic variation for antibacterial defense, and investment in immunity is thought to involve a costly trade-off with life history traits, including development, life span, and reproduction. To understand the way in which insects invest in fighting bacterial infection, we selected for survival following systemic infection with the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa in wild-caught Drosophila melanogaster over 10 generations. We then examined genome-wide...

Insights into DDT Resistance from the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Joshua M; Battlay, Paul; Gledhill-Smith, Rebecca S; Good, Robert T; Lumb, Chris; Fournier-Level, Alexandre; Robin, Charles

2017-11-01

Insecticide resistance is considered a classic model of microevolution, where a strong selective agent is applied to a large natural population, resulting in a change in frequency of alleles that confer resistance. While many insecticide resistance variants have been characterized at the gene level, they are typically single genes of large effect identified in highly resistant pest species. In contrast, multiple variants have been implicated in DDT resistance in Drosophila melanogaster ; however, only the Cyp6g1 locus has previously been shown to be relevant to field populations. Here we use genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify DDT-associated polygenes and use selective sweep analyses to assess their adaptive significance. We identify and verify two candidate DDT resistance loci. A largely uncharacterized gene, CG10737 , has a function in muscles that ameliorates the effects of DDT, while a putative detoxifying P450, Cyp6w1 , shows compelling evidence of positive selection. Copyright © 2017 by the Genetics Society of America.

The role of Rdl in resistance to phenylpyrazoles in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Remnant, Emily J; Morton, Craig J; Daborn, Phillip J; Lumb, Christopher; Yang, Ying Ting; Ng, Hooi Ling; Parker, Michael W; Batterham, Philip

2014-11-01

Extensive use of older generation insecticides may result in pre-existing cross-resistance to new chemical classes acting at the same target site. Phenylpyrazole insecticides block inhibitory neurotransmission in insects via their action on ligand-gated chloride channels (LGCCs). Phenylpyrazoles are broad-spectrum insecticides widely used in agriculture and domestic pest control. So far, all identified cases of target site resistance to phenylpyrazoles are based on mutations in the Rdl (Resistance to dieldrin) LGCC subunit, the major target site for cyclodiene insecticides. We examined the role that mutations in Rdl have on phenylpyrazole resistance in Drosophila melanogaster, exploring naturally occurring variation, and generating predicted resistance mutations by mutagenesis. Natural variation at the Rdl locus in inbred strains of D. melanogaster included gene duplication, and a line containing two Rdl mutations found in a highly resistant line of Drosophila simulans. These mutations had a moderate impact on survival following exposure to two phenylpyrazoles, fipronil and pyriprole. Homology modelling suggested that the Rdl chloride channel pore contains key residues for binding fipronil and pyriprole. Mutagenesis of these sites and assessment of resistance in vivo in transgenic lines showed that amino acid identity at the Ala(301) site influenced resistance levels, with glycine showing greater survival than serine replacement. We confirm that point mutations at the Rdl 301 site provide moderate resistance to phenylpyrazoles in D. melanogaster. We also emphasize the beneficial aspects of testing predicted mutations in a whole organism to validate a candidate gene approach. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identifying neuropeptide and protein hormone receptors in Drosophila melanogaster by exploiting genomic data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hauser, Frank; Williamson, Michael; Cazzamali, Giuseppe

2006-01-01

insect genome, that of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, was sequenced in 2000, and about 200 GPCRs have been annnotated in this model insect. About 50 of these receptors were predicted to have neuropeptides or protein hormones as their ligands. Since 2000, the cDNAs of most of these candidate...... receptors have been cloned and for many receptors the endogenous ligand has been identified. In this review, we will give an update about the current knowledge of all Drosophila neuropeptide and protein hormone receptors, and discuss their phylogenetic relationships. Udgivelsesdato: 2006-Feb...

Multifractal analysis of the long-range correlations in the cardiac dynamics of Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vitanov, Nikolay K.; Yankulova, Elka D.

2006-01-01

By means of the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA) we investigate long-range correlations in the interbeat time series of heart activity of Drosophila melanogaster-the classical object of research in genetics. Our main investigation tool are the fractal spectra f(α) and h(q) by means of which we trace the correlation properties of Drosophila heartbeat dynamics for three consequent generations of species. We observe that opposite to the case of humans the time series of the heartbeat activity of healthy Drosophila do not have scaling properties. Time series from species with genetic defects can be long-range correlated. Different kinds of genetic heart defects lead to different shape of the fractal spectra. The fractal heartbeat dynamics of Drosophila is transferred from generation to generation

An Intronic Polymorphism in couch potato Is Not Distributed Clinally in European Drosophila melanogaster Populations nor Does It Affect Diapause Inducibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Zonato, Valeria; Fedele, Giorgio; Kyriacou, Charalambos P

2016-01-01

couch potato (cpo) encodes an RNA binding protein that has been reported to be expressed in the peripheral and central nervous system of embryos, larvae and adults, including the major endocrine organ, the ring gland. A polymorphism in the D. melanogaster cpo gene coding region displays a latitudinal cline in frequency in North American populations, but as cpo lies within the inversion In(3R)Payne, which is at high frequencies and itself shows a strong cline on this continent, interpretation of the cpo cline is not straightforward. A second downstream SNP in strong linkage disequilibrium with the first has been claimed to be primarily responsible for the latitudinal cline in diapause incidence in USA populations.Here, we investigate the frequencies of these two cpo SNPs in populations of Drosophila throughout continental Europe. The advantage of studying cpo variation in Europe is the very low frequency of In(3R)Payne, which we reveal here, does not appear to be clinally distributed. We observe a very different geographical scenario for cpo variation from the one in North America, suggesting that the downstream SNP does not play a role in diapause. In an attempt to verify whether the SNPs influence diapause we subsequently generated lines with different combinations of the two cpo SNPs on known timeless (tim) genetic backgrounds, because polymorphism in the clock gene tim plays a significant role in diapause inducibility. Our results reveal that the downstream cpo SNP does not seem to play any role in diapause induction in European populations in contrast to the upstream coding cpo SNP. Consequently, all future diapause studies on strains of D. melanogaster should initially determine their tim and cpo status.

Comparative Analysis of Satellite DNA in the Drosophila melanogaster Species Complex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madhav Jagannathan

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Satellite DNAs are highly repetitive sequences that account for the majority of constitutive heterochromatin in many eukaryotic genomes. It is widely recognized that sequences and locations of satellite DNAs are highly divergent even in closely related species, contributing to the hypothesis that satellite DNA differences may underlie speciation. However, due to its repetitive nature, the mapping of satellite DNAs has been mostly left out of recent genomics analyses, hampering the use of molecular genetics techniques to better understand their role in speciation and evolution. Satellite DNAs are most extensively and comprehensively mapped in Drosophila melanogaster, a species that is also an excellent model system with which to study speciation. Yet the lack of comprehensive knowledge regarding satellite DNA identity and location in its sibling species (D. simulans, D. mauritiana, and D. sechellia has prevented the full utilization of D. melanogaster in studying speciation. To overcome this problem, we initiated the mapping of satellite DNAs on the genomes of the D. melanogaster species complex (D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D. mauritiana, and D. sechellia using multi-color fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH probes. Our study confirms a striking divergence of satellite DNAs in the D. melanogaster species complex, even among the closely related species of the D. simulans clade (D. simulans, D. mauritiana, and D. sechellia, and suggests the presence of unidentified satellite sequences in these species.

Genetic dissection of the Drosophila melanogaster female head transcriptome reveals widespread allelic heterogeneity.

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King, Elizabeth G; Sanderson, Brian J; McNeil, Casey L; Long, Anthony D; Macdonald, Stuart J

2014-05-01

Modern genetic mapping is plagued by the "missing heritability" problem, which refers to the discordance between the estimated heritabilities of quantitative traits and the variance accounted for by mapped causative variants. One major potential explanation for the missing heritability is allelic heterogeneity, in which there are multiple causative variants at each causative gene with only a fraction having been identified. The majority of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) implicitly assume that a single SNP can explain all the variance for a causative locus. However, if allelic heterogeneity is prevalent, a substantial amount of genetic variance will remain unexplained. In this paper, we take a haplotype-based mapping approach and quantify the number of alleles segregating at each locus using a large set of 7922 eQTL contributing to regulatory variation in the Drosophila melanogaster female head. Not only does this study provide a comprehensive eQTL map for a major community genetic resource, the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource, but it also provides a direct test of the allelic heterogeneity hypothesis. We find that 95% of cis-eQTLs and 78% of trans-eQTLs are due to multiple alleles, demonstrating that allelic heterogeneity is widespread in Drosophila eQTL. Allelic heterogeneity likely contributes significantly to the missing heritability problem common in GWAS studies.

Evolution of the metabolome in response to selection for increased immunity in populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

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Gogna, Navdeep; Sharma, Rakesh; Gupta, Vanika; Dorai, Kavita; Prasad, N G

2017-01-01

We used NMR-based metabolomics to test two hypotheses-(i) there will be evolved differences in the metabolome of selected and control populations even under un-infected conditions and (ii) post infection, the metabolomes of the selected and control populations will respond differently. We selected replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster for increased survivorship (I) against a gram-negative pathogen. We subjected the selected (I) and their control populations (S) to three different treatments: (1) infected with heat-killed bacteria (i), (2) sham infected (s), and (3) untreated (u). We performed 1D and 2D NMR experiments to identify the metabolic differences. Multivariate analysis of the metabolic profiles of the untreated (Iu and Su) flies yielded higher concentrations of lipids, organic acids, sugars, amino acids, NAD and AMP in the Iu treatment as compared to the Su treatment, showing that even in the absence of infection, the metabolome of the I and S regimes was different. In the S and I regimes, post infection/injury, concentration of metabolites directly or indirectly associated with energy related pathways (lipids, organic acids, sugars) declined while the concentration of metabolites that are probably associated with immune response (amino acids) increased. However, in most cases, the I regime flies had a higher concentration of such metabolites even under un-infected conditions. The change in the metabolite concentration upon infection/injury was not always comparable between I and S regimes (in case of lactate, alanine, leucine, lysine, threonine) indicating that the I and S regimes had evolved to respond differentially to infection and to injury.

Large-scale assessment of olfactory preferences and learning in Drosophila melanogaster: behavioral and genetic components

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabetta Versace

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In the Evolve and Resequence method (E&R, experimental evolution and genomics are combined to investigate evolutionary dynamics and the genotype-phenotype link. As other genomic approaches, this methods requires many replicates with large population sizes, which imposes severe restrictions on the analysis of behavioral phenotypes. Aiming to use E&R for investigating the evolution of behavior in Drosophila, we have developed a simple and effective method to assess spontaneous olfactory preferences and learning in large samples of fruit flies using a T-maze. We tested this procedure on (a a large wild-caught population and (b 11 isofemale lines of Drosophila melanogaster. Compared to previous methods, this procedure reduces the environmental noise and allows for the analysis of large population samples. Consistent with previous results, we show that flies have a preference for orange vs. apple odor. With our procedure wild-derived flies exhibit olfactory learning in the absence of previous laboratory selection. Furthermore, we find genetic differences in the olfactory learning with relatively high heritability. We propose this large-scale method as an effective tool for E&R and genome-wide association studies on olfactory preferences and learning.

Light wavelength dependency of mating activity in the drosophila melanogaster species subgroup

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakai, Takaomi; Tomaru, Masatoshi; Oguma, Yuzuru; Isono, Kunio; Fukatami, Akishi

2002-01-01

The action spectra of mating activity among the six species of the Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup were compared to understand how light wavelength affects mating activity. The species fell into three groups with respect to the action spectrum of mating activity. We chose one representative species from each of the three types for detailed study: D. melanogaster, D. sechellia and D. yakuba. The mating activities were investigated under three different light intensities of three monochromatic lights stimulus. Each species showed a unique spectral and intensity response. To know the evolutionary meaning of the light wavelength dependency of mating activity, we superimposed the type of action spectrum of mating activity in these six species on a cladogram. Mating inhibition under UV was conserved in evolution among these species. Furthermore we clarified that D. melanogaster showed low mating activity under UV because males courted less under UV. (author)

Neurotoxicity of fungal volatile organic compounds in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Inamdar, Arati A; Masurekar, Prakash; Bennett, Joan Wennstrom

2010-10-01

Many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are found in indoor environment as products of microbial metabolism. In damp indoor environments, fungi are associated with poor air quality. Some epidemiological studies have suggested that microbial VOCs have a negative impact on human health. Our study was designed to provide a reductionist approach toward studying fungal VOC-mediated toxicity using the inexpensive model organism, Drosophila melanogaster, and pure chemical standards of several important fungal VOCs. Low concentrations of the following known fungal VOCs, 0.1% of 1-octen-3-ol and 0.5% of 2-octanone; 2,5 dimethylfuran; 3-octanol; and trans-2-octenal, caused locomotory defects and changes in green fluorescent protein (GFP)- and antigen-labeled dopaminergic neurons in adult D. melanogaster. Locomotory defects could be partially rescued with L-DOPA. Ingestion of the antioxidant, vitamin E, improved the survival span and delayed the VOC-mediated changes in dopaminergic neurons, indicating that the VOC-mediated toxicity was due, in part, to generation of reactive oxygen species.

[Functional analysis of Grp and Iris, the gag and env domesticated errantivirus genes, in the Drosophila melanogaster genome].

Science.gov (United States)

Makhnovskii, P A; Kuzmin, I V; Nefedova, L N; Kima, A I

2016-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster is the only invertebrate that contains endogenous retroviruses, which are called errantiviruses. Two domesticated genes, Grp and Iris, which originate from errantivirus gag and env, respectively, have been found in the D. melanogaster genome. The functions performed by the genes in Drosophila are still unclear. To identify the functions of domesticated gag and env in the D. melanogaster genome, expression of Iris and Grp was studied in strains differing by the presence or absence of the functional gypsy errantivirus. In addition, the expression levels were measured after injection of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, which activate different immune response pathways, and exposure to various abiotic stress factors. The presence of functional D. melanogaster retrovirus gypsy was found to increase the Grp expression level in somatic tissues of the carcass, while exerting no effect on the Iris expression level. Activation of the immune response in D. melanogaster by bacteria Bacillus cereus increased the Grp expression level and did not affect Iris expression. As for the effects of abiotic stress factors (oxidative stress, starvation, and heat and cold stress), the Grp expression level increased in response to starvation in D. melanogaster females, and the Iris expression level was downregulated in heat shock and oxidative stress. Based on the findings, Grp was assumed to play a direct role in the immune response in D. melanogaster; Iris is not involved in immune responses, but and apparently performs a cell function that is inhibited in stress.

Incompatibility between X chromosome factor and pericentric heterochromatic region causes lethality in hybrids between Drosophila melanogaster and its sibling species.

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Cattani, M Victoria; Presgraves, Daven C

2012-06-01

The Dobzhansky-Muller model posits that postzygotic reproductive isolation results from the evolution of incompatible epistatic interactions between species: alleles that function in the genetic background of one species can cause sterility or lethality in the genetic background of another species. Progress in identifying and characterizing factors involved in postzygotic isolation in Drosophila has remained slow, mainly because Drosophila melanogaster, with all of its genetic tools, forms dead or sterile hybrids when crossed to its sister species, D. simulans, D. sechellia, and D. mauritiana. To circumvent this problem, we used chromosome deletions and duplications from D. melanogaster to map two hybrid incompatibility loci in F(1) hybrids with its sister species. We mapped a recessive factor to the pericentromeric heterochromatin of the X chromosome in D. simulans and D. mauritiana, which we call heterochromatin hybrid lethal (hhl), which causes lethality in F(1) hybrid females with D. melanogaster. As F(1) hybrid males hemizygous for a D. mauritiana (or D. simulans) X chromosome are viable, the lethality of deficiency hybrid females implies that a dominant incompatible partner locus exists on the D. melanogaster X. Using small segments of the D. melanogaster X chromosome duplicated onto the Y chromosome, we mapped a dominant factor that causes hybrid lethality to a small 24-gene region of the D. melanogaster X. We provide evidence suggesting that it interacts with hhl(mau). The location of hhl is consistent with the emerging theme that hybrid incompatibilities in Drosophila involve heterochromatic regions and factors that interact with the heterochromatin.

The effect of population density on the elimination dynamics of a recessive lethal mutation l(2)M167(DTS) from experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kulikov, A. M.; Marec, František; Mitrofanov, V. G.

2005-01-01

Roč. 41, č. 3 (2005), s. 249-255 ISSN 1022-7954 Grant - others:Russian Foundation for Basic Research(RU) 02-04-50021; Program of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences "Dynamics of Gene Pools in Plants, Animals, and Humans"(RU) 10002-251/P-24/154-150/2004-04 -111 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Keywords : Drosophila melanogaster Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 0.240, year: 2005

Binding of 3H-actinomycin D with polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lakhotia, S.C.

1976-01-01

Binding of 3 H-AMD (actinomycin D) in different regions of polytene nuclei of late third instar larvae of Drosophila melanogaster has been examined by EM autoradiography. It is observed that the binding capacity of 3 H-AMD is not related to the transcribing activity of a given region of nuclei, but it may be related to the DNA content. (M.G.B.)

Polymorphism patterns in two tightly linked developmental genes, Idgf1 and Idgf3, of Drosophila melanogaster

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Žurovcová, Martina; Ayala, F. J.

2002-01-01

Roč. 162, - (2002), s. 177-188 ISSN 0016-6731 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5007907 Keywords : Drosophila melanogaster Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 4.483, year: 2002

Highly tissue specific expression of Sphinx supports its male courtship related role in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ying; Dai, Hongzheng; Chen, Sidi; Zhang, Luoying; Long, Manyuan

2011-04-26

Sphinx is a lineage-specific non-coding RNA gene involved in regulating courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. The 5' flanking region of the gene is conserved across Drosophila species, with the proximal 300 bp being conserved out to D. virilis and a further 600 bp region being conserved amongst the melanogaster subgroup (D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D. sechellia, D. yakuba, and D. erecta). Using a green fluorescence protein transformation system, we demonstrated that a 253 bp region of the highly conserved segment was sufficient to drive sphinx expression in male accessory gland. GFP signals were also observed in brain, wing hairs and leg bristles. An additional ∼800 bp upstream region was able to enhance expression specifically in proboscis, suggesting the existence of enhancer elements. Using anti-GFP staining, we identified putative sphinx expression signal in the brain antennal lobe and inner antennocerebral tract, suggesting that sphinx might be involved in olfactory neuron mediated regulation of male courtship behavior. Whole genome expression profiling of the sphinx knockout mutation identified significant up-regulated gene categories related to accessory gland protein function and odor perception, suggesting sphinx might be a negative regulator of its target genes.

Highly tissue specific expression of Sphinx supports its male courtship related role in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Ying Chen

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Sphinx is a lineage-specific non-coding RNA gene involved in regulating courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. The 5' flanking region of the gene is conserved across Drosophila species, with the proximal 300 bp being conserved out to D. virilis and a further 600 bp region being conserved amongst the melanogaster subgroup (D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D. sechellia, D. yakuba, and D. erecta. Using a green fluorescence protein transformation system, we demonstrated that a 253 bp region of the highly conserved segment was sufficient to drive sphinx expression in male accessory gland. GFP signals were also observed in brain, wing hairs and leg bristles. An additional ∼800 bp upstream region was able to enhance expression specifically in proboscis, suggesting the existence of enhancer elements. Using anti-GFP staining, we identified putative sphinx expression signal in the brain antennal lobe and inner antennocerebral tract, suggesting that sphinx might be involved in olfactory neuron mediated regulation of male courtship behavior. Whole genome expression profiling of the sphinx knockout mutation identified significant up-regulated gene categories related to accessory gland protein function and odor perception, suggesting sphinx might be a negative regulator of its target genes.

The influence of Adh function on ethanol preference and tolerance in adult Drosophila melanogaster.

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Ogueta, Maite; Cibik, Osman; Eltrop, Rouven; Schneider, Andrea; Scholz, Henrike

2010-11-01

Preference determines behavioral choices such as choosing among food sources and mates. One preference-affecting chemical is ethanol, which guides insects to fermenting fruits or leaves. Here, we show that adult Drosophila melanogaster prefer food containing up to 5% ethanol over food without ethanol and avoid food with high levels (23%) of ethanol. Although female and male flies behaved differently at ethanol-containing food sources, there was no sexual dimorphism in the preference for food containing modest ethanol levels. We also investigated whether Drosophila preference, sensitivity and tolerance to ethanol was related to the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh), the primary ethanol-metabolizing enzyme in D. melanogaster. Impaired Adh function reduced ethanol preference in both D. melanogaster and a related species, D. sechellia. Adh-impaired flies also displayed reduced aversion to high ethanol concentrations, increased sensitivity to the effects of ethanol on postural control, and negative tolerance/sensitization (i.e., a reduction of the increased resistance to ethanol's effects that normally occurs upon repeated exposure). These data strongly indicate a linkage between ethanol-induced behavior and ethanol metabolism in adult fruit flies: Adh deficiency resulted in reduced preference to low ethanol concentrations and reduced aversion to high ones, despite recovery from ethanol being strongly impaired.

Effect of sterol metabolism in the yeast-Drosophila system on the frequency of radiation-induced aneuploidy in the Drosophila melanogaster oocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savitskii, V.V.; Luchnikova, E.M.; Inge-Vechtomov, S.G.

1986-01-01

The effect of sterol metabolism on induced mutagenesis of Drosophila melanogaster was studied in the ecogenetic system of yeast-Drosophila. Sterol deficiency was created in Drosophila by using the biomass of live cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 9-2-P712 till mutation in locus nys/sup r1/ blocking the synthesis of ergosterol as the food. It was found that rearing of Drosophila females on the mutant yeast increases the frequency of loss and nondisjunction of X chromosomes induced in mature oocytes by X rays (1000 R). Addition of 0.1% of cholesterol solution in 10% ethanol to the yeast biomass restores the resistance of oocyte to X irradiation to the control level. The possible hormonal effect on membrane leading to increased radiation-induced aneuploidy in Drosophila and the role of sterol metabolism in determining the resistance to various damaging factors are discussed

Lethality and Developmental Delay of Drosophila melanogaster Following Ingestion of Selected Pseudomonas fluorescens Strains

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Pseudomonas fluorescens secretes antimicrobial compounds that promote plant health and provide protection from pathogens. We used a non-invasive feeding assay to study the toxicity of P. fluorescens strains Pf0-1, SBW25, and Pf-5 to Drosophila melanogaster. The three strains of P. fluorescens varie...

Nanoliter hemolymph sampling and analysis of individual adult Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Piyankarage, Sujeewa C; Featherstone, David E; Shippy, Scott A

2012-05-15

The fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is an extensively used and powerful, genetic model organism. However, chemical studies using individual flies have been limited by the animal's small size. Introduced here is a method to sample nanoliter hemolymph volumes from individual adult fruit-flies for chemical analysis. The technique results in an ability to distinguish hemolymph chemical variations with developmental stage, fly sex, and sampling conditions. Also presented is the means for two-point monitoring of hemolymph composition for individual flies.

The effects of inbreeding and heat stress on male sterility in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Louise Dybdahl; Pedersen, Asger Roer; Bijlsma, Kuke

2011-01-01

in benign and stressful environments using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. Male sterility was compared in 21 inbred lines and five non-inbred control lines at 25.0 and 29.0 °C. The effect of inbreeding on sterility was significant only at 29.0 °C. This stress-induced increase in sterility...

Arm-Gal4 inheritance influences development and lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Slade, F A; Staveley, B E

2015-10-19

The UAS-Gal4 ectopic expression system is a widely used and highly valued tool that allows specific gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster. Yeast transcription factor Gal4 can be directed using D. melanogaster transcriptional control elements, and is often assumed to have little effect on the organism. By evaluation of the consequences of maternal and paternal inheritance of a Gal4 transgene under the transcriptional regulation of armadillo control elements (arm-Gal4), we demonstrated that Gal4 expression could be detrimental to development and longevity. Male progeny expressing arm-Gal4 in the presence of UAS-lacZ transgene had reduced numbers and size of ommatidia, compared to flies expressing UAS-lacZ transgene under the control of other Gal4 transgenes. Aged at 25°C, the median life span of male flies with maternally inherited elav-Gal4 was 70 days, without a responding transgene or with UAS-lacZ. The median life span of maternally inherited arm-Gal4 male flies without a responding transgene was 48 days, and 40 days with the UAS-lacZ transgene. A partial rescue of this phenotype was observed with the expression of UAS-lacZ under paternal arm-Gal4 control, having an average median lifespan of 60 days. This data suggests that arm-Gal4 has detrimental effects on Drosophila development and lifespan that are directly dependent upon parental inheritance, and that the benign responder and reporter gene UAS-lacZ may influence D. melanogaster development. These findings should be taken into consideration during the design and execution of UAS-Gal4 expression experiments.

Genetic architecture of natural variation in cuticular hydrocarbon composition in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Dembeck, Lauren M; Böröczky, Katalin; Huang, Wen; Schal, Coby; Anholt, Robert R H; Mackay, Trudy F C

2015-11-14

Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) prevent desiccation and serve as chemical signals that mediate social interactions. Drosophila melanogaster CHCs have been studied extensively, but the genetic basis for individual variation in CHC composition is largely unknown. We quantified variation in CHC profiles in the D. melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) and identified novel CHCs. We used principal component (PC) analysis to extract PCs that explain the majority of CHC variation and identified polymorphisms in or near 305 and 173 genes in females and males, respectively, associated with variation in these PCs. In addition, 17 DGRP lines contain the functional Desat2 allele characteristic of African and Caribbean D. melanogaster females (more 5,9-C27:2 and less 7,11-C27:2, female sex pheromone isomers). Disruption of expression of 24 candidate genes affected CHC composition in at least one sex. These genes are associated with fatty acid metabolism and represent mechanistic targets for individual variation in CHC composition.

[Drosophila melanogaster as a model for studying the function of animal viral proteins].

Science.gov (United States)

Omelianchuk, L V; Iudina, O S

2011-07-01

Studies in which Drosophila melanogaster individuals carrying transgenes of animal viruses were used to analyze the action of animal viral proteins on the cell are reviewed. The data presented suggest that host specificity of viruses is determined by their proteins responsible for the penetration of the virus into the cell, while viral proteins responsible for interactions with the host cell are much less host-specific. Due to this, the model of Drosophila with its developed system of searching for genetic interactions can be used to find intracellular targets for the action of viral proteins of the second group.

Large-scale isolation and fractionation of organs of Drosophila melanogaster larvae.

Science.gov (United States)

Zweidler, A; Cohen, L H

1971-10-01

Methods for the mass isolation of diverse organs from small animals are described. They involve novel devices: a mechanical dissecting system, a centrifugal agitator for the separation of fibrillar from globular particles, and a settling chamber for the fractionation at unit gravity of particles with sedimentation velocities above the useful range for centrifugation. The application of these methods to the isolation of polytene and nonpolytene nuclei from Drosophila melanogaster larvae is described.

Versatile P(acman) BAC Libraries for Transgenesis Studies in Drosophila melanogaster

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venken, Koen J.T.; Carlson, Joseph W.; Schulze, Karen L.; Pan, Hongling; He, Yuchun; Spokony, Rebecca; Wan, Kenneth H.; Koriabine, Maxim; de Jong, Pieter J.; White, Kevin P.; Bellen, Hugo J.; Hoskins, Roger A.

2009-04-21

We constructed Drosophila melanogaster BAC libraries with 21-kb and 83-kb inserts in the P(acman) system. Clones representing 12-fold coverage and encompassing more than 95percent of annotated genes were mapped onto the reference genome. These clones can be integrated into predetermined attP sites in the genome using Phi C31 integrase to rescue mutations. They can be modified through recombineering, for example to incorporate protein tags and assess expression patterns.

Are larger and/or more symmetrical Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera, Drosophilidae males more successful in matings in nature?

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Sofija Pavković-Lučić

Full Text Available Are larger and/or more symmetrical Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera, Drosophilidae males more successful in matings in nature? Sexual selection in Drosophila melanogaster, related to body size and fluctuating asymmetry in wing length and number of sex comb teeth in males, was tested in natural conditions. Males collected in copula were significantly larger than those collected as a single, while no difference in mean number of sex comb teeth between copulating and single males was observed. On the other hand, single males had greater asymmetry both for wing length and number of sex comb teeth than their mating counterparts. It looks like that symmetry of these bilateral traits also may play a role in sexual selection in this dipteran species in nature.

Measurement of lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Linford, Nancy J; Bilgir, Ceyda; Ro, Jennifer; Pletcher, Scott D

2013-01-07

Aging is a phenomenon that results in steady physiological deterioration in nearly all organisms in which it has been examined, leading to reduced physical performance and increased risk of disease. Individual aging is manifest at the population level as an increase in age-dependent mortality, which is often measured in the laboratory by observing lifespan in large cohorts of age-matched individuals. Experiments that seek to quantify the extent to which genetic or environmental manipulations impact lifespan in simple model organisms have been remarkably successful for understanding the aspects of aging that are conserved across taxa and for inspiring new strategies for extending lifespan and preventing age-associated disease in mammals. The vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is an attractive model organism for studying the mechanisms of aging due to its relatively short lifespan, convenient husbandry, and facile genetics. However, demographic measures of aging, including age-specific survival and mortality, are extraordinarily susceptible to even minor variations in experimental design and environment, and the maintenance of strict laboratory practices for the duration of aging experiments is required. These considerations, together with the need to practice careful control of genetic background, are essential for generating robust measurements. Indeed, there are many notable controversies surrounding inference from longevity experiments in yeast, worms, flies and mice that have been traced to environmental or genetic artifacts(1-4). In this protocol, we describe a set of procedures that have been optimized over many years of measuring longevity in Drosophila using laboratory vials. We also describe the use of the dLife software, which was developed by our laboratory and is available for download (http://sitemaker.umich.edu/pletcherlab/software). dLife accelerates throughput and promotes good practices by incorporating optimal experimental design, simplifying

Effects of acclimation temperature on thermal tolerance and membrane phospholipid composition in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overgaard, Johannes; Tomcala, Ales; Sørensen, Jesper G

2008-01-01

and the composition of membrane GPLs in adult Drosophila melanogaster. Long-term cold survival was significantly improved by low acclimation temperature. After 60h at 0 degrees C, more than 80% of the 15 degrees C-acclimated flies survived while none of the 25 degrees C-acclimated flies survived. Cold shock tolerance...... acclimation temperature and correlated with the changes in GPL composition in membranes of adult D. melanogaster. Udgivelsesdato: 2008-Mar...

A pulsed magnetic stress applied to Drosophila melanogaster flies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delle Side, D; Giuffreda, E; Nassisi, V; Velardi, L; Bozzetti, M P; Friscini, A; Specchia, V

2014-01-01

We report the development of a system to feed pulsed magnetic stress to biological samples. The device is based on a RLC circuit that transforms the energy stored in a high voltage capacitor into a magnetic field inside a coil. The field has been characterized and we found that charging the capacitor with 24 kV results in a peak field of 0.4 T. In order to test its effect, we applied such a stress to the Drosophila melanogaster model and we examined its bio-effects. We analysed, in the germ cells, the effects on the control of specific DNA repetitive sequences that are activated after different environmental stresses. The deregulation of these sequences causes genomic instability and chromosomes breaks leading to sterility. The magnetic field treatment did not produce effects on repetitive sequences in the germ cells of Drosophila. Hence, this field doesn't produce deleterious effects linked to repetitive sequences derepression.

A pulsed magnetic stress applied to Drosophila melanogaster flies

Science.gov (United States)

Delle Side, D.; Bozzetti, M. P.; Friscini, A.; Giuffreda, E.; Nassisi, V.; Specchia, V.; Velardi, L.

2014-04-01

We report the development of a system to feed pulsed magnetic stress to biological samples. The device is based on a RLC circuit that transforms the energy stored in a high voltage capacitor into a magnetic field inside a coil. The field has been characterized and we found that charging the capacitor with 24 kV results in a peak field of 0.4 T. In order to test its effect, we applied such a stress to the Drosophila melanogaster model and we examined its bio-effects. We analysed, in the germ cells, the effects on the control of specific DNA repetitive sequences that are activated after different environmental stresses. The deregulation of these sequences causes genomic instability and chromosomes breaks leading to sterility. The magnetic field treatment did not produce effects on repetitive sequences in the germ cells of Drosophila. Hence, this field doesn't produce deleterious effects linked to repetitive sequences derepression.

Bacterial communities differ among Drosophila melanogaster populations and affect host resistance against parasitoids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chaplinska, Mariia; Gerritsma, Sylvia; Dini-Andreote, Francisco; Falcao Salles, Joana; Wertheim, Bregje

2016-01-01

In Drosophila, diet is considered a prominent factor shaping the associated bacterial community. However, the host population background (e.g. genotype, geographical origin and founder effects) is a factor that may also exert a significant influence and is often overlooked. To test for population

FB-NOF is a non-autonomous transposable element, expressed in Drosophila melanogaster and present only in the melanogaster group.

Science.gov (United States)

Badal, Martí; Xamena, Noel; Cabré, Oriol

2013-09-10

Most foldback elements are defective due to the lack of coding sequences but some are associated with coding sequences and may represent the entire element. This is the case of the NOF sequences found in the FB of Drosophila melanogaster, formerly considered as an autonomous TE and currently proposed as part of the so-called FB-NOF element, the transposon that would be complete and fully functional. NOF is always associated with FB and never seen apart from the FB inverted repeats (IR). This is the reason why the FB-NOF composite element can be considered the complete element. At least one of its ORFs encodes a protein that has always been considered its transposase, but no detailed studies have been carried out to verify this. In this work we test the hypothesis that FB-NOF is an active transposon nowadays. We search for its expression product, obtaining its cDNA, and propose the ORF and the sequence of its potential protein. We found that the NOF protein is not a transposase as it lacks any of the motifs of known transposases and also shows structural homology with hydrolases, therefore FB-NOF cannot belong to the superfamily MuDR/foldback, as up to now it has been classified, and can be considered as a non-autonomous transposable element. The alignment with the published genomes of 12 Drosophila species shows that NOF presence is restricted only to the 6 Drosophila species belonging to the melanogaster group. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Host-microbe interactions in the gut of Drosophila melanogaster

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Takayuki eKuraishi

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Many insect species subsist on decaying and contaminated matter and are thus exposed to large quantities of microorganisms. To control beneficial commensals and combat infectious pathogens, insects must be armed with efficient systems for microbial recognition, signaling pathways, and effector molecules. The molecular mechanisms regulating these host-microbe interactions in insects have been largely clarified in Drosophila melanogaster with its powerful genetic and genomic tools. Here we review recent advances in this field, focusing mainly on the relationships between microbes and epithelial cells in the intestinal tract where the host exposure to the external environment is most frequent.

Analysis of a new morphogenetic mutation in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mglinets, V.A.

1987-01-01

Somatic mosaicism for mutations monster and yellow was induced by gamma-irradiation of Drosophila melanogaster y/y; Dp(1; 2)sc 19 M(2)z/mn d embryos and larvae. Frequencies of mosaicism increased with the age of treated larvae, especially in the end of the 2nd larval instar. Autonomous expression of mn was observed throughout the whole range of larval age studied, though neither for all y/y spots nor for all parts of the spots. Dissimilarities in dynamics of mosaic spots and duplication induction suggest that the latter are not due to mn expression in somatic clones

MicroRNA function in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Carthew, Richard W; Agbu, Pamela; Giri, Ritika

2017-05-01

Over the last decade, microRNAs have emerged as critical regulators in the expression and function of animal genomes. This review article discusses the relationship between microRNA-mediated regulation and the biology of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We focus on the roles that microRNAs play in tissue growth, germ cell development, hormone action, and the development and activity of the central nervous system. We also discuss the ways in which microRNAs affect robustness. Many gene regulatory networks are robust; they are relatively insensitive to the precise values of reaction constants and concentrations of molecules acting within the networks. MicroRNAs involved in robustness appear to be nonessential under uniform conditions used in conventional laboratory experiments. However, the robust functions of microRNAs can be revealed when environmental or genetic variation otherwise has an impact on developmental outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Genetic Architecture of Natural Variation in Recombination Rate in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Chad M; Huang, Wen; Mackay, Trudy F C; Singh, Nadia D

2016-04-01

Meiotic recombination ensures proper chromosome segregation in many sexually reproducing organisms. Despite this crucial function, rates of recombination are highly variable within and between taxa, and the genetic basis of this variation remains poorly understood. Here, we exploit natural variation in the inbred, sequenced lines of the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) to map genetic variants affecting recombination rate. We used a two-step crossing scheme and visible markers to measure rates of recombination in a 33 cM interval on the X chromosome and in a 20.4 cM interval on chromosome 3R for 205 DGRP lines. Though we cannot exclude that some biases exist due to viability effects associated with the visible markers used in this study, we find ~2-fold variation in recombination rate among lines. Interestingly, we further find that recombination rates are uncorrelated between the two chromosomal intervals. We performed a genome-wide association study to identify genetic variants associated with recombination rate in each of the two intervals surveyed. We refined our list of candidate variants and genes associated with recombination rate variation and selected twenty genes for functional assessment. We present strong evidence that five genes are likely to contribute to natural variation in recombination rate in D. melanogaster; these genes lie outside the canonical meiotic recombination pathway. We also find a weak effect of Wolbachia infection on recombination rate and we confirm the interchromosomal effect. Our results highlight the magnitude of population variation in recombination rate present in D. melanogaster and implicate new genetic factors mediating natural variation in this quantitative trait.

Differential sexual survival of Drosophila melanogaster on copper sulfate.

Science.gov (United States)

Balinski, Michael A; Woodruff, Ronny C

2017-04-01

Based on studies of the influence of X-chromosomes on the viability of Drosophila melanogaster exposed to cadmium, and on the role of X-linked genes on copper homeostasis, we examined the effect of copper sulfate (CuSO 4 ) on offspring viability using three independent, inbred D. melanogaster crosses (ensuring identical autosomes for males and females within each cross). Each cross was performed with attached X-chromosome females and males with a single X-chromosome. As female D. melanogaster have less metallothionein RNA expression than males, we predicted fewer female offspring than male offspring in crosses exposed to CuSO 4 , even though females have two copies of X-chromosome genes, possibly resulting in overdominant heterozygosity. In two of three crosses, CuSO 4 caused significantly higher numbers of male offspring compared to female offspring. We hypothesized that these gender-based viability differences to copper exposure are caused by X-chromosome ploidy and X-linked genetic variation affecting metallothionein expression. Observed differential offspring viability responses among crosses to copper exposure also showed that different genetic backgrounds (autosomal and/or X-chromosome) can result in significant differences in heavy metal and metallothionein regulation. These results suggest that the effect of copper on offspring viability depends on both genetic background and gender, as both factors can affect the regulation of metallothionein proteins as well as homeostasis of biologically necessary heavy metals.

Adaptive evolution of relish, a Drosophila NF-kappaB/IkappaB protein.

OpenAIRE

Begun, D J; Whitley, P

2000-01-01

NF-kappaB and IkappaB proteins have central roles in regulation of inflammation and innate immunity in mammals. Homologues of these proteins also play an important role in regulation of the Drosophila immune response. Here we present a molecular population genetic analysis of Relish, a Drosophila NF-kappaB/IkappaB protein, in Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster. We find strong evidence for adaptive protein evolution in D. simulans, but not in D. melanogaster. The adaptive evolution appear...

Trehalose as an indicator of desiccation stress in Drosophila melanogaster larvae: A potential marker of anhydrobiosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thorat, Leena J. [Centre for Advanced Studies, Department of Zoology, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India); Gaikwad, Sushama M. [Division of Biochemical Sciences, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411008 (India); Nath, Bimalendu B., E-mail: bbnath@unipune.ac.in [Centre for Advanced Studies, Department of Zoology, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India)

2012-03-23

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer First report confirming anhydrobiosis in Drosophila melanogaster larvae. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Trehalose synthesis and accumulation in larvae that hydrolyzed on rehydration. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Trehalose synthesis in concert with the enzymes involved in trehalose metabolism. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Inhibition of trehalose hydrolysis in presence of a specific trehalase inhibitor. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Trehalose proposed as a reliable marker for biomonitoring of climate change studies. -- Abstract: In the current scenario of global climate change, desiccation is considered as one of the major environmental stressors for the biota exposed to altered levels of ambient temperature and humidity. Drosophila melanogaster, a cosmopolitan terrestrial insect has been chosen as a humidity-sensitive bioindicator model for the present study since its habitat undergoes frequent stochastic and/or seasonally aggravated dehydration regimes. We report here for the first time the occurrence of anhydrobiosis in D. melanogaster larvae by subjecting them to desiccation stress under laboratory conditions. Larvae desiccated for ten hours at <5% relative humidity could enter anhydrobiosis and could revive upon rehydration followed by resumption of active metabolism. As revealed by FTIR and HPLC analyzes, our findings strongly indicated the synthesis and accumulation of trehalose in the desiccating larvae. Biochemical measurements pointed out the desiccation-responsive trehalose metabolic pathway that was found to be coordinated in concert with the enzymes trehalose 6-phosphate synthase and trehalase. Further, an inhibitor-based experimental approach using deoxynojirimycin, a specific trehalase inhibitor, demonstrated the pivotal role of trehalose in larval anhydrobiosis of D. melanogaster. We therefore propose trehalose as a potential marker for the assessment of anhydrobiosis in Drosophila. The present findings thus add

Trehalose as an indicator of desiccation stress in Drosophila melanogaster larvae: A potential marker of anhydrobiosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thorat, Leena J.; Gaikwad, Sushama M.; Nath, Bimalendu B.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► First report confirming anhydrobiosis in Drosophila melanogaster larvae. ► Trehalose synthesis and accumulation in larvae that hydrolyzed on rehydration. ► Trehalose synthesis in concert with the enzymes involved in trehalose metabolism. ► Inhibition of trehalose hydrolysis in presence of a specific trehalase inhibitor. ► Trehalose proposed as a reliable marker for biomonitoring of climate change studies. -- Abstract: In the current scenario of global climate change, desiccation is considered as one of the major environmental stressors for the biota exposed to altered levels of ambient temperature and humidity. Drosophila melanogaster, a cosmopolitan terrestrial insect has been chosen as a humidity-sensitive bioindicator model for the present study since its habitat undergoes frequent stochastic and/or seasonally aggravated dehydration regimes. We report here for the first time the occurrence of anhydrobiosis in D. melanogaster larvae by subjecting them to desiccation stress under laboratory conditions. Larvae desiccated for ten hours at <5% relative humidity could enter anhydrobiosis and could revive upon rehydration followed by resumption of active metabolism. As revealed by FTIR and HPLC analyzes, our findings strongly indicated the synthesis and accumulation of trehalose in the desiccating larvae. Biochemical measurements pointed out the desiccation-responsive trehalose metabolic pathway that was found to be coordinated in concert with the enzymes trehalose 6-phosphate synthase and trehalase. Further, an inhibitor-based experimental approach using deoxynojirimycin, a specific trehalase inhibitor, demonstrated the pivotal role of trehalose in larval anhydrobiosis of D. melanogaster. We therefore propose trehalose as a potential marker for the assessment of anhydrobiosis in Drosophila. The present findings thus add to the growing list of novel biochemical markers in specific bioindicator organisms for fulfilling the urgent need of

Drosophila Melanogaster as a Model System for Studies of Islet Amyloid Polypeptide Aggregation

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Sebastian Wolfgang; Nilsson, K. Peter R.; Westermark, Gunilla Torstensdotter

2011-01-01

Background Recent research supports that aggregation of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) leads to cell death and this makes islet amyloid a plausible cause for the reduction of beta cell mass, demonstrated in patients with type 2 diabetes. IAPP is produced by the beta cells as a prohormone, and proIAPP is processed into IAPP by the prohormone convertases PC1/3 and PC2 in the secretory granules. Little is known about the pathogenesis for islet amyloid and which intracellular mechanisms are involved in amyloidogenesis and induction of cell death. Methodology/Principal Findings We have established expression of human proIAPP (hproIAPP), human IAPP (hIAPP) and the non-amyloidogenic mouse IAPP (mIAPP) in Drosophila melanogaster, and compared survival of flies with the expression driven to different cell populations. Only flies expressing hproIAPP in neurons driven by the Gal4 driver elavC155,Gal4 showed a reduction in lifespan whereas neither expression of hIAPP or mIAPP influenced survival. Both hIAPP and hproIAPP expression caused formation of aggregates in CNS and fat body region, and these aggregates were both stained by the dyes Congo red and pFTAA, both known to detect amyloid. Also, the morphology of the highly organized protein granules that developed in the fat body of the head in hIAPP and hproIAPP expressing flies was characterized, and determined to consist of 15.8 nm thick pentagonal rod-like structures. Conclusions/Significance These findings point to a potential for Drosophila melanogaster to serve as a model system for studies of hproIAPP and hIAPP expression with subsequent aggregation and developed pathology. PMID:21695120

Genetic dissection of the Drosophila melanogaster female head transcriptome reveals widespread allelic heterogeneity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth G King

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Modern genetic mapping is plagued by the "missing heritability" problem, which refers to the discordance between the estimated heritabilities of quantitative traits and the variance accounted for by mapped causative variants. One major potential explanation for the missing heritability is allelic heterogeneity, in which there are multiple causative variants at each causative gene with only a fraction having been identified. The majority of genome-wide association studies (GWAS implicitly assume that a single SNP can explain all the variance for a causative locus. However, if allelic heterogeneity is prevalent, a substantial amount of genetic variance will remain unexplained. In this paper, we take a haplotype-based mapping approach and quantify the number of alleles segregating at each locus using a large set of 7922 eQTL contributing to regulatory variation in the Drosophila melanogaster female head. Not only does this study provide a comprehensive eQTL map for a major community genetic resource, the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource, but it also provides a direct test of the allelic heterogeneity hypothesis. We find that 95% of cis-eQTLs and 78% of trans-eQTLs are due to multiple alleles, demonstrating that allelic heterogeneity is widespread in Drosophila eQTL. Allelic heterogeneity likely contributes significantly to the missing heritability problem common in GWAS studies.

Natural Genetic Variation and Candidate Genes for Morphological Traits in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Carreira, Valeria Paula; Mensch, Julián; Hasson, Esteban; Fanara, Juan José

2016-01-01

Body size is a complex character associated to several fitness related traits that vary within and between species as a consequence of environmental and genetic factors. Latitudinal and altitudinal clines for different morphological traits have been described in several species of Drosophila and previous work identified genomic regions associated with such variation in D. melanogaster. However, the genetic factors that orchestrate morphological variation have been barely studied. Here, our main objective was to investigate genetic variation for different morphological traits associated to the second chromosome in natural populations of D. melanogaster along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients in Argentina. Our results revealed weak clinal signals and a strong population effect on morphological variation. Moreover, most pairwise comparisons between populations were significant. Our study also showed important within-population genetic variation, which must be associated to the second chromosome, as the lines are otherwise genetically identical. Next, we examined the contribution of different candidate genes to natural variation for these traits. We performed quantitative complementation tests using a battery of lines bearing mutated alleles at candidate genes located in the second chromosome and six second chromosome substitution lines derived from natural populations which exhibited divergent phenotypes. Results of complementation tests revealed that natural variation at all candidate genes studied, invected, Fasciclin 3, toucan, Reticulon-like1, jing and CG14478, affects the studied characters, suggesting that they are Quantitative Trait Genes for morphological traits. Finally, the phenotypic patterns observed suggest that different alleles of each gene might contribute to natural variation for morphological traits. However, non-additive effects cannot be ruled out, as wild-derived strains differ at myriads of second chromosome loci that may interact

DNA damage-responsive Drosophila melanogaster gene is also induced by heat shock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vivino, A.A.; Smith, M.D.; Minton, K.W.

1986-01-01

A gene isolated by screening Drosophila melanogaster tissue culture cells for DNA damage regulation was also found to be regulated by heat shock. After UV irradiation or heat shock, induction is at the transcriptional level and results in the accumulation of a 1.0-kilobase polyadenylated transcript. The restriction map of the clone bears no resemblance to the known heat shock genes, which are shown to be uninduced by UV irradiation

Methylmercury as a mitosis disturbing agent. [Allium cepa; Drosophila melanogaster

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramel, C

1969-01-01

Experiments were performed to investigate the genetic effects of mercurials. These investigations included both cytological and genetical analyses. One of the main purposes of the investigations was to establish the lowest dose of the mercurials, which was genetically active. For the cytological work root tips cells of Allium cepa were used, while the genetical analyses were preformed on Drosophila melanogaster. The cytological tests on Allium included methyl mercury hydroxide, methyl mercury dicyandiamide, phenyl mercury hydroxide, and methoxyethylmercury chloride. The pesticide Panogen was also tested. The results from these studies are summarized.

Phenetic distances in the Drosophila melanogaster-subgroup species and oviposition-site preference for food components

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, M.; Boerema, A.

1981-01-01

Oviposition-site preferences (O.S.P.) have been investigated in females of six sibling species of the Drosophila melanogaster subgroup. O.S.P. were determined for standard food components and yeast genotypes. Females of all species showed a strong preference for complete medium and avoidance of pure

Transcriptional Signatures in Response to Wheat Germ Agglutinin and Starvation in Drosophila melanogaster Larval Midgut

Science.gov (United States)

One function of plant lectins such as wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) is to serve as defenses against herbivorous insects. The midgut is one critical site affected by dietary lectins. We observed marked cellular, structural, and gene expression changes in the midguts of Drosophila melanogaster third-i...

Characterization of conditionally expressed mutants affecting age-specific Drosophila melanogaster : Lethal conditions and temperature-sensitive periods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vermeulen, CJ; Bijlsma, R

The specific genetic basis of inbreeding depression is poorly understood. To address this question, two conditionally expressed lethal effects that were found to cause line-specific life span reductions in two separate inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster. were characterized phenotypically and

Adaptation dynamics of laboratory populations of Drosophila Melanogaster to low dose chronic ionizing irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zajnullin, V.G.; Yushkova, E.A.

2008-01-01

In genetically non-uniform populations D. melanogaster in conditions of a chronic irradiation in a doze 10-11 about sGy/generation dynamics parameters of populations was investigated. It is established, that number of individuals in irradiated populations is lower, than in control. It is revealed, that viability of populations undergone to a chronic irradiation depends on their genotype. The gradual increase in fruitfulness, viability of individuals and decrease in a level of lethal mutations in a number of generations after of an irradiation in low doses is caused by adaptable opportunities of populations. (authors)

Phenotypic and genetic effects of contrasting ethanol environments on physiological and developmental traits in Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis E Castañeda

Full Text Available A central problem in evolutionary physiology is to understand the relationship between energy metabolism and fitness-related traits. Most attempts to do so have been based on phenotypic correlations that are not informative for the evolutionary potential of natural populations. Here, we explored the effect of contrasting ethanol environments on physiological and developmental traits, their genetic (covariances and genetic architecture in Drosophila melanogaster. Phenotypic and genetic parameters were estimated in two populations (San Fernando and Valdivia, Chile, using a half-sib family design where broods were split into ethanol-free and ethanol-supplemented conditions. Our findings show that metabolic rate, body mass and development times were sensitive (i.e., phenotypic plasticity to ethanol conditions and dependent on population origin. Significant heritabilities were found for all traits, while significant genetic correlations were only found between larval and total development time and between development time and metabolic rate for flies of the San Fernando population developed in ethanol-free conditions. Posterior analyses indicated that the G matrices differed between ethanol conditions for the San Fernando population (mainly explained by differences in genetic (covariances of developmental traits, whereas the Valdivia population exhibited similar G matrices between ethanol conditions. Our findings suggest that ethanol-free environment increases the energy available to reduce development time. Therefore, our results indicate that environmental ethanol could modify the process of energy allocation, which could have consequences on the evolutionary response of natural populations of D. melanogaster.

Phenotypic and Genetic Effects of Contrasting Ethanol Environments on Physiological and Developmental Traits in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Castañeda, Luis E.; Nespolo, Roberto F.

2013-01-01

A central problem in evolutionary physiology is to understand the relationship between energy metabolism and fitness-related traits. Most attempts to do so have been based on phenotypic correlations that are not informative for the evolutionary potential of natural populations. Here, we explored the effect of contrasting ethanol environments on physiological and developmental traits, their genetic (co)variances and genetic architecture in Drosophila melanogaster. Phenotypic and genetic parameters were estimated in two populations (San Fernando and Valdivia, Chile), using a half-sib family design where broods were split into ethanol-free and ethanol-supplemented conditions. Our findings show that metabolic rate, body mass and development times were sensitive (i.e., phenotypic plasticity) to ethanol conditions and dependent on population origin. Significant heritabilities were found for all traits, while significant genetic correlations were only found between larval and total development time and between development time and metabolic rate for flies of the San Fernando population developed in ethanol-free conditions. Posterior analyses indicated that the G matrices differed between ethanol conditions for the San Fernando population (mainly explained by differences in genetic (co)variances of developmental traits), whereas the Valdivia population exhibited similar G matrices between ethanol conditions. Our findings suggest that ethanol-free environment increases the energy available to reduce development time. Therefore, our results indicate that environmental ethanol could modify the process of energy allocation, which could have consequences on the evolutionary response of natural populations of D. melanogaster. PMID:23505567

Using whole-genome sequence data to predict quantitative trait phenotypes in Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulrike Ober

Full Text Available Predicting organismal phenotypes from genotype data is important for plant and animal breeding, medicine, and evolutionary biology. Genomic-based phenotype prediction has been applied for single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP genotyping platforms, but not using complete genome sequences. Here, we report genomic prediction for starvation stress resistance and startle response in Drosophila melanogaster, using ∼2.5 million SNPs determined by sequencing the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel population of inbred lines. We constructed a genomic relationship matrix from the SNP data and used it in a genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP model. We assessed predictive ability as the correlation between predicted genetic values and observed phenotypes by cross-validation, and found a predictive ability of 0.239±0.008 (0.230±0.012 for starvation resistance (startle response. The predictive ability of BayesB, a Bayesian method with internal SNP selection, was not greater than GBLUP. Selection of the 5% SNPs with either the highest absolute effect or variance explained did not improve predictive ability. Predictive ability decreased only when fewer than 150,000 SNPs were used to construct the genomic relationship matrix. We hypothesize that predictive power in this population stems from the SNP-based modeling of the subtle relationship structure caused by long-range linkage disequilibrium and not from population structure or SNPs in linkage disequilibrium with causal variants. We discuss the implications of these results for genomic prediction in other organisms.

Size relationships of different body parts in the three dipteran species Drosophila melanogaster, Ceratitis capitata and Musca domestica.

Science.gov (United States)

Siomava, Natalia; Wimmer, Ernst A; Posnien, Nico

2016-06-01

Body size is an integral feature of an organism that influences many aspects of life such as fecundity, life span and mating success. Size of individual organs and the entire body size represent quantitative traits with a large reaction norm, which are influenced by various environmental factors. In the model system Drosophila melanogaster, pupal size and adult traits, such as tibia and thorax length or wing size, accurately estimate the overall body size. However, it is unclear whether these traits can be used in other flies. Therefore, we studied changes in size of pupae and adult organs in response to different rearing temperatures and densities for D. melanogaster, Ceratitis capitata and Musca domestica. We confirm a clear sexual size dimorphism (SSD) for Drosophila and show that the SSD is less uniform in the other species. Moreover, the size response to changing growth conditions is sex dependent. Comparison of static and evolutionary allometries of the studied traits revealed that response to the same environmental variable is genotype specific but has similarities between species of the same order. We conclude that the value of adult traits as estimators of the absolute body size may differ among species and the use of a single trait may result in wrong assumptions. Therefore, we suggest using a body size coefficient computed from several individual measurements. Our data is of special importance for monitoring activities of natural populations of the three dipteran flies, since they are harmful species causing economical damage (Drosophila, Ceratitis) or transferring diseases (Musca).

The Effects of Royal Jelly on Fitness Traits and Gene Expression in Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John R Shorter

Full Text Available Royal Jelly (RJ is a product made by honey bee workers and is required for queen differentiation and accompanying changes in queen body size, development time, lifespan and reproductive output relative to workers. Previous studies have reported similar changes in Drosophila melanogaster in response to RJ. Here, we quantified viability, development time, body size, productivity, lifespan and genome wide transcript abundance of D. melanogaster reared on standard culture medium supplemented with increasing concentrations of RJ. We found that lower concentrations of RJ do induce significant differences in body size in both sexes; higher concentrations reduce size, increase mortality, shorten lifespan and reduce productivity. Increased concentrations of RJ also consistently lengthened development time in both sexes. RJ is associated with changes in expression of 1,581 probe sets assessed using Affymetrix Drosophila 2.0 microarrays, which were enriched for genes associated with metabolism and amino acid degradation. The transcriptional changes are consistent with alterations in cellular processes to cope with excess nutrients provided by RJ, including biosynthesis and detoxification, which might contribute to accelerated senescence and reduced lifespan.

Mitochondrial DNA polymerase from embryos of Drosophila melanogaster: purification, subunit structure, and partial characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wernette, C.M.; Kaguni, L.S.

1986-01-01

The mitochondrial DNA polymerase has been purified to near-homogeneity from early embryos of Drosophila melanogaster. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis of the highly purified enzyme reveals two polypeptides with molecular masses of 125,000 and 35,000 daltons, in a ratio of 1:1. The enzyme has a sedimentation coefficient of 7.6 S and a stokes radius of 51 A. Taken together, the data suggest that the D. melanogaster DNA polymerase γ is a heterodimer. DNA polymerase activity gel analysis has allowed the assignment of the DNA polymerization function to the large subunit. The DNA polymerase exhibits a remarkable ability to utilize efficiently a variety of template-primers including gapped DNA, poly(rA).oligo(dT) and singly primed phiX174 DNA. Both the crude and the highly purified enzymes are stimulated by KCl, and inhibited by dideoxythymidine triphosphate and by N-ethylmaleimide. Thus, the catalytic properties of the near-homogeneous Drosophila enzyme are consistent with those of DNA polymerase γ as partially purified from several vertebrates

Structural insights into the neuroprotective-acting carbonyl reductase Sniffer of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Sgraja, Tanja; Ulschmid, Julia; Becker, Katja; Schneuwly, Stephan; Klebe, Gerhard; Reuter, Klaus; Heine, Andreas

2004-10-01

In vivo studies with the fruit-fly Drosophila melanogaster have shown that the Sniffer protein prevents age-dependent and oxidative stress-induced neurodegenerative processes. Sniffer is a NADPH-dependent carbonyl reductase belonging to the enzyme family of short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDRs). The crystal structure of the homodimeric Sniffer protein from Drosophila melanogaster in complex with NADP+ has been determined by multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion and refined to a resolution of 1.75 A. The observed fold represents a typical dinucleotide-binding domain as detected for other SDRs. With respect to the cofactor-binding site and the region referred to as substrate-binding loop, the Sniffer protein shows a striking similarity to the porcine carbonyl reductase (PTCR). This loop, in both Sniffer and PTCR, is substantially shortened compared to other SDRs. In most enzymes of the SDR family this loop adopts a well-defined conformation only after substrate binding and remains disordered in the absence of any bound ligands or even if only the dinucleotide cofactor is bound. In the structure of the Sniffer protein, however, the conformation of this loop is well defined, although no substrate is present. Molecular modeling studies provide an idea of how binding of substrate molecules to Sniffer could possibly occur.

Limitations in the use of Drosophila melanogaster as a model host for gram-positive bacterial infection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Rikke Lind; Pedersen, K.S.; Loeschcke, V

2007-01-01

resistance respectively, were subjected to infection by L. monocytogenes, S. aureus and E. coli. Mortality rates were comparable with that of the Oregon R strain. Conclusions: Use of the injection method shows the limitation of D. melanogaster as a model host for gram-positive bacteria as opportunistic......Aims: To examine sensitivities of various Drosophila melanogaster strains towards human pathogenic and nonpathogenic gram-positive bacteria. Methods and Results: The D. melanogaster Oregon R strain was infected by injecting the thorax with a needle containing Escherichia coli (negative control...... with the negative control. Infection with L. innocua, B. subtilis or C. maltaromaticum also resulted in a high fly mortality, whereas Lact. plantarum and P. acidilactici resulted in a slightly increased mortality. Four additional D. melanogaster lines, three of which had been selected for heat, cold and desiccation...

Differential gene expression related to Nora virus infection of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordes, Ethan J; Licking-Murray, Kellie D; Carlson, Kimberly A

2013-08-01

Nora virus is a recently discovered RNA picorna-like virus that produces a persistent infection in Drosophila melanogaster, but the antiviral pathway or change in gene expression is unknown. We performed cDNA microarray analysis comparing the gene expression profiles of Nora virus infected and uninfected wild-type D. melanogaster. This analysis yielded 58 genes exhibiting a 1.5-fold change or greater and p-value less than 0.01. Of these genes, 46 were up-regulated and 12 down-regulated in response to infection. To validate the microarray results, qRT-PCR was performed with probes for Chorion protein 16 and Troponin C isoform 4, which show good correspondence with cDNA microarray results. Differential regulation of genes associated with Toll and immune-deficient pathways, cytoskeletal development, Janus Kinase-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription interactions, and a potential gut-specific innate immune response were found. This genome-wide expression profile of Nora virus infection of D. melanogaster can pinpoint genes of interest for further investigation of antiviral pathways employed, genetic mechanisms, sites of replication, viral persistence, and developmental effects. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Genetic Architecture of Natural Variation Underlying Adult Foraging Behavior That Is Essential for Survival of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yuh Chwen G; Yang, Qian; Chi, Wanhao; Turkson, Susie A; Du, Wei A; Kemkemer, Claus; Zeng, Zhao-Bang; Long, Manyuan; Zhuang, Xiaoxi

2017-05-01

Foraging behavior is critical for the fitness of individuals. However, the genetic basis of variation in foraging behavior and the evolutionary forces underlying such natural variation have rarely been investigated. We developed a systematic approach to assay the variation in survival rate in a foraging environment for adult flies derived from a wild Drosophila melanogaster population. Despite being such an essential trait, there is substantial variation of foraging behavior among D. melanogaster strains. Importantly, we provided the first evaluation of the potential caveats of using inbred Drosophila strains to perform genome-wide association studies on life-history traits, and concluded that inbreeding depression is unlikely a major contributor for the observed large variation in adult foraging behavior. We found that adult foraging behavior has a strong genetic component and, unlike larval foraging behavior, depends on multiple loci. Identified candidate genes are enriched in those with high expression in adult heads and, demonstrated by expression knock down assay, are involved in maintaining normal functions of the nervous system. Our study not only identified candidate genes for foraging behavior that is relevant to individual fitness, but also shed light on the initial stage underlying the evolution of the behavior. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Occurence of translocations between irradiated and intact chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myasnyankina, E.N.; Abeleva, Eh.A.; Generalova, M.V.

1980-01-01

Two translocations between irradiated father and intact mother autosomes are obtained in Drosophila melanogaster. Five out of 283 regular translocations (between the second and the third chromosomes of an irradiated male) are accompanied by a recombination over the second or the third chromosomes. Nine flies out of twenty considered to be recombinants, could originate due to mutations. The data obtained prove that intact female autosomes can take part in the exchange with homologic (recombinations) and heterologic (translocations) irradiated male autosomes

Rapid divergence and convergence of life-history in experimentally evolved Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Molly K; Barter, Thomas T; Cabral, Larry G; Kezos, James N; Phillips, Mark A; Rutledge, Grant A; Phung, Kevin H; Chen, Richard H; Nguyen, Huy D; Mueller, Laurence D; Rose, Michael R

2016-09-01

Laboratory selection experiments are alluring in their simplicity, power, and ability to inform us about how evolution works. A longstanding challenge facing evolution experiments with metazoans is that significant generational turnover takes a long time. In this work, we present data from a unique system of experimentally evolved laboratory populations of Drosophila melanogaster that have experienced three distinct life-history selection regimes. The goal of our study was to determine how quickly populations of a certain selection regime diverge phenotypically from their ancestors, and how quickly they converge with independently derived populations that share a selection regime. Our results indicate that phenotypic divergence from an ancestral population occurs rapidly, within dozens of generations, regardless of that population's evolutionary history. Similarly, populations sharing a selection treatment converge on common phenotypes in this same time frame, regardless of selection pressures those populations may have experienced in the past. These patterns of convergence and divergence emerged much faster than expected, suggesting that intermediate evolutionary history has transient effects in this system. The results we draw from this system are applicable to other experimental evolution projects, and suggest that many relevant questions can be sufficiently tested on shorter timescales than previously thought. © 2016 The Author(s). Evolution © 2016 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Metabolic and functional phenotypic profiling of Drosophila melanogaster reveals reduced sex differentiation under stressful environmental conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Orsted, Michael; Malmendal, Anders; Munoz, Joaquin

2018-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae), and how this impacts the magnitude of sexual dimorphism. Experimental stressors that we exposed flies to during development were heat stress, poor nutrition, high acidity, high levels of ammonia and ethanol. Emerged male and female flies from the different...

Balancing selection on immunity genes: review of the current literature and new analysis in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Croze, Myriam; Živković, Daniel; Stephan, Wolfgang; Hutter, Stephan

2016-08-01

Balancing selection has been widely assumed to be an important evolutionary force, yet even today little is known about its abundance and its impact on the patterns of genetic diversity. Several studies have shown examples of balancing selection in humans, plants or parasites, and many genes under balancing selection are involved in immunity. It has been proposed that host-parasite coevolution is one of the main forces driving immune genes to evolve under balancing selection. In this paper, we review the literature on balancing selection on immunity genes in several organisms, including Drosophila. Furthermore, we performed a genome scan for balancing selection in an African population of Drosophila melanogaster using coalescent simulations of a demographic model with and without selection. We find very few genes under balancing selection and only one novel candidate gene related to immunity. Finally, we discuss the possible causes of the low number of genes under balancing selection. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.

Impact of the Chromatin Remodeling Factor CHD1 on Gut Microbiome Composition of Drosophila melanogaster.

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Johanna Sebald

Full Text Available The composition of the intestinal microbiota of Drosophila has been studied in some detail in recent years. Environmental, developmental and host-specific genetic factors influence microbiome composition in the fly. Our previous work has indicated that intestinal bacterial load can be affected by chromatin-targeted regulatory mechanisms. Here we studied a potential role of the conserved chromatin assembly and remodeling factor CHD1 in the shaping of the gut microbiome in Drosophila melanogaster. Using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons, we found that Chd1 deletion mutant flies exhibit significantly reduced microbial diversity compared to rescued control strains. Specifically, although Acetobacteraceae dominated the microbiota of both Chd1 wild-type and mutant guts, Chd1 mutants were virtually monoassociated with this bacterial family, whereas in control flies other bacterial taxa constituted ~20% of the microbiome. We further show age-linked differences in microbial load and microbiota composition between Chd1 mutant and control flies. Finally, diet supplementation experiments with Lactobacillus plantarum revealed that, in contrast to wild-type flies, Chd1 mutant flies were unable to maintain higher L. plantarum titres over time. Collectively, these data provide evidence that loss of the chromatin remodeler CHD1 has a major impact on the gut microbiome of Drosophila melanogaster.

QTL mapping of inbreeding-related cold sensitivity and conditional lethality in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vermeulen, Corneel J.; Bijlsma, R.; Loeschcke, Volker

2008-01-01

of inbreeding-related and conditionally expressed lethality in Drosophila melanogaster. The lethal effect was triggered by exposure to a cold shock. We used a North Carolina crossing Design 3 to establish the mapping population, as well as to estimate the average dominance ratio and heritability. We found two......Inbreeding depression is a central theme within genetics, and is of specific interest for researchers within evolutionary and conservation genetics and animal and plant breeding. Inbreeding effects are thought to be caused by the joint expression of conditional and unconditional deleterious alleles....... Whenever the expression of deleterious alleles is conditional, this can result in extreme environmental sensitivity in certain inbred lineages. Analysis of conditional lethal effects can reveal some of the loci that are sensitive to inbreeding. We performed a QTL (quantitative trait locus) mapping study...

Some results of the effect of space flight factors on Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filatova, L.P.; Vaulina, E.N.

1983-01-01

Chromosomal effects of space flight factors were investigated in Drosophila melanogaster flown aboard the Salyut 6 orbital station. Drosophila males heterozygous for four linked traits were exposed to space flight conditions for periods of eight days, and the progeny when the males were mated with homozygous recessive females were compared with those from control flies exposed to the same vibration and acceleration environment, and the progeny of laboratory controls. Increases in recombination and nondisjunction frequencies were observed in the flies exposed to the space environment, with recombinant flies also found in the F1 generation of the vibration and acceleration controls. Results suggest that it is the action of heavy particles that accounts for the major portion of the genetic effects observed. 17 references

Optimising homing endonuclease gene drive performance in a semi-refractory species: the Drosophila melanogaster experience.

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Yuk-Sang Chan

Full Text Available Homing endonuclease gene (HEG drive is a promising insect population control technique that employs meganucleases to impair the fitness of pest populations. Our previous studies showed that HEG drive was more difficult to achieve in Drosophila melanogaster than Anopheles gambiae and we therefore investigated ways of improving homing performance in Drosophila. We show that homing in Drosophila responds to increased expression of HEGs specifically during the spermatogonia stage and this could be achieved through improved construct design. We found that 3'-UTR choice was important to maximise expression levels, with HEG activity increasing as we employed Hsp70, SV40, vasa and βTub56D derived UTRs. We also searched for spermatogonium-specific promoters and found that the Rcd-1r promoter was able to drive specific expression at this stage. Since Rcd-1 is a regulator of differentiation in other species, it suggests that Rcd-1r may serve a similar role during spermatogonial differentiation in Drosophila. Contrary to expectations, a fragment containing the entire region between the TBPH gene and the bgcn translational start drove strong HEG expression only during late spermatogenesis rather than in the germline stem cells and spermatogonia as expected. We also observed that the fraction of targets undergoing homing was temperature-sensitive, falling nearly four-fold when the temperature was lowered to 18°C. Taken together, this study demonstrates how a few simple measures can lead to substantial improvements in the HEG-based gene drive strategy and reinforce the idea that the HEG approach may be widely applicable to a variety of insect control programs.

Effect of low-level intensity EHF radiation on endurance and reproductivity of Drosophila Melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shakhbazov, V.G.; Chepel', L.M.; Bulgakov, B.M.; Sirenko, S.P.; Belous, O.I.; Fisun, A.I.

1999-01-01

The effect of the low-intensity microwaves on three gene-radiations of the imago Drosophila Melanogaster has been investigated out. The radiation source was tuned from 37 to 53 GHz. The thermoimmunity and reproductivity of the first generation of females and males of imago after processing by radiation. The obtained effect can be considered as physiological heterosis

Nutrition quality, body size and two components of mating behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Pavković-Lucić, Sofija; Kekić, Vladimir

2010-01-01

Two components of mating behavior, mating latency and duration of copulation, were investigated in Drosophila melanogaster males from three different "nutritional" strains, reared for more than 35 generations on banana, tomato and cornmeal-agar-yeast substrates. Males from different strains did not differ according to mating latency and duration of copulation. Also, the sizes of males from different strains did not contribute to these behavioral traits.

Life extension and the position of the hormetic zone depends on sex and genetic background in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sarup, Pernille Merete; Loeschcke, Volker

2011-01-01

but not in females. Here we investigated the interaction between the hormetic response and genetic background, sex and duration of a mild heat stress in D. melanogaster, using three replicate lines that have been selected for increased longevity and their respective control lines. We found that genetic background......Hormesis, the beneficial effect of a mild stress, has been proposed as a means to prolong the period of healthy ageing as it can increase the average lifespan of a cohort. However, if we want to use hormesis therapeutically it is important that the treatment is beneficial on the individual level...... and not just on average at the population level. Long lived lines have been shown not to benefit from a, in other lines, hormesis inducing heat treatment in Drosophila melanogaster, D. buzzatii and mice. Also in many experiments hormesis has been reported to occur in one sex only, usually males...

INTERACTION BETWEEN THE ADH AND ALPHA-GPDH LOCI IN DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER - ADULT SURVIVAL AT HIGH-TEMPERATURE

NARCIS (Netherlands)

OUDMAN, L; VANDELDEN, W; KAMPING, A; BIJLSMA, R

The role of high temperature resistance in the world-wide cline of Adh and alpha-Gpdh allele frequencies of Drosophila melanogaster was investigated. Experimental strains were used with different combinations of Adh and alpha-Gpdh alleles but with similar genetic background. The survival time of

The Genetic Architecture of Natural Variation in Recombination Rate in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Chad M Hunter

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Meiotic recombination ensures proper chromosome segregation in many sexually reproducing organisms. Despite this crucial function, rates of recombination are highly variable within and between taxa, and the genetic basis of this variation remains poorly understood. Here, we exploit natural variation in the inbred, sequenced lines of the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP to map genetic variants affecting recombination rate. We used a two-step crossing scheme and visible markers to measure rates of recombination in a 33 cM interval on the X chromosome and in a 20.4 cM interval on chromosome 3R for 205 DGRP lines. Though we cannot exclude that some biases exist due to viability effects associated with the visible markers used in this study, we find ~2-fold variation in recombination rate among lines. Interestingly, we further find that recombination rates are uncorrelated between the two chromosomal intervals. We performed a genome-wide association study to identify genetic variants associated with recombination rate in each of the two intervals surveyed. We refined our list of candidate variants and genes associated with recombination rate variation and selected twenty genes for functional assessment. We present strong evidence that five genes are likely to contribute to natural variation in recombination rate in D. melanogaster; these genes lie outside the canonical meiotic recombination pathway. We also find a weak effect of Wolbachia infection on recombination rate and we confirm the interchromosomal effect. Our results highlight the magnitude of population variation in recombination rate present in D. melanogaster and implicate new genetic factors mediating natural variation in this quantitative trait.

Drosophila melanogaster "a potential model organism" for identification of pharmacological properties of plants/plant-derived components.

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Panchal, Komal; Tiwari, Anand K

2017-05-01

Plants/plant-derived components have been used from ancient times to treat/cure several human diseases. Plants and their parts possess several chemical components that play the vital role in the improvement of human health and their life expectancy. Allopathic medicines have been playing a key role in the treatment of several diseases. Though allopathic medicines provide fast relief, long time consumption cause serious health concerns such as hyperallergic reactions, liver damage, etc. So, the study of medicinal plants which rarely cause any side effect is very important to mankind. Plants contain many health benefit properties like antioxidant, anti-aging, neuroprotective, anti-genotoxic, anti-mutagenic and bioinsecticidal activity. Thus, identification of pharmacological properties of plants/plant-derived components are of utmost importance to be explored. Several model organisms have been used to identify the pharmacological properties of the different plants or active components therein and Drosophila is one of them. Drosophila melanogaster "fruit fly" is a well understood, high-throughput model organism being used more than 110 years to study the different biological aspects related to the development and diseases. Most of the developmental and cell signaling pathways and ∼75% human disease-related genes are conserved between human and Drosophila. Using Drosophila, one can easily analyze the pharmacological properties of plants/plant-derived components by performing several assays available with flies such as survivorship, locomotor, antioxidant, cell death, etc. The current review focuses on the potential of Drosophila melanogaster for the identification of medicinal/pharmacological properties associated with plants/plant-derived components. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Drosophila melanogaster cellular repressor of E1A-stimulated genes is a lysosomal protein essential for fly development

OpenAIRE

Kowalewski-Nimmerfall, Elisabeth; Sch?hs, Philipp; Maresch, Daniel; Rendic, Dubravko; Kr?mer, Helmut; Mach, Lukas

2014-01-01

Mammalian cellular repressor of E1A-stimulated genes is a lysosomal glycoprotein implicated in cellular growth and differentiation. The genome of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster encodes a putative orthologue (dCREG), suggesting evolutionarily conserved physiological functions of this protein. In D. melanogaster S2 cells, dCREG was found to localize in lysosomes. Further studies revealed that intracellular dCREG is subject of proteolytic maturation. Processing and turnover could be subst...

[Late-replicating regions in salivary gland polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster].

Science.gov (United States)

Kolesnikov, T D; Andreenkova, N G; Beliaeva, E S; Goncharov, F P; Zykova, T Iu; Boldyreva, L V; Pokholkova, g V; Zhimulev, I F

2013-01-01

About 240 specific regions that are replicated at the very end of the S-phase have been identified in D. melanogaster polytene chromosomes. These regions have a repressive chromatine state, low gene density, long intergenic distances and are enriched in tissue specific genes. In polytene chromosomes, about a quarter of these regions have no enough time to complete replication. As a result, underreplication zones represented by fewer DNA copy number, appear. We studied 60 chromosome regions that demonstrated the most pronounced under-replication. By comparing the location of these regions on a molecular map with syntenic blocks found earlier for Drosophila species by von Grotthuss et al., 2010, we have shown that across the genus Drosophila, these regions tend to have conserved gene order. This forces us to assume the existence of evolutionary mechanisms aimed at maintaining the integrity of these regions.

Timing of RNA synthesis for sperimiogenesis in organ cultures of Drosophila melanogaster teste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gould-Somero, M; Holland, L

1974-01-01

A method for the organ culture of Drosophila testes is described which supports the differentiation of primary spermatocytes through the meiotic divisions to elongating spermatids. Autoradiographic and inhibitor studies reveal no evidence for RNA synthesis by developing spermatids of Drosophila melanogaster; most, if not all, of the RNA required for the differentiation and elongation of sperm is synthesized earlier in the primary spermatocytes. Primary spermatocytes will differentiate into elongating spermatids in organ culture, despite severe (96 to 98%) inhibition of /sup 3/H-uridine incorporation into RNA effected by 50 ..mu..g/ml 3'-deoxyadenosine. Protein synthesis in spermatids continues to be active in the presence of 3'-deoxyadenosine, but that in growing spermatocytes is severely inhibited.

Analysis of Thioester-Containing Proteins during the Innate Immune Response of Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Bou Aoun, Richard; Hetru, Charles; Troxler, Laurent; Doucet, Daniel; Ferrandon, Dominique; Matt, Nicolas

2010-01-01

Thioester-containing proteins (TEPs) are conserved proteins among insects that are thought to be involved in innate immunity. In Drosophila, the Tep family is composed of 6 genes named Tep1–Tep6. In this study, we investigated the phylogeny, expression pattern and roles of these genes in the host defense of Drosophila. Protostomian Tep genes are clustered in 3 distinct branches, 1 of which is specific to mosquitoes. Most D. melanogaster Tep genes are expressed in hemocytes, can be induced in the fat body, and are expressed in specific regions of the hypodermis. This expression pattern is consistent with a role in innate immunity. However, we find that TEP1, TEP2, and TEP4 are not strictly required in the body cavity to fight several bacterial and fungal infections. One possibility is that Drosophila TEPs act redundantly or that their absence can be compensated by other components of the immune response. TEPs may thus provide a subtle selective advantage during evolution. Alternatively, they may be required in host defense against specific as yet unidentified natural pathogens of Drosophila. PMID:21063077

Experimental evolution of olfactory memory in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Mery, Frederic; Pont, Juliette; Preat, Thomas; Kawecki, Tadeusz J

2007-01-01

In order to address the nature of genetic variation in learning performance, we investigated the response to classical olfactory conditioning in "high-learning" Drosophila melanogaster lines previously subject to selection for the ability to learn an association between the flavor of an oviposition medium and bitter taste. In a T-maze choice test, the seven high-learning lines were better at avoiding an odor previously associated with aversive mechanical shock than were five unselected "low-learning" lines originating from the same natural population. Thus, the evolved improvement in learning ability of high-learning lines generalized to another aversion learning task involving a different aversive stimulus (shock instead of bitter taste) and a different behavioral context than that used to impose selection. In this olfactory shock task, the high-learning lines showed improvements in the learning rate as well as in two forms of consolidated memory: anesthesia-resistant memory and long-term memory. Thus, genetic variation underlying the experimental evolution of learning performance in the high-learning lines affected several phases of memory formation in the course of olfactory aversive learning. However, the two forms of consolidated memory were negatively correlated among replicate high-learning lines, which is consistent with a recent hypothesis that these two forms of consolidated memory are antagonistic.

Mild heat treatments induce long-term changes in metabolites associated with energy metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sarup, Pernille; Petersen, Simon Metz Mariendal; Nielsen, Niels Christian

2016-01-01

treatments on the metabolome of male Drosophila melanogaster. 10 days after the heat treatment, metabolic aging appears to be slowed down, and a treatment response with 40 % higher levels of alanine and lactate and lower levels of aspartate and glutamate were measured. All treatment effects had disappeared...

Structural basis for the changed substrate specificity of Drosophila melanogaster deoxyribonucleoside kinase mutant N64D

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Welin, M.; Skovgaard, T.; Knecht, Wolfgang

2005-01-01

The Drosophila melanogaster deoxyribonucleoside kinase (Dm-dNK) double mutant N45D/N64D was identified during a previous directed evolution study. This mutant enzyme had a decreased activity towards the natural substrates and decreased feedback inhibition with dTTP, whereas the activity with 3...

Mdr65 decreases toxicity of multiple insecticides in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Sun, Haina; Buchon, Nicolas; Scott, Jeffrey G

2017-10-01

ABC transporters are ubiquitous membrane-bound proteins, present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The major function of eukaryotic ABC transporters is to mediate the efflux of a variety of substrates (including xenobiotics) out of cells. ABC transporters have been widely investigated in humans, particularly for their involvement in multidrug resistance (MDR). Considerably less is known about their roles in transport and/or excretion in insects. ABC transporters are only known to function as exporters in insects. Drosophila melanogaster has 56 ABC transporter genes, including eight which are phylogenetically most similar to the human Mdr genes (ABCB1 clade). We investigated the role of ABC transporters in the ABCB1 clade in modulating the susceptibility to insecticides. We took advantage of the GAL4/UAS system in D. melanogaster to knockdown the expression levels of Mdr65, Mdr50, Mdr49 and ABCB6 using transgenic UAS-RNAi lines and conditional driver lines. The most notable effects were increased sensitivities to nine different insecticides by silencing of Mdr65. Furthermore, a null mutation of Mdr65 decreased the malathion, malaoxon and fipronil LC 50 values by a factor of 1.9, 2.1 and 3.9, respectively. Altogether, this data demonstrates the critical role of ABC transporters, particularly Mdr65, in altering the toxicity of specific, structurally diverse, insecticides in D. melanogaster. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

larvalign: Aligning Gene Expression Patterns from the Larval Brain of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Muenzing, Sascha E A; Strauch, Martin; Truman, James W; Bühler, Katja; Thum, Andreas S; Merhof, Dorit

2018-01-01

The larval brain of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a small, tractable model system for neuroscience. Genes for fluorescent marker proteins can be expressed in defined, spatially restricted neuron populations. Here, we introduce the methods for 1) generating a standard template of the larval central nervous system (CNS), 2) spatial mapping of expression patterns from different larvae into a reference space defined by the standard template. We provide a manually annotated gold standard that serves for evaluation of the registration framework involved in template generation and mapping. A method for registration quality assessment enables the automatic detection of registration errors, and a semi-automatic registration method allows one to correct registrations, which is a prerequisite for a high-quality, curated database of expression patterns. All computational methods are available within the larvalign software package: https://github.com/larvalign/larvalign/releases/tag/v1.0.

Consistent effects of a major QTL for thermal resistance in field-released Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Loeschcke, Volker; Kristensen, Torsten Nygård; Norry, Fabian M

2011-01-01

Molecular genetic markers can be used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for thermal resistance and this has allowed characterization of a major QTL for knockdown resistance to high temperature in Drosophila melanogaster. The QTL showed trade-off associations with cold resistance under lab...... of field fitness at different environmental temperatures with genotypic variation in a QTL for thermal tolerance. Graphical abstract...

Drosophila melanogaster Meigen: 3. sensibilidade ao carbofuran e biomonitoramento de seus resíduos em repolho Drosophila melanogaster Meigen: 3. susceptibility to carbofuran and biomonitoring of its residues in cabbage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garcia Rodrigues de Almeida

2001-12-01

Full Text Available The susceptibility of Drosophila melanogaster to carbofuran and the use of this organism in biomonitoring residues of the insecticide in cabbage was evaluated. Under the conditions of the bioassay, residues-film bioassay in Petri dish, carbofuran degraded depending on the temperature and time of exposure. Bioassays conducted with D. melanogaster showed that its toxicity increases with temperature (20 to 35 °C. LC50 values, calculated as a function of temperature, ranged from 3.6 to 10.5 mg/g body weight (bw for males and from 2.9 to 8.7 mg/g bw for females. The formulated product Furadan® G was applied on cabbage (Brassica oleracea, var. capitata and the residues of carbofuran were determined by bioassay. The determination limit of the bioassay was 0.1 mg/kg and the method presented reproducibility with coefficient variation of 17 %. The validation of the bioassay by high performance liquid chromatography confirms the viability of the bioassay with D. melanogaster in monitoring the residues of carbofuran in cabbage.

A single amino-acid substitution toggles chloride dependence of the alpha-amylase paralog amyrel in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila virilis species.

Science.gov (United States)

Claisse, Gaëlle; Feller, Georges; Bonneau, Magalie; Da Lage, Jean-Luc

2016-08-01

In animals, most α-amylases are chloride-dependent enzymes. A chloride ion is required for allosteric activation and is coordinated by one asparagine and two arginine side chains. Whereas the asparagine and one arginine are strictly conserved, the main chloride binding arginine is replaced by a glutamine in some rare instances, resulting in the loss of chloride binding and activation. Amyrel is a distant paralogue of α-amylase in Diptera, which was not characterized biochemically to date. Amyrel shows both substitutions depending on the species. In Drosophila melanogaster, an arginine is present in the sequence but in Drosophila virilis, a glutamine occurs at this position. We have investigated basic enzymological parameters and the dependence to chloride of Amyrel of both species, produced in yeast, and in mutants substituting arginine to glutamine or glutamine to arginine. We found that the amylolytic activity of Amyrel is about thirty times weaker than the classical Drosophila α-amylase, and that the substitution of the arginine by a glutamine in D. melanogaster suppressed the chloride-dependence but was detrimental to activity. In contrast, changing the glutamine into an arginine rendered D. virilis Amyrel chloride-dependent, and interestingly, significantly increased its catalytic efficiency. These results show that the chloride ion is not mandatory for Amyrel but stimulates the reaction rate. The possible phylogenetic origin of the arginine/glutamine substitution is also discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nora Virus Transmission in "Drosophila Melanogaster": An Investigation to Teach Viral Infection and Prophylaxis to Biology Students

Science.gov (United States)

Weatherred, Wayland; Carlson, Darby J.; Carlson, Kimberly A.

2014-01-01

Proper hand hygiene accompanied with environmental surface disinfection provides a comprehensive approach to control and prevent respiratory and gastrointestinal illness in schools, hospitals, work environments, and the home. The persistent non-pathogenic Nora virus common in "Drosophila melanogaster" provides a horizontally transmitted…

STARVATION RESISTANCE IN DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER IN RELATION TO THE POLYMORPHISMS AT THE ADH AND ALPHA-GPDH LOCI

NARCIS (Netherlands)

OUDMAN, L; VANDELDEN, W; KAMPING, A; BIJLSMA, R

In view of the world-wide latitudinal cline of the Adh and alpha Gpdh allozyme frequencies of Drosophila melanogaster and the interactions between these loci, experiments were performed to study the phenotypic effects of these loci. Starvation resistance, oxygen consumption, body weight, protein

Adult Heat Tolerance Variation in Drosophila melanogaster is Not Related to Hsp70 Expression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Louise Toft; Cockerell, Fiona Elizabeth; Kristensen, Torsten Nygaard

2010-01-01

in Drosophila larvae Hsp70 expression may be a key determinant of heat tolerance, the evidence for this in adults is equivocal. We therefore examined heat-induced Hsp70 expression and several measurements of adult heat tolerance in three independent collections of D. melanogaster, measured in three laboratories...

Neuroligins Nlg2 and Nlg4 Affect Social Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

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Kristina Corthals

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The genome of Drosophila melanogaster includes homologs to approximately one-third of the currently known human disease genes. Flies and humans share many biological processes, including the principles of information processing by excitable neurons, synaptic transmission, and the chemical signals involved in intercellular communication. Studies on the molecular and behavioral impact of genetic risk factors of human neuro-developmental disorders [autism spectrum disorders (ASDs, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, and Tourette syndrome] increasingly use the well-studied social behavior of D. melanogaster, an organism that is amenable to a large variety of genetic manipulations. Neuroligins (Nlgs are a family of phylogenetically conserved postsynaptic adhesion molecules present (among others in nematodes, insects, and mammals. Impaired function of Nlgs (particularly of Nlg 3 and 4 has been associated with ASDs in humans and impaired social and communication behavior in mice. Making use of a set of behavioral and social assays, we, here, analyzed the impact of two Drosophila Nlgs, Dnlg2 and Dnlg4, which are differentially expressed at excitatory and inhibitory central nervous synapses, respectively. Both Nlgs seem to be associated with diurnal activity and social behavior. Even though deficiencies in Dnlg2 and Dnlg4 appeared to have no effects on sensory or motor systems, they differentially impacted on social interactions, suggesting that social behavior is distinctly regulated by these Nlgs.

Neuroligins Nlg2 and Nlg4 Affect Social Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Corthals, Kristina; Heukamp, Alina Sophia; Kossen, Robert; Großhennig, Isabel; Hahn, Nina; Gras, Heribert; Göpfert, Martin C; Heinrich, Ralf; Geurten, Bart R H

2017-01-01

The genome of Drosophila melanogaster includes homologs to approximately one-third of the currently known human disease genes. Flies and humans share many biological processes, including the principles of information processing by excitable neurons, synaptic transmission, and the chemical signals involved in intercellular communication. Studies on the molecular and behavioral impact of genetic risk factors of human neuro-developmental disorders [autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, and Tourette syndrome] increasingly use the well-studied social behavior of D. melanogaster , an organism that is amenable to a large variety of genetic manipulations. Neuroligins (Nlgs) are a family of phylogenetically conserved postsynaptic adhesion molecules present (among others) in nematodes, insects, and mammals. Impaired function of Nlgs (particularly of Nlg 3 and 4) has been associated with ASDs in humans and impaired social and communication behavior in mice. Making use of a set of behavioral and social assays, we, here, analyzed the impact of two Drosophila Nlgs, Dnlg2 and Dnlg4, which are differentially expressed at excitatory and inhibitory central nervous synapses, respectively. Both Nlgs seem to be associated with diurnal activity and social behavior. Even though deficiencies in Dnlg2 and Dnlg4 appeared to have no effects on sensory or motor systems, they differentially impacted on social interactions, suggesting that social behavior is distinctly regulated by these Nlgs.

Female Drosophila melanogaster gene expression and mate choice: the X chromosome harbours candidate genes underlying sexual isolation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard I Bailey

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The evolution of female choice mechanisms favouring males of their own kind is considered a crucial step during the early stages of speciation. However, although the genomics of mate choice may influence both the likelihood and speed of speciation, the identity and location of genes underlying assortative mating remain largely unknown.We used mate choice experiments and gene expression analysis of female Drosophila melanogaster to examine three key components influencing speciation. We show that the 1,498 genes in Zimbabwean female D. melanogaster whose expression levels differ when mating with more (Zimbabwean versus less (Cosmopolitan strain preferred males include many with high expression in the central nervous system and ovaries, are disproportionately X-linked and form a number of clusters with low recombination distance. Significant involvement of the brain and ovaries is consistent with the action of a combination of pre- and postcopulatory female choice mechanisms, while sex linkage and clustering of genes lead to high potential evolutionary rate and sheltering against the homogenizing effects of gene exchange between populations.Taken together our results imply favourable genomic conditions for the evolution of reproductive isolation through mate choice in Zimbabwean D. melanogaster and suggest that mate choice may, in general, act as an even more important engine of speciation than previously realized.

Body-weight and chromosome aberrations induced by X-rays in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marco, A. de; Belloni, M.P.

1976-01-01

Body-weight has been shown to influence the final expression of genetic damage by X-rays in Drosophila melanogaster. If larvae of Drosophila were raised up to the third instar in media containing different amounts of the same nutrient and in different conditions of crowding a positive correlation was observed between body-weight and frequency of chromosome aberrations induced by a given dose of X-rays in the somatic cells of their nerve ganglia. This effect, present in both sexes, is most plausibly attributed to a different capacity of big and small larvae for repairing radiation damage. (orig.) [de

The role of apoptotic cell death in Drosophila melanogaster radioinduced aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moskalev, A.A.; Zajnullin, V.G.

2001-01-01

The attempt is made to estimate a role of programmed cell death (apoptosis) in radioinduced life span alteration and aging. It was shown with the use of mutant Drosophila melanogaster laboratory strains that the dysfunction of a reaper-dependent apoptosis pathway together with the action of ionizing radiation and/or apoptosis inductor etoposide could to lead to change of life span and a pace of aging. In Drosophila strain with defect of proapoptosis gene reaper the increase of life span after irradiation and etoposide treatment was observed. At the same time the strain with overexpression of a protease dcp-1 gene and the strain with the defect of antiapoptosis diap-1/th gene decreased the life span after irradiation and etoposide treatment. The obtained facts are discussed from a position of participation of apoptosis deregulation in radioinduced and natural aging of whole organisms [ru

Relationship between organization and function of ribosomal genes in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karpen, G.H.

1987-01-01

In most eukaryotic organisms, the genes that encode the 18S and 28S ribosomal RNAs (rDNA genes) are tandemly repeated, and are located in constitutive heterochromatin and/or centromeric or telomeric regions. P-element mediated transformation was used to investigate the relationship between rDNA organization and function in Drosophila melanogaster. Tritiated-uridine incorporation under heat shock conditions and in situ hybridization to rRNA were used to demonstrate that a single rDNA gene inserted into euchromatin can be transcribed at a high rate, in polytene nuclei. P-element-mediated transformation of a single Drosophila rDNA gene was also utilized to investigate the ability of ribosomal DNA to organize a nucleolus. Cytological approaches demonstrated that structures resembling the endogenous nucleoli were preferentially associated with four different sites of rDNA insertion, in polytene nuclei. These mini-nucleoli also contained components specific to the nucleolus, as shown by in situ hybridization to rRNA and indirect immunofluorescence with an antibody that binds to Drosophila nucleoli. The transformed genes were able to partially rescue mutant phenotypes due to a deficiency of rDNA, indicating that the mini-nucleoli were functional

Altered Gravity Induces Oxidative Stress in Drosophila Melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Sharmila; Hosamani, Ravikumar

2015-01-01

Altered gravity environments can induce increased oxidative stress in biological systems. Microarray data from our previous spaceflight experiment (FIT experiment on STS-121) indicated significant changes in the expression of oxidative stress genes in adult fruit flies after spaceflight. Currently, our lab is focused on elucidating the role of hypergravity-induced oxidative stress and its impact on the nervous system in Drosophila melanogaster. Biochemical, molecular, and genetic approaches were combined to study this effect on the ground. Adult flies (2-3 days old) exposed to acute hypergravity (3g, for 1 hour and 2 hours) showed significantly elevated levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in fly brains compared to control samples. This data was supported by significant changes in mRNA expression of specific oxidative stress and antioxidant defense related genes. As anticipated, a stress-resistant mutant line, Indy302, was less vulnerable to hypergravity-induced oxidative stress compared to wild-type flies. Survival curves were generated to study the combined effect of hypergravity and pro-oxidant treatment. Interestingly, many of the oxidative stress changes that were measured in flies showed sex specific differences. Collectively, our data demonstrate that altered gravity significantly induces oxidative stress in Drosophila, and that one of the organs where this effect is evident is the brain.

A mighty small heart: the cardiac proteome of adult Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony Cammarato

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Drosophila melanogaster is emerging as a powerful model system for the study of cardiac disease. Establishing peptide and protein maps of the Drosophila heart is central to implementation of protein network studies that will allow us to assess the hallmarks of Drosophila heart pathogenesis and gauge the degree of conservation with human disease mechanisms on a systems level. Using a gel-LC-MS/MS approach, we identified 1228 protein clusters from 145 dissected adult fly hearts. Contractile, cytostructural and mitochondrial proteins were most abundant consistent with electron micrographs of the Drosophila cardiac tube. Functional/Ontological enrichment analysis further showed that proteins involved in glycolysis, Ca(2+-binding, redox, and G-protein signaling, among other processes, are also over-represented. Comparison with a mouse heart proteome revealed conservation at the level of molecular function, biological processes and cellular components. The subsisting peptidome encompassed 5169 distinct heart-associated peptides, of which 1293 (25% had not been identified in a recent Drosophila peptide compendium. PeptideClassifier analysis was further used to map peptides to specific gene-models. 1872 peptides provide valuable information about protein isoform groups whereas a further 3112 uniquely identify specific protein isoforms and may be used as a heart-associated peptide resource for quantitative proteomic approaches based on multiple-reaction monitoring. In summary, identification of excitation-contraction protein landmarks, orthologues of proteins associated with cardiovascular defects, and conservation of protein ontologies, provides testimony to the heart-like character of the Drosophila cardiac tube and to the utility of proteomics as a complement to the power of genetics in this growing model of human heart disease.

Drosophila melanogaster Models of Metal-Related Human Diseases and Metal Toxicity.

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Calap-Quintana, Pablo; González-Fernández, Javier; Sebastiá-Ortega, Noelia; Llorens, José Vicente; Moltó, María Dolores

2017-07-06

Iron, copper and zinc are transition metals essential for life because they are required in a multitude of biological processes. Organisms have evolved to acquire metals from nutrition and to maintain adequate levels of each metal to avoid damaging effects associated with its deficiency, excess or misplacement. Interestingly, the main components of metal homeostatic pathways are conserved, with many orthologues of the human metal-related genes having been identified and characterized in Drosophila melanogaster . Drosophila has gained appreciation as a useful model for studying human diseases, including those caused by mutations in pathways controlling cellular metal homeostasis. Flies have many advantages in the laboratory, such as a short life cycle, easy handling and inexpensive maintenance. Furthermore, they can be raised in a large number. In addition, flies are greatly appreciated because they offer a considerable number of genetic tools to address some of the unresolved questions concerning disease pathology, which in turn could contribute to our understanding of the metal metabolism and homeostasis. This review recapitulates the metabolism of the principal transition metals, namely iron, zinc and copper, in Drosophila and the utility of this organism as an experimental model to explore the role of metal dyshomeostasis in different human diseases. Finally, a summary of the contribution of Drosophila as a model for testing metal toxicity is provided.

Viability, longevity, and egg production of Drosophila melanogaster are regulated by the miR-282 microDNA

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vilmos, P.; Bujna, Á.; Szuperák, M.; Havelda, Z.; Várallyay, É.; Szabad, J.; Kučerová, Lucie; Somogyi, K.; Kristó, I.; Lukácsovich, T.; Jankovics, F.; Henn, L.; Erdélyi, M.

2013-01-01

Roč. 195, č. 2 (2013), s. 469-480 ISSN 0016-6731 Grant - others:Hungarian National Science Foundation(HU) NK84121; Hungarian National Science Foundation(HU) K108538 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Drosophila melanogaster Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 4.389, year: 2012

Effective but costly, evolved mechanisms of defense against a virulent opportunistic pathogen in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Yixin H Ye

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Drosophila harbor substantial genetic variation for antibacterial defense, and investment in immunity is thought to involve a costly trade-off with life history traits, including development, life span, and reproduction. To understand the way in which insects invest in fighting bacterial infection, we selected for survival following systemic infection with the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa in wild-caught Drosophila melanogaster over 10 generations. We then examined genome-wide changes in expression in the selected flies relative to unselected controls, both of which had been infected with the pathogen. This powerful combination of techniques allowed us to specifically identify the genetic basis of the evolved immune response. In response to selection, population-level survivorship to infection increased from 15% to 70%. The evolved capacity for defense was costly, however, as evidenced by reduced longevity and larval viability and a rapid loss of the trait once selection pressure was removed. Counter to expectation, we observed more rapid developmental rates in the selected flies. Selection-associated changes in expression of genes with dual involvement in developmental and immune pathways suggest pleiotropy as a possible mechanism for the positive correlation. We also found that both the Toll and the Imd pathways work synergistically to limit infectivity and that cellular immunity plays a more critical role in overcoming P. aeruginosa infection than previously reported. This work reveals novel pathways by which Drosophila can survive infection with a virulent pathogen that may be rare in wild populations, however, due to their cost.

A molecularly defined duplication set for the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venken, Koen J. T.; Popodi, Ellen; Holtzman, Stacy L.; Schulze, Karen L.; Park, Soo; Carlson, Joseph W.; Hoskins, Roger A.; Bellen, Hugo J.; Kaufman, Thomas C.

2010-07-22

We describe a molecularly defined duplication kit for the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster. A set of 408 overlapping P[acman] BAC clones was used to create small duplications (average length 88 kb) covering the 22-Mb sequenced portion of the chromosome. The BAC clones were inserted into an attP docking site on chromosome 3L using C31 integrase, allowing direct comparison of different transgenes. The insertions complement 92% of the essential and viable mutations and deletions tested, demonstrating that almost all Drosophila genes are compact and that the current annotations of the genome are reasonably accurate. Moreover, almost all genes are tolerated at twice the normal dosage. Finally, we more precisely mapped two regions at which duplications cause diplo-lethality in males. This collection comprises the first molecularly defined duplication set to cover a whole chromosome in a multicellular organism. The work presented removes a long-standing barrier to genetic analysis of the Drosophila X chromosome, will greatly facilitate functional assays of X-linked genes in vivo, and provides a model for functional analyses of entire chromosomes in other species.

Naltrexone Reverses Ethanol Preference and Protein Kinase C Activation in Drosophila melanogaster

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Rajeswari Koyyada

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Alcohol use disorder (AUD is a major health, social and economic problem for which there are few effective treatments. The opiate antagonist naltrexone is currently prescribed clinically with mixed success. We have used naltrexone in an established behavioral assay (CAFE in Drosophila melanogaster that measures the flies' preference for ethanol-containing food. We have confirmed that Drosophila exposed to ethanol develop a preference toward this drug and we demonstrate that naltrexone, in a dose dependant manner, reverses the ethanol-induced ethanol preference. This effect is not permanent, as preference for alcohol returns after discontinuing naltrexone. Additionally, naltrexone reduced the alcohol-induced increase in protein kinase C activity. These findings are of interest because they confirm that Drosophila is a useful model for studying human responses to addictive drugs. Additionally because of the lack of a closely conserved opiate system in insects, our results could either indicate that a functionally related system does exist in insects or that in insects, and potentially also in mammals, naltrexone binds to alternative sites. Identifying such sites could lead to improved treatment strategies for AUD.

Naltrexone Reverses Ethanol Preference and Protein Kinase C Activation in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Koyyada, Rajeswari; Latchooman, Nilesh; Jonaitis, Julius; Ayoub, Samir S.; Corcoran, Olivia; Casalotti, Stefano O.

2018-01-01

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major health, social and economic problem for which there are few effective treatments. The opiate antagonist naltrexone is currently prescribed clinically with mixed success. We have used naltrexone in an established behavioral assay (CAFE) in Drosophila melanogaster that measures the flies' preference for ethanol-containing food. We have confirmed that Drosophila exposed to ethanol develop a preference toward this drug and we demonstrate that naltrexone, in a dose dependant manner, reverses the ethanol-induced ethanol preference. This effect is not permanent, as preference for alcohol returns after discontinuing naltrexone. Additionally, naltrexone reduced the alcohol-induced increase in protein kinase C activity. These findings are of interest because they confirm that Drosophila is a useful model for studying human responses to addictive drugs. Additionally because of the lack of a closely conserved opiate system in insects, our results could either indicate that a functionally related system does exist in insects or that in insects, and potentially also in mammals, naltrexone binds to alternative sites. Identifying such sites could lead to improved treatment strategies for AUD. PMID:29593550

Drosophila melanogaster as a model system for the evaluation of anti-aging compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Jafari, Mahtab

2010-01-01

Understanding the causes of aging is a complex problem due to the multiple factors that influence aging, which include genetics, environment, metabolism and reproduction, among others. These multiple factors create logistical difficulties in the evaluation of anti-aging agents. There is a need for good model systems to evaluate potential anti-aging compounds. The model systems used should represent the complexities of aging in humans, so that the findings may be extrapolated to human studies, but they should also present an opportunity to minimize the variables so that the experimental results can be accurately interpreted. In addition to positively affecting lifespan, the impact of the compound on the physiologic confounders of aging, including fecundity and the health span--the period of life where an organism is generally healthy and free from serious or chronic illness--of the model organism needs to be evaluated. Fecundity is considered a major confounder of aging in fruit flies. It is well established that female flies that are exposed to toxic substances typically reduce their dietary intake and their reproductive output and display an artifactual lifespan extension. As a result, drugs that achieve longevity benefits by reducing fecundity as a result of diminished food intake are probably not useful candidates for eventual treatment of aging in humans and should be eliminated during the screening process. Drosophila melanogaster provides a suitable model system for the screening of anti-aging compounds as D. melanogaster and humans have many conserved physiological and biological pathways. In this paper, I propose an algorithm to screen anti-aging compounds using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system.

Genetic Localization of Foraging (For): A Major Gene for Larval Behavior in Drosophila Melanogaster

OpenAIRE

de-Belle, J. S.; Hilliker, A. J.; Sokolowski, M. B.

1989-01-01

Localizing genes for quantitative traits by conventional recombination mapping is a formidable challenge because environmental variation, minor genes, and genetic markers have modifying effects on continuously varying phenotypes. We describe ``lethal tagging,'' a method used in conjunction with deficiency mapping for localizing major genes associated with quantitative traits. Rover/sitter is a naturally occurring larval foraging polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster which has a polygenic pa...

Mutagenic effect of tritium on DNA of Drosophila melanogaster: Technical progress report, December 15, 1986-July 15, 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, W.R.

1987-01-01

Recombinant DNA techniques were used to analyze mutants induced by either tritium or x-ray. Mutations induced at the alcohol dehydrogenase locus (Adh) in Drosophila melanogaster were first characterized by genetic complementation tests to determine if a multi-locus deletion has occurred. Mutants that are intragenic as defined by the complementation test are then placed opposite a deficiency so that the DNA from the mutant allele may be extracted and analyzed. Part I of the project is to analyze mutants induced by ionizing radiation with molecular techniques, and part II is to determine the molecular effects of these mutant phenotypes on their expression in the polypeptide produced by the mutant gene. Part III of this project consists of inducing mutants with tritiated water at the Adh locus in D. melanogaster. We have reported the development of a feeding method for exposing male D. melanogaster to tritiated water that would give a range in dose from 6.66 Gy to 26.64 Gy. This method of exposing Drosophila was used first to study a dose response curve for tritium using as a genetic endpoint the sex-linked recessive lethal test. 3 figs., 1 tab

Mutagenic Potential of: 4-Nitrophenyl Dimethyl Phosphinate (TA007) using the Sex-Linked Recessive Lethal Test in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

1984-10-01

Drosophila Stock Center, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. Diet The diet was the standard medium consisting of cornmeal , unsulfured mol...isses, yeast, and nutrient agar used for colony rearing of D. melanogaster. A materials list and instructions for its preparation are contained in LAIR...SOP-OP-STX-5 Drosophila Media Preparation. Restraint Ether anesthesia was used for restraint of flies being collected for mating and for general

Biases in Drosophila melanogaster protein trap screens

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Müller Ilka

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The ability to localise or follow endogenous proteins in real time in vivo is of tremendous utility for cell biology or systems biology studies. Protein trap screens utilise the random genomic insertion of a transposon-borne artificial reporter exon (e.g. encoding the green fluorescent protein, GFP into an intron of an endogenous gene to generate a fluorescent fusion protein. Despite recent efforts aimed at achieving comprehensive coverage of the genes encoded in the Drosophila genome, the repertoire of genes that yield protein traps is still small. Results We analysed the collection of available protein trap lines in Drosophila melanogaster and identified potential biases that are likely to restrict genome coverage in protein trap screens. The protein trap screens investigated here primarily used P-element vectors and thus exhibit some of the same positional biases associated with this transposon that are evident from the comprehensive Drosophila Gene Disruption Project. We further found that protein trap target genes usually exhibit broad and persistent expression during embryonic development, which is likely to facilitate better detection. In addition, we investigated the likely influence of the GFP exon on host protein structure and found that protein trap insertions have a significant bias for exon-exon boundaries that encode disordered protein regions. 38.8% of GFP insertions land in disordered protein regions compared with only 23.4% in the case of non-trapping P-element insertions landing in coding sequence introns (p -4. Interestingly, even in cases where protein domains are predicted, protein trap insertions frequently occur in regions encoding surface exposed areas that are likely to be functionally neutral. Considering the various biases observed, we predict that less than one third of intron-containing genes are likely to be amenable to trapping by the existing methods. Conclusion Our analyses suggest that the

Deep sequencing of natural and experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster reveals biases in the spectrum of new mutations.

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Assaf, Zoe June; Tilk, Susanne; Park, Jane; Siegal, Mark L; Petrov, Dmitri A

2017-12-01

Mutations provide the raw material of evolution, and thus our ability to study evolution depends fundamentally on having precise measurements of mutational rates and patterns. We generate a data set for this purpose using (1) de novo mutations from mutation accumulation experiments and (2) extremely rare polymorphisms from natural populations. The first, mutation accumulation (MA) lines are the product of maintaining flies in tiny populations for many generations, therefore rendering natural selection ineffective and allowing new mutations to accrue in the genome. The second, rare genetic variation from natural populations allows the study of mutation because extremely rare polymorphisms are relatively unaffected by the filter of natural selection. We use both methods in Drosophila melanogaster , first generating our own novel data set of sequenced MA lines and performing a meta-analysis of all published MA mutations (∼2000 events) and then identifying a high quality set of ∼70,000 extremely rare (≤0.1%) polymorphisms that are fully validated with resequencing. We use these data sets to precisely measure mutational rates and patterns. Highlights of our results include: a high rate of multinucleotide mutation events at both short (∼5 bp) and long (∼1 kb) genomic distances, showing that mutation drives GC content lower in already GC-poor regions, and using our precise context-dependent mutation rates to predict long-term evolutionary patterns at synonymous sites. We also show that de novo mutations from independent MA experiments display similar patterns of single nucleotide mutation and well match the patterns of mutation found in natural populations. © 2017 Assaf et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Analysis of Neurotransmitter Tissue Content of Drosophila melanogaster in Different Life Stages

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster is a widely used model organism for studying neurological diseases with similar neurotransmission to mammals. While both larva and adult Drosophila have central nervous systems, not much is known about how neurotransmitter tissue content changes through development. In this study, we quantified tyramine, serotonin, octopamine, and dopamine in larval, pupal, and adult fly brains using capillary electrophoresis coupled to fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. Tyramine and octopamine content varied between life stages, with almost no octopamine being present in the pupa, while tyramine levels in the pupa were very high. Adult females had significantly higher dopamine content than males, but no other neurotransmitters were dependent on sex in the adult. Understanding the tissue content of different life stages will be beneficial for future work comparing the effects of diseases on tissue content throughout development. PMID:25437353

Metabolic and functional characterization of effects of developmental temperature in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schou, Mads Fristrup; Kristensen, Torsten Nygaard; Pedersen, Anders

2017-01-01

, and in particular, how physiological stress at extreme temperatures may counteract beneficial acclimation responses at benign temperatures. We exposed Drosophila melanogaster to ten developmental temperatures covering their entire permissible temperature range. We obtained metabolic profiles and reaction norms...... for several functional traits: egg-to-adult viability, developmental time, and heat and cold tolerance. Females were more heat tolerant than males, whereas no sexual dimorphism was found in cold tolerance. A group of metabolites, mainly free amino acids, had linear reaction norms. Several energy carrying...

Mapping the pericentric heterochromatin by comparative genomic hybridization analysis and chromosome deletions in Drosophila melanogaster

OpenAIRE

He, Bing; Caudy, Amy; Parsons, Lance; Rosebrock, Adam; Pane, Attilio; Raj, Sandeep; Wieschaus, Eric

2012-01-01

Heterochromatin represents a significant portion of eukaryotic genomes and has essential structural and regulatory functions. Its molecular organization is largely unknown due to difficulties in sequencing through and assembling repetitive sequences enriched in the heterochromatin. Here we developed a novel strategy using chromosomal rearrangements and embryonic phenotypes to position unmapped Drosophila melanogaster heterochromatic sequence to specific chromosomal regions. By excluding seque...

Radioprotective efficacy of bisarylidene cyclopentanone on electron beam radiation induced oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darshan Raj, C.G.; Sarojini, B.K.; Musthafa Khaleel, V.; Ramesh, S.R.; Ramakrishna, M.K.; Narayana, B.; Sanjeev, Ganesh

2010-01-01

Present study was carried out for evaluating the radioprotective effect of bischalcone (2E, 5E) - 2,5-bis (3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-benzylidene) cyclopentanone (curcumin analog (CA)), on electron beam radiation induced oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster adults. The oxidative stress markers and antioxidants included superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). The oxidative stress was induced at 1.5 Gy. (author)

The three-dimensional genome organization of Drosophila melanogaster through data integration.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qingjiao; Tjong, Harianto; Li, Xiao; Gong, Ke; Zhou, Xianghong Jasmine; Chiolo, Irene; Alber, Frank

2017-07-31

Genome structures are dynamic and non-randomly organized in the nucleus of higher eukaryotes. To maximize the accuracy and coverage of three-dimensional genome structural models, it is important to integrate all available sources of experimental information about a genome's organization. It remains a major challenge to integrate such data from various complementary experimental methods. Here, we present an approach for data integration to determine a population of complete three-dimensional genome structures that are statistically consistent with data from both genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) and lamina-DamID experiments. Our structures resolve the genome at the resolution of topological domains, and reproduce simultaneously both sets of experimental data. Importantly, this data deconvolution framework allows for structural heterogeneity between cells, and hence accounts for the expected plasticity of genome structures. As a case study we choose Drosophila melanogaster embryonic cells, for which both data types are available. Our three-dimensional genome structures have strong predictive power for structural features not directly visible in the initial data sets, and reproduce experimental hallmarks of the D. melanogaster genome organization from independent and our own imaging experiments. Also they reveal a number of new insights about genome organization and its functional relevance, including the preferred locations of heterochromatic satellites of different chromosomes, and observations about homologous pairing that cannot be directly observed in the original Hi-C or lamina-DamID data. Our approach allows systematic integration of Hi-C and lamina-DamID data for complete three-dimensional genome structure calculation, while also explicitly considering genome structural variability.

Studies on mutagen-sensitive strains of Drosophila melanogaster. IV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferro, W.

1985-01-01

The influence of defects in DNA repair processes on X-ray-induced genetic damage in post-meiotic male germ cell stages of Drosophila melanogaster was studied using the 'maternal effects approach'. Basc males were irradiated in N 2 , air or O 2 either as 48-h-old pupae (to sample spermatids) or as 3-4-day-old adults (to sample mature spermatozoa) and mated to females of 3 repair-deficient strains. Simultaneous controls involving mating of males to repair-proficient females (mei + ) were run. The frequencies of sex-linked recessive lethals and of autosomal translocations were determined following standard genetic procedures. The responses elicited in the different crosses with repair-deficient females were compared with those in mei + crosses. (Auth.)

The generation of chromosomal deletions to provide extensive coverage and subdivision of the Drosophila melanogaster genome.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, R Kimberley; Christensen, Stacey J; Deal, Jennifer A; Coburn, Rachel A; Deal, Megan E; Gresens, Jill M; Kaufman, Thomas C; Cook, Kevin R

2012-01-01

Chromosomal deletions are used extensively in Drosophila melanogaster genetics research. Deletion mapping is the primary method used for fine-scale gene localization. Effective and efficient deletion mapping requires both extensive genomic coverage and a high density of molecularly defined breakpoints across the genome. A large-scale resource development project at the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center has improved the choice of deletions beyond that provided by previous projects. FLP-mediated recombination between FRT-bearing transposon insertions was used to generate deletions, because it is efficient and provides single-nucleotide resolution in planning deletion screens. The 793 deletions generated pushed coverage of the euchromatic genome to 98.4%. Gaps in coverage contain haplolethal and haplosterile genes, but the sizes of these gaps were minimized by flanking these genes as closely as possible with deletions. In improving coverage, a complete inventory of haplolethal and haplosterile genes was generated and extensive information on other haploinsufficient genes was compiled. To aid mapping experiments, a subset of deletions was organized into a Deficiency Kit to provide maximal coverage efficiently. To improve the resolution of deletion mapping, screens were planned to distribute deletion breakpoints evenly across the genome. The median chromosomal interval between breakpoints now contains only nine genes and 377 intervals contain only single genes. Drosophila melanogaster now has the most extensive genomic deletion coverage and breakpoint subdivision as well as the most comprehensive inventory of haploinsufficient genes of any multicellular organism. The improved selection of chromosomal deletion strains will be useful to nearly all Drosophila researchers.

Transcription elongation rate has a tissue-specific impact on alternative cleavage and polyadenylation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaochuan; Freitas, Jaime; Zheng, Dinghai; Oliveira, Marta S; Hoque, Mainul; Martins, Torcato; Henriques, Telmo; Tian, Bin; Moreira, Alexandra

2017-12-01

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a mechanism that generates multiple mRNA isoforms with different 3'UTRs and/or coding sequences from a single gene. Here, using 3' region extraction and deep sequencing (3'READS), we have systematically mapped cleavage and polyadenylation sites (PASs) in Drosophila melanogaster , expanding the total repertoire of PASs previously identified for the species, especially those located in A-rich genomic sequences. Cis -element analysis revealed distinct sequence motifs around fly PASs when compared to mammalian ones, including the greater enrichment of upstream UAUA elements and the less prominent presence of downstream UGUG elements. We found that over 75% of mRNA genes in Drosophila melanogaster undergo APA. The head tissue tends to use distal PASs when compared to the body, leading to preferential expression of APA isoforms with long 3'UTRs as well as with distal terminal exons. The distance between the APA sites and intron location of PAS are important parameters for APA difference between body and head, suggesting distinct PAS selection contexts. APA analysis of the RpII215 C4 mutant strain, which harbors a mutant RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) with a slower elongation rate, revealed that a 50% decrease in transcriptional elongation rate leads to a mild trend of more usage of proximal, weaker PASs, both in 3'UTRs and in introns, consistent with the "first come, first served" model of APA regulation. However, this trend was not observed in the head, suggesting a different regulatory context in neuronal cells. Together, our data expand the PAS collection for Drosophila melanogaster and reveal a tissue-specific effect of APA regulation by RNAPII elongation rate. © 2017 Liu et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.

Effect of gamma irradiation on lifespan and offspring physiology of male drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou Jiangyu; Gu Wei; Jiang Fangping; Han Hetong

2010-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the effects of γ-rays irradiation on adult longevity and physiological changes in F 1 generation.Male Drosophila melanogaster at 1 ∼ 2 days old were irradiated by γ-rays with doses of 5, 10, 15 and 30 Gy. In all experimental groups, mean lifespan, maximum lifespan and 90% of lethaldeath irradiated flies were reduced(at P 1 generation of irradiated group, body weight increased, but the capacity of physiological stress declined. (authors)

Molecular and Recombinational Mapping of Mutations in the Ace Locus of Drosophila melanogaster

OpenAIRE

Nagoshi, Rodney N.; Gelbart, William M.

1987-01-01

The Ace locus in Drosophila melanogaster is known to be the structural gene for acetylcholinesterase. Ace is located in a region of chromosome arm 3R which has been subjected to intensive genetic and molecular analysis. Previous deletion mapping studies have identified a 40-kb region within which the Ace gene resides. This report focuses on the further localization of Ace within this 40-kb interval. Within this region, selective fine structure recombinational analysis was employed to localize...

Isolation of insecticide resistance-related forms of cytochrome P-450 from Drosophila melanogaster.

OpenAIRE

Sundseth, S S; Nix, C E; Waters, L C

1990-01-01

Significant purification of the ubiquitous cytochrome P-450-A and the strain-specific P-450-B from Drosophila melanogaster has been achieved by sequential chromatography on octylamino-agarose, DEAE-cellulose and hydroxyapatite. Preparations of P-450-A (specific contents of 7-9 nmol/mg) were homogeneous as determined by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (PAGE) analysis. Preparations enriched for P-450-B (specific contents of 4-7 nmol/mg) contained significant amounts of P-450-A but were e...

High Throughput Measurement of Locomotor Sensitization to Volatilized Cocaine in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Filošević, Ana; Al-Samarai, Sabina; Andretić Waldowski, Rozi

2018-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster can be used to identify genes with novel functional roles in neuronal plasticity induced by repeated consumption of addictive drugs. Behavioral sensitization is a relatively simple behavioral output of plastic changes that occur in the brain after repeated exposures to drugs of abuse. The development of screening procedures for genes that control behavioral sensitization has stalled due to a lack of high-throughput behavioral tests that can be used in genetically tractable organism, such as Drosophila . We have developed a new behavioral test, FlyBong, which combines delivery of volatilized cocaine (vCOC) to individually housed flies with objective quantification of their locomotor activity. There are two main advantages of FlyBong: it is high-throughput and it allows for comparisons of locomotor activity of individual flies before and after single or multiple exposures. At the population level, exposure to vCOC leads to transient and concentration-dependent increase in locomotor activity, representing sensitivity to an acute dose. A second exposure leads to further increase in locomotion, representing locomotor sensitization. We validate FlyBong by showing that locomotor sensitization at either the population or individual level is absent in the mutants for circadian genes period (per) , Clock (Clk) , and cycle (cyc) . The locomotor sensitization that is present in timeless (tim) and pigment dispersing factor (pdf) mutant flies is in large part not cocaine specific, but derived from increased sensitivity to warm air. Circadian genes are not only integral part of the neural mechanism that is required for development of locomotor sensitization, but in addition, they modulate the intensity of locomotor sensitization as a function of the time of day. Motor-activating effects of cocaine are sexually dimorphic and require a functional dopaminergic transporter. FlyBong is a new and improved method for inducing and measuring locomotor sensitization

High Throughput Measurement of Locomotor Sensitization to Volatilized Cocaine in Drosophila melanogaster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Filošević

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Drosophila melanogaster can be used to identify genes with novel functional roles in neuronal plasticity induced by repeated consumption of addictive drugs. Behavioral sensitization is a relatively simple behavioral output of plastic changes that occur in the brain after repeated exposures to drugs of abuse. The development of screening procedures for genes that control behavioral sensitization has stalled due to a lack of high-throughput behavioral tests that can be used in genetically tractable organism, such as Drosophila. We have developed a new behavioral test, FlyBong, which combines delivery of volatilized cocaine (vCOC to individually housed flies with objective quantification of their locomotor activity. There are two main advantages of FlyBong: it is high-throughput and it allows for comparisons of locomotor activity of individual flies before and after single or multiple exposures. At the population level, exposure to vCOC leads to transient and concentration-dependent increase in locomotor activity, representing sensitivity to an acute dose. A second exposure leads to further increase in locomotion, representing locomotor sensitization. We validate FlyBong by showing that locomotor sensitization at either the population or individual level is absent in the mutants for circadian genes period (per, Clock (Clk, and cycle (cyc. The locomotor sensitization that is present in timeless (tim and pigment dispersing factor (pdf mutant flies is in large part not cocaine specific, but derived from increased sensitivity to warm air. Circadian genes are not only integral part of the neural mechanism that is required for development of locomotor sensitization, but in addition, they modulate the intensity of locomotor sensitization as a function of the time of day. Motor-activating effects of cocaine are sexually dimorphic and require a functional dopaminergic transporter. FlyBong is a new and improved method for inducing and measuring locomotor

Crystal structure of Diedel, a marker of the immune response of Drosophila melanogaster.

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Franck Coste

Full Text Available The Drosophila melanogaster gene CG11501 is up regulated after a septic injury and was proposed to act as a negative regulator of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. Diedel, the CG11501 gene product, is a small protein of 115 residues with 10 cysteines.We have produced Diedel in Drosophila S2 cells as an extra cellular protein thanks to its own signal peptide and solved its crystal structure at 1.15 Å resolution by SIRAS using an iodo derivative. Diedel is composed of two sub domains SD1 and SD2. SD1 is made of an antiparallel β-sheet covered by an α-helix and displays a ferredoxin-like fold. SD2 reveals a new protein fold made of loops connected by four disulfide bridges. Further structural analysis identified conserved hydrophobic residues on the surface of Diedel that may constitute a potential binding site. The existence of two conformations, cis and trans, for the proline 52 may be of interest as prolyl peptidyl isomerisation has been shown to play a role in several physiological mechanisms. The genome of D. melanogaster contains two other genes coding for proteins homologous to Diedel, namely CG43228 and CG34329. Strikingly, apart from Drosophila and the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, Diedel-related sequences were exclusively identified in a few insect DNA viruses of the Baculoviridae and Ascoviridae families.Diedel, a marker of the Drosophila antimicrobial/antiviral response, is a member of a small family of proteins present in drosophilids, aphids and DNA viruses infecting lepidopterans. Diedel is an extracellular protein composed of two sub-domains. Two special structural features (hydrophobic surface patch and cis/trans conformation for proline 52 may indicate a putative interaction site, and support an extra cellular signaling function for Diedel, which is in accordance with its proposed role as negative regulator of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway.

Dopamine modulates metabolic rate and temperature sensitivity in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Taro Ueno

Full Text Available Homeothermal animals, such as mammals, maintain their body temperature by heat generation and heat dissipation, while poikilothermal animals, such as insects, accomplish it by relocating to an environment of their favored temperature. Catecholamines are known to regulate thermogenesis and metabolic rate in mammals, but their roles in other animals are poorly understood. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been used as a model system for the genetic studies of temperature preference behavior. Here, we demonstrate that metabolic rate and temperature sensitivity of some temperature sensitive behaviors are regulated by dopamine in Drosophila. Temperature-sensitive molecules like dTrpA1 and shi(ts induce temperature-dependent behavioral changes, and the temperature at which the changes are induced were lowered in the dopamine transporter-defective mutant, fumin. The mutant also displays a preference for lower temperatures. This thermophobic phenotype was rescued by the genetic recovery of the dopamine transporter in dopamine neurons. Flies fed with a dopamine biosynthesis inhibitor (3-iodo-L-tyrosine, which diminishes dopamine signaling, exhibited preference for a higher temperature. Furthermore, we found that the metabolic rate is up-regulated in the fumin mutant. Taken together, dopamine has functions in the temperature sensitivity of behavioral changes and metabolic rate regulation in Drosophila, as well as its previously reported functions in arousal/sleep regulation.

Neuronal Cbl Controls Biosynthesis of Insulin-Like Peptides in Drosophila melanogaster

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Yu, Yue; Sun, Ying; He, Shengqi; Yan, Cheng; Rui, Liangyou; Li, Wenjun

2012-01-01

The Cbl family proteins function as both E3 ubiquitin ligases and adaptor proteins to regulate various cellular signaling events, including the insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) pathways. These pathways play essential roles in growth, development, metabolism, and survival. Here we show that in Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila Cbl (dCbl) regulates longevity and carbohydrate metabolism through downregulating the production of Drosophila insulin-like peptides (dILPs) in the brain. We found that dCbl was highly expressed in the brain and knockdown of the expression of dCbl specifically in neurons by RNA interference increased sensitivity to oxidative stress or starvation, decreased carbohydrate levels, and shortened life span. Insulin-producing neuron-specific knockdown of dCbl resulted in similar phenotypes. dCbl deficiency in either the brain or insulin-producing cells upregulated the expression of dilp genes, resulting in elevated activation of the dILP pathway, including phosphorylation of Drosophila Akt and Drosophila extracellular signal-regulated kinase (dERK). Genetic interaction analyses revealed that blocking Drosophila epidermal growth factor receptor (dEGFR)-dERK signaling in pan-neurons or insulin-producing cells by overexpressing a dominant-negative form of dEGFR abolished the effect of dCbl deficiency on the upregulation of dilp genes. Furthermore, knockdown of c-Cbl in INS-1 cells, a rat β-cell line, also increased insulin biosynthesis and glucose-stimulated secretion in an ERK-dependent manner. Collectively, these results suggest that neuronal dCbl regulates life span, stress responses, and metabolism by suppressing dILP production and the EGFR-ERK pathway mediates the dCbl action. Cbl suppression of insulin biosynthesis is evolutionarily conserved, raising the possibility that Cbl may similarly exert its physiological actions through regulating insulin production in β cells. PMID:22778134

Rapid evolution of the intersexual genetic correlation for fitness in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Collet, Julie M; Fuentes, Sara; Hesketh, Jack; Hill, Mark S; Innocenti, Paolo; Morrow, Edward H; Fowler, Kevin; Reuter, Max

2016-04-01

Sexual antagonism (SA) arises when male and female phenotypes are under opposing selection, yet genetically correlated. Until resolved, antagonism limits evolution toward optimal sex-specific phenotypes. Despite its importance for sex-specific adaptation and existing theory, the dynamics of SA resolution are not well understood empirically. Here, we present data from Drosophila melanogaster, compatible with a resolution of SA. We compared two independent replicates of the "LHM " population in which SA had previously been described. Both had been maintained under identical, controlled conditions, and separated for around 200 generations. Although heritabilities of male and female fitness were similar, the intersexual genetic correlation differed significantly, being negative in one replicate (indicating SA) but close to zero in the other. Using population sequencing, we show that phenotypic differences were associated with population divergence in allele frequencies at nonrandom loci across the genome. Large frequency changes were more prevalent in the population without SA and were enriched at loci mapping to genes previously shown to have sexually antagonistic relationships between expression and fitness. Our data suggest that rapid evolution toward SA resolution has occurred in one of the populations and open avenues toward studying the genetics of SA and its resolution. © 2016 The Author(s). Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Relative frequencies of deletereo genes in populations of droshopila Melanogaster from Laguna Verde, Veracruz; Frecuencias relativas de genes deletereos en poblaciones de Drosophila melanogaster originarias de Laguna Verde, Veracruz

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Salceda, V. M. [ININ, 52750 La Marquesa, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)]. e-mail: vmss@nuclear.inin.mx

2008-07-01

In order to obtain data about the possible changes and/or damages that could cause the operation of the reactors of the nuclear power plant of Laguna Verde to the populations of drosophila Melanogaster that lives in the zone, one carried out one series of biannual collections (summer and winter) during the years 1991-1992 and 1996-1998 to obtain individuals of this species and to subject them to a battery of tests. The flies of this species that it was possible to capture were transported to the Biology Laboratory of the National Institute of Nuclear Research, where they were put under in individual form a series of you cross they allowed that us in the third generation to detect the presence of deletereo genes that following their viability were catalogued like normal, lethal or less lethal according to the methodology of Wallace. This way a total of 933 second chromosomes was analyzed to leave of them the relative frequencies were calculated of each one of the categories, for each sample station. The result of the applied statistical test indicates us that not significant difference exists among the populations and that the differences of having them must only to the environment changes something that usually happen in all the population. For what we can point out that the presence of the reactors does not seem to influence negatively in the behavior of the population that lives in the zone. (Author)

Radiation tolerance in the fruit fly, Drosophila Melanogaster - effects of laboratory culturing and stages in life cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vas, Iril Prima; Naik, Pramila; Kumar, Vineeth; Naik, Prathima; Patil, Rajashekar K.

2013-01-01

Radiation induced damages are due to direct effect of radiation energy or through free radical generation. Recent studies suggest Drosophila to be a good animal model to study radiation tolerance. The present study on female Drosophila melanogaster was conducted to observe 1. Variations in larval and adult radiation tolerance 2. Variations in laboratory culture and field populations of Drosophila. Third instar larvae were exposed to gamma radiation of 6, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 Gy in gamma chamber GC 5000 (BRT, India). Larvae of flies collected from the field were reared for two generations in the lab before irradiation. The laboratory cultured files were from stocks that were maintained for more than 1000 generations. The larvae of field populations had higher survival rate at 51% as compared to 43% in case of cultured flies and thus more resistant. The III instar larval stage (lab culture) had a LD50 of 26 Gy as compared to LD 50 of 928 Gy in case of adult flies have ∼ 160 times higher tolerance compared to humans. Prolonged rearing comparable to 'domestication' might have induced reduction in tolerance. Larval stages have a lower tolerance than adults possibly due to higher metabolic rate. Adults are post-mitotic in nature with very low rate of cell division. This may contribute to higher tolerance. This however is in contradiction to studies of midge (Chironomous) where larvae also have higher tolerance. (author)

Effects of cadmium on development time and prepupal puffing pattern of Drosophila melanogaster

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Sorsa, M; Pfeifer, S

1973-01-01

Up until now very few investigations have been made to test the possible genetic effects of cadmium. Since ionic cadmium reacts with sulfhydryl groups, its cytogenetic mode of action most probably is connected with - either directly or indirectly - the formation and functioning of the mitotic apparatus. Evidence of this type of mutagenicity has been obtained in plant material. However, results with Drosophila have not as yet revealed a significant increase of mutation frequency after treatment with cadmium. In the present investigation the authors have been testing the possible effect of cadmium on the primary gene action observable in the specific sequence of salivary chromosome puffs of Drosophila. The results are compared with earlier data of the effects of organic mercurials on the prepupal puffs of D. melanogaster. 8 references, 3 figures, 1 table.

Influence of Quercetin in the Temporal Regulation of Redox Homeostasis in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Subramanian, Perumal; Kaliyamoorthy, Kanimozhi; Jayapalan, Jaime Jacqueline; Abdul-Rahman, Puteri Shafinaz; Haji Hashim, Onn

2017-01-01

Numerous biological processes are governed by the biological clock. Studies using Drosophila melanogaster (L.) are valuable that could be of importance for their effective applications on rodent studies. In this study, the beneficial role of quercetin (a flavonoid) on H2O2 induced stress in D. melanogaster was investigated. D. melanogaster flies were divided into four groups (group I - control, group II - H2O2 (acute exposure), group III - quercetin, and group IV - quercetin + H2O2 treated). Negative geotaxis assay, oxidative stress indicators (protein carbonyls, thiobarbituric reactive substances [TBARS]), and antioxidants (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], glutathione-S-transferase [GST], glutathione peroxidase, and reduced glutathione [GSH]) were measured at 4 h intervals over 24 h and temporal expression of heat shock protein-70 (Hsp70), Upd1 (homolog of IL-6 in Drosophila), and nitric oxide synthase (Nos) was analyzed by Western blotting. Groups II and IV showed altered biochemical rhythms (compared with controls). Decreased mesor values of negative geotaxis, SOD, CAT, GST, and GSH were noticed in H2O2, increased mesor of oxidative stress indicators (TBARS and protein carbonyl content) and a reversibility of the rhythmic characteristics were conspicuous after quercetin treatment. The expression levels of Hsp70, Upd1, and Nos were noticeably maximum at 04:00. Significant elevation of expression by H2O2 was nearly normalized by quercetin treatment. The possible mechanism by which quercetin modulates oxidant-antioxidant imbalance under oxidative stress could be ascribed to the modulation of the rhythmic properties. Our results will be helpful to understand the molecular interlink between circadian rhythm and oxidative stress mechanism. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

Negative regulation of P element excision by the somatic product and terminal sequences of P in drosophila melanogaster

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A transient in vivo P element excision assay was used to test the regulatory properties of putative repressor-encoding plasmids in Drosophila melanogaster embryos. The somatic expression of an unmodified transposase transcription unit under the control of a heat shock gene promoter (phsn) effectivel...

Recognition and Detoxification of the Insecticide DDT by Drosophila melanogaster Glutathione S-Transferase D1

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Low, Wai Yee; Feil, Susanne C.; Ng, Hooi Ling; Gorman, Michael A.; Morton, Craig J.; Pyke, James; McConville, Malcolm J.; Bieri, Michael; Mok, Yee-Foong; Robin, Charles; Gooley, Paul R.; Parker, Michael W.; Batterham, Philip (SVIMR-A); (Melbourne)

2010-06-14

GSTD1 is one of several insect glutathione S-transferases capable of metabolizing the insecticide DDT. Here we use crystallography and NMR to elucidate the binding of DDT and glutathione to GSTD1. The crystal structure of Drosophila melanogaster GSTD1 has been determined to 1.1 {angstrom} resolution, which reveals that the enzyme adopts the canonical GST fold but with a partially occluded active site caused by the packing of a C-terminal helix against one wall of the binding site for substrates. This helix would need to unwind or be displaced to enable catalysis. When the C-terminal helix is removed from the model of the crystal structure, DDT can be computationally docked into the active site in an orientation favoring catalysis. Two-dimensional {sup 1}H,{sup 15}N heteronuclear single-quantum coherence NMR experiments of GSTD1 indicate that conformational changes occur upon glutathione and DDT binding and the residues that broaden upon DDT binding support the predicted binding site. We also show that the ancestral GSTD1 is likely to have possessed DDT dehydrochlorinase activity because both GSTD1 from D. melanogaster and its sibling species, Drosophila simulans, have this activity.

Sexual Experience Enhances Drosophila melanogaster Male Mating Behavior and Success

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Saleem, Sehresh; Ruggles, Patrick H.; Abbott, Wiley K.; Carney, Ginger E.

2014-01-01

Competition for mates is a wide-spread phenomenon affecting individual reproductive success. The ability of animals to adjust their behaviors in response to changing social environment is important and well documented. Drosophila melanogaster males compete with one another for matings with females and modify their reproductive behaviors based on prior social interactions. However, it remains to be determined how male social experience that culminates in mating with a female impacts subsequent male reproductive behaviors and mating success. Here we show that sexual experience enhances future mating success. Previously mated D. melanogaster males adjust their courtship behaviors and out-compete sexually inexperienced males for copulations. Interestingly, courtship experience alone is not sufficient in providing this competitive advantage, indicating that copulation plays a role in reinforcing this social learning. We also show that females use their sense of hearing to preferentially mate with experienced males when given a choice. Our results demonstrate the ability of previously mated males to learn from their positive sexual experiences and adjust their behaviors to gain a mating advantage. These experienced-based changes in behavior reveal strategies that animals likely use to increase their fecundity in natural competitive environments. PMID:24805129

Sexual experience enhances Drosophila melanogaster male mating behavior and success.

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Sehresh Saleem

Full Text Available Competition for mates is a wide-spread phenomenon affecting individual reproductive success. The ability of animals to adjust their behaviors in response to changing social environment is important and well documented. Drosophila melanogaster males compete with one another for matings with females and modify their reproductive behaviors based on prior social interactions. However, it remains to be determined how male social experience that culminates in mating with a female impacts subsequent male reproductive behaviors and mating success. Here we show that sexual experience enhances future mating success. Previously mated D. melanogaster males adjust their courtship behaviors and out-compete sexually inexperienced males for copulations. Interestingly, courtship experience alone is not sufficient in providing this competitive advantage, indicating that copulation plays a role in reinforcing this social learning. We also show that females use their sense of hearing to preferentially mate with experienced males when given a choice. Our results demonstrate the ability of previously mated males to learn from their positive sexual experiences and adjust their behaviors to gain a mating advantage. These experienced-based changes in behavior reveal strategies that animals likely use to increase their fecundity in natural competitive environments.

Impact of the resident microbiota on the nutritional phenotype of Drosophila melanogaster.

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Emma V Ridley

Full Text Available Animals are chronically infected by benign and beneficial microorganisms that generally promote animal health through their effects on the nutrition, immune function and other physiological systems of the host. Insight into the host-microbial interactions can be obtained by comparing the traits of animals experimentally deprived of their microbiota and untreated animals. Drosophila melanogaster is an experimentally tractable system to study host-microbial interactions.The nutritional significance of the microbiota was investigated in D. melanogaster bearing unmanipulated microbiota, demonstrated by 454 sequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons to be dominated by the α-proteobacterium Acetobacter, and experimentally deprived of the microbiota by egg dechorionation (conventional and axenic flies, respectively. In axenic flies, larval development rate was depressed with no effect on adult size relative to conventional flies, indicating that the microbiota promotes larval growth rates. Female fecundity did not differ significantly between conventional and axenic flies, but axenic flies had significantly reduced metabolic rate and altered carbohydrate allocation, including elevated glucose levels.We have shown that elimination of the resident microbiota extends larval development and perturbs energy homeostasis and carbohydrate allocation patterns of of D. melanogaster. Our results indicate that the resident microbiota promotes host nutrition and interacts with the regulation of host metabolism.

Dietary Intake of Curcuma longa and Emblica officinalis Increases Life Span in Drosophila melanogaster

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Shilpa Rawal

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Intake of food and nutrition plays a major role in affecting aging process and longevity. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the ageing process are still unclear. To this respect, diet has been considered to be a determinant of ageing process. In order to better illustrate this, we used Drosophila melanogaster as a model and fed them orally with different concentrations of two commonly used Indian medicinal plant products, Curcuma longa (rhizome and Emblica officinalis (fruit. The results revealed significant increase in life span of Drosophila flies on exposure to both the plant products, more efficiently by C. Longa than by E. officinalis. In order to understand whether the increase in lifespan was due to high-antioxidant properties of these medicinal plants, we performed enzymatic assays to assess the SOD and catalase activities in case of both treated and control Drosophila flies. Interestingly, the results support the free radical theory of aging as both these plant derivatives show high reactive oxygen species (ROS scavenging activities.

The cell-mediated immunity of Drosophila melanogaster: hemocyte lineages, immune compartments, microanatomy and regulation.

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Honti, Viktor; Csordás, Gábor; Kurucz, Éva; Márkus, Róbert; Andó, István

2014-01-01

In the animal kingdom, innate immunity is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The dangers of microbial and parasitic attacks are countered by similar mechanisms, involving the prototypes of the cell-mediated immune responses, the phagocytosis and encapsulation. Work on Drosophila has played an important role in promoting an understanding of the basic mechanisms of phylogenetically conserved modules of innate immunity. The aim of this review is to survey the developments in the identification and functional definition of immune cell types and the immunological compartments of Drosophila melanogaster. We focus on the molecular and developmental aspects of the blood cell types and compartments, as well as the dynamics of blood cell development and the immune response. Further advances in the characterization of the innate immune mechanisms in Drosophila will provide basic clues to the understanding of the importance of the evolutionary conserved mechanisms of innate immune defenses in the animal kingdom. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genome-Wide Estimates of Transposable Element Insertion and Deletion Rates in Drosophila Melanogaster

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Adrion, Jeffrey R.; Song, Michael J.; Schrider, Daniel R.; Hahn, Matthew W.

2017-01-01

Abstract Knowing the rate at which transposable elements (TEs) insert and delete is critical for understanding their role in genome evolution. We estimated spontaneous rates of insertion and deletion for all known, active TE superfamilies present in a set of Drosophila melanogaster mutation-accumulation (MA) lines using whole genome sequence data. Our results demonstrate that TE insertions far outpace TE deletions in D. melanogaster. We found a significant effect of background genotype on TE activity, with higher rates of insertions in one MA line. We also found significant rate heterogeneity between the chromosomes, with both insertion and deletion rates elevated on the X relative to the autosomes. Further, we identified significant associations between TE activity and chromatin state, and tested for associations between TE activity and other features of the local genomic environment such as TE content, exon content, GC content, and recombination rate. Our results provide the most detailed assessment of TE mobility in any organism to date, and provide a useful benchmark for both addressing theoretical predictions of TE dynamics and for exploring large-scale patterns of TE movement in D. melanogaster and other species. PMID:28338986

Estimating spontaneous mutation rates at enzyme loci in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukai, Terumi; Yamazaki, Tsuneyuki; Harada, Ko; Kusakabe, Shin-ichi

1990-04-01

Spontaneous mutations were accumulated for 1,620,826 allele-generations on chromosomes that originated from six stem second chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster. Only null-electromorph mutations were detected. Band-electromorph mutations were not found. The average rate of null-electromorph mutations was 2.71 x 10 -5 per locus per generation. The 95% confidence interval (μ n ) was 1.97 x 10 -5 n -5 per locus per generation. The upper 95% confidence limit of the band-electromorph mutation rate (μ B ) was 2.28 x 10 -6 per locus per generation. It appeared that null mutations were induced by movable genetic elements and that the mutation rates were different from chromosome to chromosome. (author)

Addition of molecular methods to mutation studies with Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, W.R.

1989-01-01

For 80 years, Drosophila melanogaster has been used as a major tool in analyzing Mendelian genetics. By using chromosome inversions that suppress crossing over, geneticists have developed a large number of stocks for mutation analysis. These stocks permit numerous tests for specific locus mutations, lethals at multiple loci on any chromosome, chromosome exchanges, insertions, and deletions. The entire genome can be manipulated for a degree of genetic control not found in other germ-line systems. Recombinant DNA techniques now permit analysis of mutations to the nucleotide level. By combining classical genetic analysis with recombinant DNA techniques, it is possible to analyze mutations that range from chromosome aberrations and multilocus deficiencies to single nucleotide transitions

Phenomenon of life span instability in Drosophila melanogaster: Pt. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izmaylov, D.M.; Obukhova, L.K.; Okladnova, O.V.; Akifyev, A.P.

1993-01-01

The dynamics of life span (LS) have been studied in successive generations of postirradiation and control groups of Drosophila melanogaster, strain D-32, after a single exposure to Co 60 γ-quantum irradiation. It has been shown using mathematical procedures that in all postirradiation generations, with one exception, survival curves retain their canonical shape. This is indicative of the unchangeable nature of LS distribution. The means LS of the progeny of irradiated parents either coincides with control values or can be higher or lower. Moreover, single irradiation results in an altered time-scanning of LS variations in successive generations as compared with controls. The possible origin of LS instability is discussed. (author)

A molecularly defined duplication set for the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster.

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Venken, Koen J T; Popodi, Ellen; Holtzman, Stacy L; Schulze, Karen L; Park, Soo; Carlson, Joseph W; Hoskins, Roger A; Bellen, Hugo J; Kaufman, Thomas C

2010-12-01

We describe a molecularly defined duplication kit for the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster. A set of 408 overlapping P[acman] BAC clones was used to create small duplications (average length 88 kb) covering the 22-Mb sequenced portion of the chromosome. The BAC clones were inserted into an attP docking site on chromosome 3L using ΦC31 integrase, allowing direct comparison of different transgenes. The insertions complement 92% of the essential and viable mutations and deletions tested, demonstrating that almost all Drosophila genes are compact and that the current annotations of the genome are reasonably accurate. Moreover, almost all genes are tolerated at twice the normal dosage. Finally, we more precisely mapped two regions at which duplications cause diplo-lethality in males. This collection comprises the first molecularly defined duplication set to cover a whole chromosome in a multicellular organism. The work presented removes a long-standing barrier to genetic analysis of the Drosophila X chromosome, will greatly facilitate functional assays of X-linked genes in vivo, and provides a model for functional analyses of entire chromosomes in other species.

Mutagenic effect of radionuclides incorporated into DNA of Drosophila melanogaster. Progress report, December 15, 1982-July 15, 1983

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, W.R.

1983-01-01

The molecular changes in DNA of mutations induced at the well-defined locus alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) in Drosophila melanogaster were compared between null mutants induced by x-rays, the alkylating agent N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) and decay of tritium incorporated into specific sites of DNA

Selective elimination/RNAi silencing of FMRF-related peptides and their receptors decreases the locomotor activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kiss, B.; Szlanka, T.; Zvara, Á.; Žurovec, Michal; Šerý, Michal; Kakaš, Štefan; Ramasz, B.; Hegedűs, Z.; Lukacsovich, T.; Puskás, L.; Fónagy, A.; Kiss, I.

2013-01-01

Roč. 191, SEP 15 (2013), s. 137-145 ISSN 0016-6480 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Drosophila melanogaster * FMRF-related peptides * G protein-coupled receptors Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 2.674, year: 2013 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016648013002621

Evolution of the Drosophila melanogaster-sigma virus system in a natural population from Tübingen.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A; Sperlich, D

1992-11-01

In natural populations of D. melanogaster, usually, a minority of individuals are infected by a Rhabdovirus called sigma. This virus is not contagious but is vertically transmitted through the gametes. In D. melanogaster, a polymorphism for two alleles (O, permissive and P, restrictive) of a gene responsible for resistance to the virus is regularly observed in the wild. On the virus side two types are found, which differ in their sensitivity to the P allele: Type I is very sensitive, and Type II more resistant. Previous findings had led to the hypothesis that an invasion of Type II clones, starting from central France, might be spreading over European populations. This replacement of viral Type I by viral Type II in natural populations could be observed in Languedoc (southern France), where it led to a dramatic increase in the frequency of infected flies. The invasion hypothesis is confirmed by the data from samples collected at Tübingen, where the frequency of Type II clones increased from 0.27 to 0.93 over a 6-year period (1985-1991). However, over the same period, no increase in the frequency of infected flies was observed. The evolution of other viral characteristics is discussed.

Somatic mutation and recombination induced with reactor thermal neutrons in Drosophila melanogaster; Mutacion y recombinacion somaticas inducidas con neutrones termicos de reactor en Drosophila melanogaster

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Zambrano A, F.; Guzman R, J.; Paredes G, L.; Delfin L, A. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, A.P. 18-1027, 11801 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

1997-07-01

The SMART test of Drosophila melanogaster was used to quantify the effect over the somatic mutation and recombination induced by thermal and fast neutrons at the TRIGA Mark III reactor of the ININ at the power of 300 k W for times of 30, 60 and 120 minutes with total equivalent doses respectively of 20.8, 41.6 and 83.2 Sv. A linear relation between the radiation equivalent dose and the frequency of the genetic effects such as mutation and recombination was observed. The obtained results allow to conclude that SMART is a sensitive system to the induced damage by neutrons, so this can be used for studying its biological effects. (Author)

Genome-wide association analysis of oxidative stress resistance in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Allison L Weber

Full Text Available Aerobic organisms are susceptible to damage by reactive oxygen species. Oxidative stress resistance is a quantitative trait with population variation attributable to the interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Drosophila melanogaster provides an ideal system to study the genetics of variation for resistance to oxidative stress.We used 167 wild-derived inbred lines of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel for a genome-wide association study of acute oxidative stress resistance to two oxidizing agents, paraquat and menadione sodium bisulfite. We found significant genetic variation for both stressors. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs associated with variation in oxidative stress resistance were often sex-specific and agent-dependent, with a small subset common for both sexes or treatments. Associated SNPs had moderately large effects, with an inverse relationship between effect size and allele frequency. Linear models with up to 12 SNPs explained 67-79% and 56-66% of the phenotypic variance for resistance to paraquat and menadione sodium bisulfite, respectively. Many genes implicated were novel with no known role in oxidative stress resistance. Bioinformatics analyses revealed a cellular network comprising DNA metabolism and neuronal development, consistent with targets of oxidative stress-inducing agents. We confirmed associations of seven candidate genes associated with natural variation in oxidative stress resistance through mutational analysis.We identified novel candidate genes associated with variation in resistance to oxidative stress that have context-dependent effects. These results form the basis for future translational studies to identify oxidative stress susceptibility/resistance genes that are evolutionary conserved and might play a role in human disease.

Assessing Pseudomonas virulence with a nonmammalian host: Drosophila melanogaster.

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Haller, Samantha; Limmer, Stefanie; Ferrandon, Dominique

2014-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster flies represent an interesting model to study host-pathogen interactions as: (1) they are cheap and easy to raise rapidly and do not bring up ethical issues, (2) available genetic tools are highly sophisticated, for instance allowing tissue-specific alteration of gene expression, e.g., of immune genes, (3) they have a relatively complex organization, with distinct digestive tract and body cavity in which local or systemic infections, respectively, take place, (4) a medium throughput can be achieved in genetic screens, for instance looking for Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants with altered virulence. We present here the techniques used to investigate host-pathogen relationships, namely the two major models of infections as well as the relevant parameters used to monitor the infection (survival, bacterial titer, induction of host immune response).

Obp56h Modulates Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

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John R. Shorter

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Social interactions in insects are driven by conspecific chemical signals that are detected via olfactory and gustatory neurons. Odorant binding proteins (Obps transport volatile odorants to chemosensory receptors, but their effects on behaviors remain poorly characterized. Here, we report that RNAi knockdown of Obp56h gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster enhances mating behavior by reducing courtship latency. The change in mating behavior that results from inhibition of Obp56h expression is accompanied by significant alterations in cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC composition, including reduction in 5-tricosene (5-T, an inhibitory sex pheromone produced by males that increases copulation latency during courtship. Whole genome RNA sequencing confirms that expression of Obp56h is virtually abolished in Drosophila heads. Inhibition of Obp56h expression also affects expression of other chemoreception genes, including upregulation of lush in both sexes and Obp83ef in females, and reduction in expression of Obp19b and Or19b in males. In addition, several genes associated with lipid metabolism, which underlies the production of cuticular hydrocarbons, show altered transcript abundances. Our data show that modulation of mating behavior through reduction of Obp56h is accompanied by altered cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and implicate 5-T as a possible ligand for Obp56h.

Tests for the replication of an association between Egfr and natural variation in Drosophila melanogaster wing morphology

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Dodgson James

2005-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Quantitative differences between individuals stem from a combination of genetic and environmental factors, with the heritable variation being shaped by evolutionary forces. Drosophila wing shape has emerged as an attractive system for genetic dissection of multi-dimensional traits. We utilize several experimental genetic methods to validation of the contribution of several polymorphisms in the Epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr gene to wing shape and size, that were previously mapped in populations of Drosophila melanogaster from North Carolina (NC and California (CA. This re-evaluation utilized different genetic testcrosses to generate heterozygous individuals with a variety of genetic backgrounds as well as sampling of new alleles from Kenyan stocks. Results Only one variant, in the Egfr promoter, had replicable effects in all new experiments. However, expanded genotyping of the initial sample of inbred lines rendered the association non-significant in the CA population, while it persisted in the NC sample, suggesting population specific modification of the quantitative trait nucleotide QTN effect. Conclusion Dissection of quantitative trait variation to the nucleotide level can identify sites with replicable effects as small as one percent of the segregating genetic variation. However, the testcross approach to validate QTNs is both labor intensive and time-consuming, and is probably less useful than resampling of large independent sets of outbred individuals.

Somatic mutation and recombination induced by fast neutrons in the wing spot test of Drosophila Melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guzman R, J.; Varela, A.; Policroniades, R.; Delfin, A.; Graf, U.

1994-01-01

In the last decades, a large number of studies have been undertaken to evaluate the biological effects of gamma and X rays in Drosophila melanogaster. The majority of these investigations were performed on female and male germ cells. However, comparatively little is known in relation to the biological effects of fast neutrons, and especially in relation to their effects in somatic cells. (Author)

An investigation of natural genetic variation in the circadian system of Drosophila melanogaster: rhythm characteristics and methods of quantification.

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Emery, P T; Morgan, E; Birley, A J

1994-04-01

Variation in four characteristics of the circadian locomotor activity rhythm was investigated in 24 true-breeding strains of Drosophila melanogaster with a view to establishing methods of phenotypic measurement sufficiently robust to allow subsequent biometric analysis. Between them, these strains formed a representative sample of the genetic variability of a natural population. Period, phase, definition (the degree to which a rhythmic signal was obscured by noise), and rhythm waveform were all found to vary continuously among the strains, although within each strain the rhythm phenotype was remarkably consistent. Each characteristic was found to be sufficiently robust to permit objective measurement using several different methods of quantification, which were then compared.

Microwave effects in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dardalhon, M.; Averbeck, D.; Berteaud, A.J.

1979-01-01

Experiments were set up to investigate the effects of open space microwave irradiation of the millimeter (73 GHz) and the centimeter (17 GHz) range in Drosophila melanogaster. We used the wild type strain Paris and the strain delta carrying melanitic tumors in the 3rd larval stage, in the pupae and the adults. The power densities were up to 100mW.cm -2 for 73 GHz and about 60 mW.cm -2 for microwaves at 17 GHz. After 2h exposure to microwaves of 17 GHz or 73 GHz the hatching of the irradiated eggs and their development were normal. In a few cases there was a tendency towards a diminution of the survival of eggs treated at different stages, of larvae treated in the stages 1, 2 and 3 and of treated pupae. However, this was not always statistically significant. The microwave treatment did not induce teratological changes in the adults. A statistical analysis brought about slight diminutions in the incidence and multiplicity of tumors in adult flies. When wild type females were exposed to microwaves of 17 GHz for 16 or 21 h and crossed with untreated males we observed a marked increase in fertility as compared to untreated samples. The viability and tumor incidence in the offspring was not affected. Similar results were obtained when microwaves treated males were crossed with untreated females

Neural coding in the visual system of Drosophila melanogaster: How do small neural populations support visually guided behaviours?

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Dewar, Alex D M; Wystrach, Antoine; Philippides, Andrew; Graham, Paul

2017-10-01

All organisms wishing to survive and reproduce must be able to respond adaptively to a complex, changing world. Yet the computational power available is constrained by biology and evolution, favouring mechanisms that are parsimonious yet robust. Here we investigate the information carried in small populations of visually responsive neurons in Drosophila melanogaster. These so-called 'ring neurons', projecting to the ellipsoid body of the central complex, are reported to be necessary for complex visual tasks such as pattern recognition and visual navigation. Recently the receptive fields of these neurons have been mapped, allowing us to investigate how well they can support such behaviours. For instance, in a simulation of classic pattern discrimination experiments, we show that the pattern of output from the ring neurons matches observed fly behaviour. However, performance of the neurons (as with flies) is not perfect and can be easily improved with the addition of extra neurons, suggesting the neurons' receptive fields are not optimised for recognising abstract shapes, a conclusion which casts doubt on cognitive explanations of fly behaviour in pattern recognition assays. Using artificial neural networks, we then assess how easy it is to decode more general information about stimulus shape from the ring neuron population codes. We show that these neurons are well suited for encoding information about size, position and orientation, which are more relevant behavioural parameters for a fly than abstract pattern properties. This leads us to suggest that in order to understand the properties of neural systems, one must consider how perceptual circuits put information at the service of behaviour.

Whole genome resequencing reveals natural target site preferences of transposable elements in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Raquel S Linheiro

Full Text Available Transposable elements are mobile DNA sequences that integrate into host genomes using diverse mechanisms with varying degrees of target site specificity. While the target site preferences of some engineered transposable elements are well studied, the natural target preferences of most transposable elements are poorly characterized. Using population genomic resequencing data from 166 strains of Drosophila melanogaster, we identified over 8,000 new insertion sites not present in the reference genome sequence that we used to decode the natural target preferences of 22 families of transposable element in this species. We found that terminal inverted repeat transposon and long terminal repeat retrotransposon families present clade-specific target site duplications and target site sequence motifs. Additionally, we found that the sequence motifs at transposable element target sites are always palindromes that extend beyond the target site duplication. Our results demonstrate the utility of population genomics data for high-throughput inference of transposable element targeting preferences in the wild and establish general rules for terminal inverted repeat transposon and long terminal repeat retrotransposon target site selection in eukaryotic genomes.

Drosophila melanogaster as a model system of aluminum toxicity and aging.

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Kijak, Ewelina; Rosato, Ezio; Knapczyk, Katarzyna; Pyza, Elżbieta

2014-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the toxic effects of aluminum (Al) on the model organism-Drosophila melanogaster. The study is especially concerned with the effects of aluminum on the fruit fly's development, life span, and circadian rhythm in rest and activity. Flies were exposed to aluminum in concentrations from 40 to 280 mg/kg in rearing media or the flies were raised on control medium. Moreover, the life span of insects exposed to aluminum containing 40, 120, or 240 mg/kg of Al in the medium, only during their larval development, during the whole life cycle and only in their adult life was tested. To check if aluminum and aging cause changes in D. melanogaster behavior, the locomotor activity of flies at different ages was recorded. Results showed that aluminum is toxic in concentrations above 160 mg/kg in the rearing medium. Depending on Al concentration and time of exposure, the life span of the flies was shortened. At intermediate concentrations (120 mg/kg), however, Al had a stimulating effect on males increasing their life span and level of locomotor activity. At higher concentration the aluminum exposure increased or decreased the level of locomotor activity of D. melanogaster depending on age of flies. In addition, in the oldest insects reared on aluminum supplemented media and in mid-aged flies reared on the highest concentration of Al the daily rhythm of activity was disrupted. © 2013 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Proteomic identification of Drosophila melanogaster male accessory gland proteins, including a pro-cathepsin and a soluble γ-glutamyl transpeptidase

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Sajid Mohammed

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Background In Drosophila melanogaster, the male seminal fluid contains proteins that are important for reproductive success. Many of these proteins are synthesised by the male accessory glands and are secreted into the accessory gland lumen, where they are stored until required. Previous studies on the identification of Drosophila accessory gland products have largely focused on characterisation of male-specific accessory gland cDNAs from D. melanogaster and, more recently, Drosophila simulans. In the present study, we have used a proteomics approach without any sex bias to identify proteins in D. melanogaster accessory gland secretions. Results Thirteen secreted accessory gland proteins, including seven new accessory gland proteins, were identified by 2D-gel electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry of tryptic fragments. They included protein-folding and stress-response proteins, a hormone, a lipase, a serpin, a cysteine-rich protein and two peptidases, a pro-enzyme form of a cathepsin K-like cysteine peptidase and a γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. Enzymatic studies established that accessory gland secretions contain a cysteine peptidase zymogen that can be activated at low pH. This peptidase may have a role in the processing of female and other male-derived proteins, but is unlikely to be involved in the processing of the sex peptide. γ-Glutamyl transpeptidases are type II integral membrane proteins; however, the identified AG γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT-1 is unusual in that it is predicted to be a soluble secreted protein, a prediction that is supported by biochemical evidence. GGT-1 is possibly involved in maintaining a protective redox environment for sperm. The strong γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity found in the secretions provides an explanation for the observation that glutamic acid is the most abundant free amino acid in accessory gland secretions of D. melanogaster. Conclusion We have applied biochemical approaches, not used

Proteomic identification of Drosophila melanogaster male accessory gland proteins, including a pro-cathepsin and a soluble gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase.

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Walker, Michael J; Rylett, Caroline M; Keen, Jeff N; Audsley, Neil; Sajid, Mohammed; Shirras, Alan D; Isaac, R Elwyn

2006-05-02

In Drosophila melanogaster, the male seminal fluid contains proteins that are important for reproductive success. Many of these proteins are synthesised by the male accessory glands and are secreted into the accessory gland lumen, where they are stored until required. Previous studies on the identification of Drosophila accessory gland products have largely focused on characterisation of male-specific accessory gland cDNAs from D. melanogaster and, more recently, Drosophila simulans. In the present study, we have used a proteomics approach without any sex bias to identify proteins in D. melanogaster accessory gland secretions. Thirteen secreted accessory gland proteins, including seven new accessory gland proteins, were identified by 2D-gel electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry of tryptic fragments. They included protein-folding and stress-response proteins, a hormone, a lipase, a serpin, a cysteine-rich protein and two peptidases, a pro-enzyme form of a cathepsin K-like cysteine peptidase and a gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Enzymatic studies established that accessory gland secretions contain a cysteine peptidase zymogen that can be activated at low pH. This peptidase may have a role in the processing of female and other male-derived proteins, but is unlikely to be involved in the processing of the sex peptide. gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidases are type II integral membrane proteins; however, the identified AG gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT-1) is unusual in that it is predicted to be a soluble secreted protein, a prediction that is supported by biochemical evidence. GGT-1 is possibly involved in maintaining a protective redox environment for sperm. The strong gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity found in the secretions provides an explanation for the observation that glutamic acid is the most abundant free amino acid in accessory gland secretions of D. melanogaster. We have applied biochemical approaches, not used previously, to characterise

The Origin of the Second Centriole in the Zygote of Drosophila melanogaster

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Blachon, Stephanie; Khire, Atul; Avidor-Reiss, Tomer

2014-01-01

Centrosomes are composed of two centrioles surrounded by pericentriolar material (PCM). However, the sperm and the oocyte modify or lose their centrosomes. Consequently, how the zygote establishes its first centrosome, and in particular, the origin of the second zygotic centriole, is uncertain. Drosophila melanogaster spermatids contain a single centriole called the Giant Centriole (GC) and a Proximal centriole-like (PCL) structure whose function is unknown. We found that, like the centriole, the PCL loses its protein markers at the end of spermiogenesis. After fertilization, the first two centrioles are observed via the recruitment of the zygotic PCM proteins and are seen in asterless mutant embryos that cannot form centrioles. The zygote’s centriolar proteins label only the daughter centrioles of the first two centrioles. These observations demonstrate that the PCL is the origin for the second centriole in the Drosophila zygote and that a paternal centriole precursor, without centriolar proteins, is transmitted to the egg during fertilization. PMID:24532732

The Shaker Potassium Channel Is No Target for Xenon Anesthesia in Short-Sleeping Drosophila melanogaster Mutants

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C. Schaper

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Xenon seems to be an ideal anesthetic drug. To explore if next to the antagonism at the NMDA-receptor other molecular targets are involved, we tested the xenon requirement in short sleeping Drosophila shaker mutants and in [ℎ38]. Methods. The Drosophila melanogaster strains wildtype Canton-S, [ℎ38], ℎ102 and ℎ, were raised and sleep was measured. Based on the response of the flies at different xenon concentrations, logEC50 values were calculated. Results. The logEC50-values for WT Canton-S were 1.671 (1.601–1.742 95%-confidence intervall; =238; P versus ℎ102 > 0,05, for ℎ 1.711 (1.650–1.773; =242; P versus WT Canton-S > 0,05. The logEC50-value for ℎ102 was 1.594 (1.493–1.694; =261; P versus ℎ > 0.05. The logEC-value of [ℎ38] was 2.076 (1.619–2.532; =207; P versus ℎ 0.05, while [ℎ38] was found to be hyposensitive compared to wildtype (P < 0.05. Conclusions. The xenon requirement in Drosophila melanogaster is not influenced by a single gene mutation at the shaker locus, whereas a reduced expression of a nonselective cation channel leads to an increased xenon requirement. This supports the thesis that xenon mediates its effects not only via an antagonism at the NMDA-receptor.

Negative regulation of EGFR/MAPK pathway by Pumilio in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Sung Yun Kim

Full Text Available In Drosophila melanogaster, specification of wing vein cells and sensory organ precursor (SOP cells, which later give rise to a bristle, requires EGFR signaling. Here, we show that Pumilio (Pum, an RNA-binding translational repressor, negatively regulates EGFR signaling in wing vein and bristle development. We observed that loss of Pum function yielded extra wing veins and additional bristles. Conversely, overexpression of Pum eliminated wing veins and bristles. Heterozygotes for Pum produced no phenotype on their own, but greatly enhanced phenotypes caused by the enhancement of EGFR signaling. Conversely, over-expression of Pum suppressed the effects of ectopic EGFR signaling. Components of the EGFR signaling pathway are encoded by mRNAs that have Nanos Response Element (NRE-like sequences in their 3'UTRs; NREs are known to bind Pum to confer regulation in other mRNAs. We show that these NRE-like sequences bind Pum and confer repression on a luciferase reporter in heterologous cells. Taken together, our evidence suggests that Pum functions as a negative regulator of EGFR signaling by directly targeting components of the pathway in Drosophila.

Investigations of the fate of radiation-induced mutations in dependence of selection and recombination with recessive gene marks in experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfriem, P.

1978-01-01

Three dichromosomal experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster were started with heterozygons dp b/+ +- animals with identical dp b- and + +- II-chromosomes for all three populations. The male ++/++- parents had been exposed to 9000 r prior to the experiments. In 7 random samples of the first 15 generations of the experiment, the incidence of the mutant alleles dp and b, the exchange inequilibrium between the alleles of the two labelled loci, and the letthal factor frequency were investigatet. It was found that - The b allele had an equilibrium frequency of about 57% in all populations, while the frequency of the dp allele decreased to about 10% within the first 15 generations. - The association values a as measures of an exchange inequilibrium showed a fast development towards exchange inequilibrium within these 15 generations for the three populations. - The incidence of lethal factors remained constant throughout the generations for the tested type ++ and + b chromosomes, in irradiated ++- chromosomes, it was higher on an average than in the + b- chromosomes. The total lethal factor incidence was about 30%. - The alleling rate of lethal factors and the viability values of several distinguishable genotypes indicated individualities of the three populations in spite of their identical behaviour. In two of the three populations, the near-constant incidence of lethal factors was supposed to be due to a small number of lethal which accurred with high frequency. (orig.) [de

Determination of methyl methanesulfonate pretreatment effect in Drosophila melanogaster larvaes upon repair mechanisms in somatic cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernandez Paz, M.

1992-01-01

To make evident the existence of SOS repair mecanism in somatic cells, larvaes of drosophila melanogaster with MWH markers for females and FLR markers for males were used. This larvaes received a pretreatment with MMS at concentrations of 0.0007% and 0.0014% during 24 hours and latter a treatment with gamma rays at different dosis. SMART program was used to make stastistical evaluations. Small spots were observed which can have two origins. First could be damage in the last part of third stage in which cells are in last divisions and second could be the damage to larvaes in early stages in shich pretreatment with MMS cause lesions which prevent the reproduction of the cells. Also big spots were observed which presence is due to recombination. It was detected than the bigger the concentration of MMS and radiation dose, the bigger the induced damage. In some groups such observation was impossible may be to technical problems as relative humidity, out of phase in the growth of larvaes giving place that treatment were given in three stages. For this reasons it was impossible to discriminate if drosophila melanogaster is wheter or not capable to induce a repair mechanism (Author)

Fine-structural changes in the midgut of old Drosophila melanogaster

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Anton-Erxleben, F.; Miquel, J.; Philpott, D. E.

1983-01-01

Senescent fine-structural changes in the midgut of Drosophila melanogaster are investigated. A large number of midgut mitochondria in old flies exhibit nodular cristae and a tubular system located perpendicular to the normal cristae orientation. Anterior intestinal cells show a senescent accumulation of age pigment, either with a surrounding two-unit membrane or without any membrane. The predominant localization of enlarged mitochondria and pigment in the luminal gut region may be related to the polarized metabolism of the intestinal cells. Findings concur with previous observations of dense-body accumulations and support the theory that mitochondria are involved in the aging of fixed post-mitotic cells. Demonstrated by statistical analyses is that mitochondrial size increase is related to mitochondrial variation increase.

Genetic changeover in Drosophila populations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallace, B.

1986-01-01

Three populations of Drosophila melanogaster that were daughter populations of two others with histories of high, continuous radiation exposure [population 5 (irradiated, small population size) gave rise to populations 17 (small) and 18 (large); population 6 (irradiated, large population size) gave rise to population 19 (large)] were maintained for 1 year with no radiation exposure. The frequency with which random combinations of second chromosomes taken from population 19 proved to be lethal changed abruptly after about 8 months, thus revealing the origin of a selectively favored element in that population. (This element may or may not have been the cause of the lethality.) A comparison of the loss of lethals in populations 17 and 18 with a loss that occurred concurrently in the still-irradiated population 5 suggests that a second, selectively favored element had arisen in that population just before populations 17 and 18 were split off. This element was on a nonlethal chromosome. The result in population 5 was the elimination of many lethals from that population, followed by a subsequent increase as mutations occurred in the favored nonlethal chromosome. Populations 17 and 18, with no radiation exposure, underwent a loss of lethals with no subsequent increase. The events described here, as well as others to be described elsewhere, suggest that populations may be subject to episodic periods of rapid gene frequency changes that occur under intense selection pressure. In the instances in which the changeover was revealed by the elimination of preexisting lethals, earlier lethal frequencies were reduced by approximately one-half; the selectively favored elements appear, then, to be favored in the heterozygous--not homozygous--condition

A Drosophila melanogaster hobo-white + vector mediates low frequency gene transfer in D. vlrllls with full Interspecific white + complementation

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Transformation of a Drosophila virilis white mutant host strain was attempted by using a hobo vector containing the D. melanogaster mini-white+ cassette (H[w+, hawN]) and an unmodified or heat shock regulated hobo transposase helper. Two transformant lines were recovered with the unmodified helper (...

Investigating inbreeding depression for heat stress tolerance in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Kamilla Sofie; Pedersen, Louise Dybdahl; Sørensen, Anders Christian

2012-01-01

Mating between closely related individuals often causes reduced fitness, which is termed ‘inbreeding depression’. Inbreeding is, therefore, a threat towards the persistence of animal and plant populations. Here we present methods and results from a practical for high-school and first-year univers......Mating between closely related individuals often causes reduced fitness, which is termed ‘inbreeding depression’. Inbreeding is, therefore, a threat towards the persistence of animal and plant populations. Here we present methods and results from a practical for high-school and first......-year university students and discuss learning outcomes of the exercise as an example of inquiry-based science teaching. We use the model organism Drosophila melanogaster to test the ability of inbred and control (non-inbred) females to survive heat stress exposure. Flies were anaesthetised and collected...... into vials before exposure to 38°C heat stress in a water bath for 1 h. Half an hour later the number of comatose inbred and control flies were scored and chi-square statistic procedures were used to test for different degrees of heat stress tolerance between the two lines of flies. The practical introduces...

Short-term exposure to predation affects body elemental composition, climbing speed and survival ability in Drosophila melanogaster

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Indrikis Krams

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Factors such as temperature, habitat, larval density, food availability and food quality substantially affect organismal development. In addition, risk of predation has a complex impact on the behavioural and morphological life history responses of prey. Responses to predation risk seem to be mediated by physiological stress, which is an adaptation for maintaining homeostasis and improving survivorship during life-threatening situations. We tested whether predator exposure during the larval phase of development has any influence on body elemental composition, energy reserves, body size, climbing speed and survival ability of adult Drosophila melanogaster. Fruit fly larvae were exposed to predation by jumping spiders (Phidippus apacheanus, and the percentage of carbon (C and nitrogen (N content, extracted lipids, escape response and survival were measured from predator-exposed and control adult flies. The results revealed predation as an important determinant of adult phenotype formation and survival ability. D. melanogaster reared together with spiders had a higher concentration of body N (but equal body C, a lower body mass and lipid reserves, a higher climbing speed and improved adult survival ability. The results suggest that the potential of predators to affect the development and the adult phenotype of D. melanogaster is high enough to use predators as a more natural stimulus in laboratory experiments when testing, for example, fruit fly memory and learning ability, or when comparing natural populations living under different predation pressures.

Sex differences in oxidative stress resistance in relation to longevity in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Niveditha, S; Deepashree, S; Ramesh, S R; Shivanandappa, T

2017-10-01

Gender differences in lifespan and aging are known across species. Sex differences in longevity within a species can be useful to understand sex-specific aging. Drosophila melanogaster is a good model to study the problem of sex differences in longevity since females are longer lived than males. There is evidence that stress resistance influences longevity. The objective of this study was to investigate if there is a relationship between sex differences in longevity and oxidative stress resistance in D. melanogaster. We observed a progressive age-dependent decrease in the activity of SOD and catalase, major antioxidant enzymes involved in defense mechanisms against oxidative stress in parallel to the increased ROS levels over time. Longer-lived females showed lower ROS levels and higher antioxidant enzymes than males as a function of age. Using ethanol as a stressor, we have shown differential susceptibility of the sexes to ethanol wherein females exhibited higher resistance to ethanol-induced mortality and locomotor behavior compared to males. Our results show strong correlation between sex differences in oxidative stress resistance, antioxidant defenses and longevity. The study suggests that higher antioxidant defenses in females may confer resistance to oxidative stress, which could be a factor that influences sex-specific aging in D. melanogaster.

Mutagenic effect of radionuclides incorporated into DNA of Drosophila melanogaster. Progress report, 1978-1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, W.R.

1979-01-01

Current progress in studies on the mutagenic effect of 3 H incorporated into the DNA of Drosophila melanogaster is reported. It was shown that selected 3 H precursors incorporated into DNA are metabolized. The forms (metabolites) of tritium found in the DNA molecules and the mutation frequencies resulting therefrom were identified. An alcohol dehydrogenase system was developed for recovering mutations that is capable of distinguishing between base changes and chain breakage events that may lead to the formation of deletions

The use of a mutationally unstable X-chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster for mutagenicity testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasmuson, B.; Svahlin, H.; Rasmuson, A.; Montell, I.; Olofsson, H.

1978-01-01

Somatic eye-colour mutations in an unstable genetic system, caused by a transposable element in the white locus of the X-chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster, is suggested as an assay system for mutagenicity testing. The system is evaluated by comparison with a corresponding system in a stable X-chromosome. Its sensitivity is confirmed with X-ray and EMS treatment, and it is found to be confined to the specific segment of the X-chromosome where the transposable element is localized. (Auth.)

Heterochromatin position effects on circularized sex chromosomes cause filicidal embryonic lethality in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Ferree, Patrick M; Gomez, Karina; Rominger, Peter; Howard, Dagnie; Kornfeld, Hannah; Barbash, Daniel A

2014-04-01

Some circularized X-Y chromosomes in Drosophila melanogaster are mitotically unstable and induce early embryonic lethality, but the genetic basis is unknown. Our experiments suggest that a large region of X-linked satellite DNA causes anaphase bridges and lethality when placed into a new heterochromatic environment within certain circularized X-Y chromosomes. These results reveal that repetitive sequences can be incompatible with one another in cis. The lethal phenotype also bears a remarkable resemblance to a case of interspecific hybrid lethality.

Local elasticity and adhesion of nanostructures on Drosophila melanogaster wing membrane studied using atomic force microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, Ryan, E-mail: rbwagner@purdue.edu [School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette (United States); Brick Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette (United States); Pittendrigh, Barry R. [Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Champaign (United States); Raman, Arvind, E-mail: raman@purdue.edu [School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette (United States); Brick Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette (United States)

2012-10-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We studied the wing membrane of Drosophila melanogaster with atomic force microscopy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We report the structure, elasticity, and adhesion on the wing membrane in air and nitrogen environments. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Results provide insight into the nature of the wing membrane enabling the development of biomimetic surface and micro air vehicles. - Abstract: Insect wings have a naturally occurring, complex, functional, hierarchical microstructure and nanostructure, which enable a remarkably water-resistant and self-cleaning surface. Insect wings are used as a basis for engineering biomimetic materials; however, the material properties of these nanostructures such as local elastic modulus and adhesion are poorly understood. We studied the wings of the Canton-S strain of Drosophila melanogaster (hereafter referred to as Drosophila) with atomic force microscopy (AFM) to quantify the local material properties of Drosophila wing surface nanostructures. The wings are found to have a hierarchical structure of 10-20 {mu}m long, 0.5-1 {mu}m diameter hair, and at a much smaller scale, 100 nm diameter and 30-60 nm high bumps. The local properties of these nanoscale bumps were studied under ambient and dry conditions with force-volume AFM. The wing membrane was found to have a elastic modulus on the order of 1000 MPa and the work of adhesion between the probe and wing membrane surface was found to be on the order of 100 mJ/m{sup 2}, these properties are the same order of magnitude as common thermoplastic polymers such as polyethylene. The difference in work of adhesion between the nanoscale bump and membrane does not change significantly between ambient (relative humidity of 30%) or dry conditions. This suggests that the nanoscale bumps and the surrounding membrane are chemically similar and only work to increase hydrophobicity though surface roughening or the geometric lotus effect.

Local elasticity and adhesion of nanostructures on Drosophila melanogaster wing membrane studied using atomic force microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, Ryan; Pittendrigh, Barry R.; Raman, Arvind

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We studied the wing membrane of Drosophila melanogaster with atomic force microscopy. ► We report the structure, elasticity, and adhesion on the wing membrane in air and nitrogen environments. ► Results provide insight into the nature of the wing membrane enabling the development of biomimetic surface and micro air vehicles. - Abstract: Insect wings have a naturally occurring, complex, functional, hierarchical microstructure and nanostructure, which enable a remarkably water-resistant and self-cleaning surface. Insect wings are used as a basis for engineering biomimetic materials; however, the material properties of these nanostructures such as local elastic modulus and adhesion are poorly understood. We studied the wings of the Canton-S strain of Drosophila melanogaster (hereafter referred to as Drosophila) with atomic force microscopy (AFM) to quantify the local material properties of Drosophila wing surface nanostructures. The wings are found to have a hierarchical structure of 10–20 μm long, 0.5–1 μm diameter hair, and at a much smaller scale, 100 nm diameter and 30–60 nm high bumps. The local properties of these nanoscale bumps were studied under ambient and dry conditions with force-volume AFM. The wing membrane was found to have a elastic modulus on the order of 1000 MPa and the work of adhesion between the probe and wing membrane surface was found to be on the order of 100 mJ/m 2 , these properties are the same order of magnitude as common thermoplastic polymers such as polyethylene. The difference in work of adhesion between the nanoscale bump and membrane does not change significantly between ambient (relative humidity of 30%) or dry conditions. This suggests that the nanoscale bumps and the surrounding membrane are chemically similar and only work to increase hydrophobicity though surface roughening or the geometric lotus effect.

Hesperidin, a citrus bioflavonoid, alleviates trichloroethylene-induced oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Abolaji, Amos Olalekan; Babalola, Oluwatoyin Victoria; Adegoke, Abimbola Kehinde; Farombi, Ebenezer Olatunde

2017-10-01

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a chlorinated organic pollutant of groundwater with diverse toxic effects in animals and humans. Here, we investigated the ameliorative role of hesperidin, a citrus bioflavonoid on TCE-induced toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster. Four groups of D. melanogaster (50 flies/vial, with 5 vials/group) were exposed to ethanol (2.5%, control), HSP (400mg/10g diet), TCE (10μM/10g diet) and TCE (10μM/10g diet)+HSP (400mg/10g diet) respectively in the diet for 5days. Then, selected oxidative stress and antioxidant markers were evaluated. The results showed that TCE significantly increased the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibited catalase, glutathione S-transferase and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities with concurrent depletion of total thiol level. However, co-administration of TCE and hesperidin mitigated TCE-induced depletion of antioxidants, and restored ROS level and AChE activity in the flies (p<0.05). Overall, hesperidin offered protective potency on TCE-induced oxidative stress in the flies via anti-oxidative mechanism. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing sexual conflict in the Drosophila melanogaster laboratory model system

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Rice, William R; Stewart, Andrew D; Morrow, Edward H; Linder, Jodell E; Orteiza, Nicole; Byrne, Phillip G

2006-01-01

We describe a graphical model of interlocus coevolution used to distinguish between the interlocus sexual conflict that leads to sexually antagonistic coevolution, and the intrinsic conflict over mating rate that is an integral part of traditional models of sexual selection. We next distinguish the ‘laboratory island’ approach from the study of both inbred lines and laboratory populations that are newly derived from nature, discuss why we consider it to be one of the most fitting forms of laboratory analysis to study interlocus sexual conflict, and then describe four experiments using this approach with Drosophila melanogaster. The first experiment evaluates the efficacy of the laboratory model system to study interlocus sexual conflict by comparing remating rates of females when they are, or are not, provided with a spatial refuge from persistent male courtship. The second experiment tests for a lag-load in males that is due to adaptations that have accumulated in females, which diminish male-induced harm while simultaneously interfering with a male's ability to compete in the context of sexual selection. The third and fourth experiments test for a lag-load in females owing to direct costs from their interactions with males, and for the capacity for indirect benefits to compensate for these direct costs. PMID:16612888

Adaptive genic evolution in the Drosophila genomes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shapiro, Joshua A; Huang, Wei; Zhang, Chenhui

2007-01-01

and stable population. In this study, we sequenced 419 genes from 24 lines of Drosophila melanogaster and its close relatives. Together with data from Drosophila simulans, these data reveal the following. (i) Approximately 10% of the loci in regions of normal recombination are much less polymorphic at silent...... sites than expected, hinting at the action of selective sweeps. (ii) The level of polymorphism is negatively correlated with the rate of nonsynonymous divergence across loci. Thus, even under strict neutrality, the ratio of amino acid to silent nucleotide changes (A:S) between Drosophila species...

Developmental acclimation to low or high humidity conditions affect starvation and heat resistance of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Parkash, Ravi; Ranga, Poonam; Aggarwal, Dau Dayal

2014-09-01

Several Drosophila species originating from tropical humid localities are more resistant to starvation and heat stress than populations from high latitudes but mechanistic bases of such physiological changes are largely unknown. In order to test whether humidity levels affect starvation and heat resistance, we investigated developmental acclimation effects of low to high humidity conditions on the storage and utilization of energy resources, body mass, starvation survival, heat knockdown and heat survival of D. melanogaster. Isofemale lines reared under higher humidity (85% RH) stored significantly higher level of lipids and showed greater starvation survival hours but smaller in body size. In contrast, lines reared at low humidity evidenced reduced levels of body lipids and starvation resistance. Starvation resistance and lipid storage level were higher in females than males. However, the rate of utilization of lipids under starvation stress was lower for lines reared under higher humidity. Adult flies of lines reared at 65% RH and acclimated under high or low humidity condition for 200 hours also showed changes in resistance to starvation and heat but such effects were significantly lower as compared with developmental acclimation. Isofemale lines reared under higher humidity showed greater heat knockdown time and heat-shock survival. These laboratory observations on developmental and adult acclimation effects of low versus high humidity conditions have helped in explaining seasonal changes in resistance to starvation and heat of the wild-caught flies of D. melanogaster. Thus, we may suggest that wet versus drier conditions significantly affect starvation and heat resistance of D. melanogaster. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling glial contributions to seizures and epileptogenesis: cation-chloride cotransporters in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Zeid M Rusan

Full Text Available Flies carrying a kcc loss-of-function mutation are more seizure-susceptible than wild-type flies. The kcc gene is the highly conserved Drosophila melanogaster ortholog of K+/Cl- cotransporter genes thought to be expressed in all animal cell types. Here, we examined the spatial and temporal requirements for kcc loss-of-function to modify seizure-susceptibility in flies. Targeted RNA interference (RNAi of kcc in various sets of neurons was sufficient to induce severe seizure-sensitivity. Interestingly, kcc RNAi in glia was particularly effective in causing seizure-sensitivity. Knockdown of kcc in glia or neurons during development caused a reduction in seizure induction threshold, cell swelling, and brain volume increase in 24-48 hour old adult flies. Third instar larval peripheral nerves were enlarged when kcc RNAi was expressed in neurons or glia. Results suggest that a threshold of K+/Cl- cotransport dysfunction in the nervous system during development is an important determinant of seizure-susceptibility in Drosophila. The findings presented are the first attributing a causative role for glial cation-chloride cotransporters in seizures and epileptogenesis. The importance of elucidating glial cell contributions to seizure disorders and the utility of Drosophila models is discussed.

Comparison of various physiological traits in flies (Drosophila melanogaster) of wild origin, infected or uninfected by the hereditary Rhabdovirus sigma.

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Fleuriet, A

1981-01-01

Flies infected or uninfected by the hereditary Rhabdovirus sigma have been collected in the natural French populations of Drosophila melanogaster. The have been compared for various physiological traits: male and female fertility, female longevity, sexual selection and egg viability. The only significant difference was the lower viability of eggs laid by infected females. For all the other traits, infected and uninfected flies were quite comparable. The viral types found in flies of wild origin, thus appear to be almost harmless for their carriers. This result can be connected with previous findings which gave evidence for the relative infrequency of infectious particles in stabilized flies of wild origin.

Targeted Lipidomics in Drosophila melanogaster Identifies Novel 2-Monoacylglycerols and N-acyl Amides

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Takacs, Sara M.; Stuart, Jordyn M.; Basnet, Arjun; Raboune, Siham; Widlanski, Theodore S.; Doherty, Patrick; Bradshaw, Heather B.

2013-01-01

Lipid metabolism is critical to coordinate organ development and physiology in response to tissue-autonomous signals and environmental cues. Changes to the availability and signaling of lipid mediators can limit competitiveness, adaptation to environmental stressors, and augment pathological processes. Two classes of lipids, the N-acyl amides and the 2-acyl glycerols, have emerged as important signaling molecules in a wide range of species with important signaling properties, though most of what is known about their cellular functions is from mammalian models. Therefore, expanding available knowledge on the repertoire of these lipids in invertebrates will provide additional avenues of research aimed at elucidating biosynthetic, metabolic, and signaling properties of these molecules. Drosophila melanogaster is a commonly used organism to study intercellular communication, including the functions of bioactive lipids. However, limited information is available on the molecular identity of lipids with putative biological activities in Drosophila. Here, we used a targeted lipidomics approach to identify putative signaling lipids in third instar Drosophila larvae, possessing particularly large lipid mass in their fat body. We identified 2-linoleoyl glycerol, 2-oleoyl glycerol, and 45 N-acyl amides in larval tissues, and validated our findings by the comparative analysis of Oregon-RS, Canton-S and w1118 strains. Data here suggest that Drosophila represent another model system to use for the study of 2-acyl glycerol and N-acyl amide signaling. PMID:23874457

Duplication of Drosophila melanogaster mitochondrial EF-Tu: pre-adaptation to T-arm truncation and exclusion of bulky aminoacyl residues.

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Sato, Aya; Suematsu, Takuma; Aihara, Koh-Ki; Kita, Kiyoshi; Suzuki, Tsutomu; Watanabe, Kimitsuna; Ohtsuki, Takashi; Watanabe, Yoh-Ichi

2017-03-07

Translation elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) delivers aminoacyl-tRNA (aa-tRNA) to ribosomes in protein synthesis. EF-Tu generally recognizes aminoacyl moieties and acceptor- and T-stems of aa-tRNAs. However, nematode mitochondrial (mt) tRNAs frequently lack all or part of the T-arm that is recognized by canonical EF-Tu. We previously reported that two distinct EF-Tu species, EF-Tu1 and EF-Tu2, respectively, recognize mt tRNAs lacking T-arms and D-arms in the mitochondria of the chromadorean nematode Caenorhabditis elegans C. elegans EF-Tu2 specifically recognizes the seryl moiety of serylated D-armless tRNAs. Mitochondria of the enoplean nematode Trichinella possess three structural types of tRNAs: T-armless tRNAs, D-armless tRNAs, and cloverleaf tRNAs with a short T-arm. Trichinella mt EF-Tu1 binds to all three types and EF-Tu2 binds only to D-armless Ser-tRNAs, showing an evolutionary intermediate state from canonical EF-Tu to chromadorean nematode (e.g. C. elegans ) EF-Tu species. We report here that two EF-Tu species also participate in Drosophila melanogaster mitochondria. Both D. melanogaster EF-Tu1 and EF-Tu2 bound to cloverleaf and D-armless tRNAs. D. melanogaster EF-Tu1 has the ability to recognize T-armless tRNAs that do not evidently exist in D. melanogaster mitochondria, but do exist in related arthropod species. In addition, D. melanogaster EF-Tu2 preferentially bound to aa-tRNAs carrying small amino acids, but not to aa-tRNAs carrying bulky amino acids. These results suggest that the Drosophila mt translation system could be another intermediate state between the canonical and nematode mitochondria-type translation systems. © 2017 The Author(s); published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

SOLO: a meiotic protein required for centromere cohesion, coorientation, and SMC1 localization in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Yan, Rihui; Thomas, Sharon E; Tsai, Jui-He; Yamada, Yukihiro; McKee, Bruce D

2010-02-08

Sister chromatid cohesion is essential to maintain stable connections between homologues and sister chromatids during meiosis and to establish correct centromere orientation patterns on the meiosis I and II spindles. However, the meiotic cohesion apparatus in Drosophila melanogaster remains largely uncharacterized. We describe a novel protein, sisters on the loose (SOLO), which is essential for meiotic cohesion in Drosophila. In solo mutants, sister centromeres separate before prometaphase I, disrupting meiosis I centromere orientation and causing nondisjunction of both homologous and sister chromatids. Centromeric foci of the cohesin protein SMC1 are absent in solo mutants at all meiotic stages. SOLO and SMC1 colocalize to meiotic centromeres from early prophase I until anaphase II in wild-type males, but both proteins disappear prematurely at anaphase I in mutants for mei-S332, which encodes the Drosophila homologue of the cohesin protector protein shugoshin. The solo mutant phenotypes and the localization patterns of SOLO and SMC1 indicate that they function together to maintain sister chromatid cohesion in Drosophila meiosis.

UDP-galactose 4'-epimerase activities toward UDP-Gal and UDP-GalNAc play different roles in the development of Drosophila melanogaster.

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Jennifer M I Daenzer

Full Text Available In both humans and Drosophila melanogaster, UDP-galactose 4'-epimerase (GALE catalyzes two distinct reactions, interconverting UDP-galactose (UDP-gal and UDP-glucose (UDP-glc in the final step of the Leloir pathway of galactose metabolism, and also interconverting UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine (UDP-galNAc and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-glcNAc. All four of these UDP-sugars serve as vital substrates for glycosylation in metazoans. Partial loss of GALE in humans results in the spectrum disorder epimerase deficiency galactosemia; partial loss of GALE in Drosophila melanogaster also results in galactose-sensitivity, and complete loss in Drosophila is embryonic lethal. However, whether these outcomes in both humans and flies result from loss of one GALE activity, the other, or both has remained unknown. To address this question, we uncoupled the two activities in a Drosophila model, effectively replacing the endogenous dGALE with prokaryotic transgenes, one of which (Escherichia coli GALE efficiently interconverts only UDP-gal/UDP-glc, and the other of which (Plesiomonas shigelloides wbgU efficiently interconverts only UDP-galNAc/UDP-glcNAc. Our results demonstrate that both UDP-gal and UDP-galNAc activities of dGALE are required for Drosophila survival, although distinct roles for each activity can be seen in specific windows of developmental time or in response to a galactose challenge. By extension, these data also suggest that both activities might play distinct and essential roles in humans.

Quantifying the life-history response to increased male exposure in female Drosophila melanogaster.

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Edward, Dominic A; Fricke, Claudia; Gerrard, Dave T; Chapman, Tracey

2011-02-01

Precise estimates of costs and benefits, the fitness economics, of mating are of key importance in understanding how selection shapes the coevolution of male and female mating traits. However, fitness is difficult to define and quantify. Here, we used a novel application of an established analytical technique to calculate individual- and population-based estimates of fitness-including those sensitive to the timing of reproduction-to measure the effects on females of increased exposure to males. Drosophila melanogaster females were exposed to high and low frequencies of contact with males, and life-history traits for each individual female were recorded. We then compared different fitness estimates to determine which of them best described the changes in life histories. We predicted that rate-sensitive estimates would be more accurate, as mating influences the rate of offspring production in this species. The results supported this prediction. Increased exposure to males led to significantly decreased fitness within declining but not stable or increasing populations. There was a net benefit of increased male exposure in expanding populations, despite a significant decrease in lifespan. The study shows how a more accurate description of fitness, and new insights can be achieved by considering individual life-history strategies within the context of population growth. © 2010 The Author(s). Evolution© 2010 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Frequencies of chromosomal inversions in Drosophila melanogaster in Fukushima after the nuclear power plant accident.

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Itoh, Masanobu; Kajihara, Ryutaro; Kato, Yasuko; Takano-Shimizu, Toshiyuki; Inoue, Yutaka

2018-01-01

In order to investigate genetic impact of a large amount of radionuclides released by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011, we surveyed 2,304 haploid genomes of Drosophila melanogaster collected in three localities in Fukushima in 2012 and 2013 for chromosomal inversions. No unique inversion was found in 298 genomes in 2012 and only two in 2,006 genomes in 2013. The observed frequencies were even lower than the long-term average frequency of unique inversions in Japan. The common cosmopolitan inversions were also examined in Fukushima, Kyoto, and Iriomote (Okinawa) in 2012. Among three samples in Fukushima, the flies in Iizaka, where environmental radiation level was the highest, showed the lowest frequency of In(2L)t, but the highest frequency of In(3R)P, contrary to the expectation of decreasing of their frequencies in higher polluted areas. These results suggest that, at this level of genetic analysis, Fukushima populations of D. melanogaster would not have been negatively impacted following the release of radionuclides. Transposable P-element mobility was not likely to induce DNA damage solely or synergistically with radioactivity, because their transposition activity was totally repressed in the Fukushima strains. However, it should be noted that, because of limitations in access to the exclusion zone, we could only sample the populations in areas of relatively low radioactive contamination (0.39-0.63 μSv/h). Therefore, the present study is likely to be underpowered to detect any effects that might be expected in heavily contaminated areas.

Cytochrome P450-Dependent Metabolism of Caffeine in Drosophila melanogaster

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Coelho, Alexandra; Fraichard, Stephane; Le Goff, Gaëlle; Faure, Philippe; Artur, Yves; Ferveur, Jean-François; Heydel, Jean-Marie

2015-01-01

Caffeine (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine), an alkaloid produced by plants, has antioxidant and insecticide properties that can affect metabolism and cognition. In vertebrates, the metabolites derived from caffeine have been identified, and their functions have been characterized. However, the metabolites of caffeine in insects remain unknown. Thus, using radiolabelled caffeine, we have identified some of the primary caffeine metabolites produced in the body of Drosophila melanogaster males, including theobromine, paraxanthine and theophylline. In contrast to mammals, theobromine was the predominant metabolite (paraxanthine in humans; theophylline in monkeys; 1, 3, 7-trimethyluric acid in rodents). A transcriptomic screen of Drosophila flies exposed to caffeine revealed the coordinated variation of a large set of genes that encode xenobiotic-metabolizing proteins, including several cytochromes P450s (CYPs) that were highly overexpressed. Flies treated with metyrapone—an inhibitor of CYP enzymes—showed dramatically decreased caffeine metabolism, indicating that CYPs are involved in this process. Using interference RNA genetic silencing, we measured the metabolic and transcriptomic effect of three candidate CYPs. Silencing of CYP6d5 completely abolished theobromine synthesis, whereas CYP6a8 and CYP12d1 silencing induced different consequences on metabolism and gene expression. Therefore, we characterized several metabolic products and some enzymes potentially involved in the degradation of caffeine. In conclusion, this pioneer approach to caffeine metabolism in insects opens novel perspectives for the investigation of the physiological effects of caffeine metabolites. It also indicates that caffeine could be used as a biomarker to evaluate CYP phenotypes in Drosophila and other insects. PMID:25671424

Cytochrome P450-dependent metabolism of caffeine in Drosophila melanogaster.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra Coelho

Full Text Available Caffeine (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine, an alkaloid produced by plants, has antioxidant and insecticide properties that can affect metabolism and cognition. In vertebrates, the metabolites derived from caffeine have been identified, and their functions have been characterized. However, the metabolites of caffeine in insects remain unknown. Thus, using radiolabelled caffeine, we have identified some of the primary caffeine metabolites produced in the body of Drosophila melanogaster males, including theobromine, paraxanthine and theophylline. In contrast to mammals, theobromine was the predominant metabolite (paraxanthine in humans; theophylline in monkeys; 1, 3, 7-trimethyluric acid in rodents. A transcriptomic screen of Drosophila flies exposed to caffeine revealed the coordinated variation of a large set of genes that encode xenobiotic-metabolizing proteins, including several cytochromes P450s (CYPs that were highly overexpressed. Flies treated with metyrapone--an inhibitor of CYP enzymes--showed dramatically decreased caffeine metabolism, indicating that CYPs are involved in this process. Using interference RNA genetic silencing, we measured the metabolic and transcriptomic effect of three candidate CYPs. Silencing of CYP6d5 completely abolished theobromine synthesis, whereas CYP6a8 and CYP12d1 silencing induced different consequences on metabolism and gene expression. Therefore, we characterized several metabolic products and some enzymes potentially involved in the degradation of caffeine. In conclusion, this pioneer approach to caffeine metabolism in insects opens novel perspectives for the investigation of the physiological effects of caffeine metabolites. It also indicates that caffeine could be used as a biomarker to evaluate CYP phenotypes in Drosophila and other insects.

Research of the low dose gamma-irradiation influence on life span and aging speed of Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moskalev, A.

2003-01-01

Full text: Researches of radioinduced life span alteration of Drosophila which is carried out in our laboratory in 1996-2003 years, have revealed interrelation between mutations of several genes of DNA repair and apoptosis pathways with low doses ionizing irradiation and speed of aging. It was used Drosophila individuals, developing in conditions of a chronic low dose irradiation or on nutrition medium with apoptosis inducer etoposide addition. The exposition doze was 0.17 sGy/h. The absorbed doze for one generation (from an embryo stage up to an imago start, 10-12 days) corresponded 60 sGy. Etoposide treatment carried out on preimago stages (5 mkM in a nutrient medium n concentration). We investigated the life span after irradiation and etoposide treatment of Drosophila melanogaster laboratory populations with defects of some genes of DNA repair machinery and apoptosis pathways in homozygous and heterozygous state, such as mei-41 (ATM homolog), two alleles of Dcp-1 (Drosophila caspase), dArk (Apaf-1 homolog), rpr, grim, hid, three alleles of th (IAP homolog), wg (Wnt family member). It is shown, that the irradiation and etoposide treatment of these strains results in life span change depending on a genotype of the investigated line. The results will be considering in the report. As well, the analysis of age-dependent change of nervous system activity (as the test of aging speed) of Drosophila melanogaster imago was carried out. It was shown, that the irradiation of strains with the increased apoptosis sensitivity results in elevated nervous - muscular activity of imago during all experiment periods. At th1 strain increase of activity in comparison with the control in the first week has made 41 %, and in two subsequent - about 80 %. Last week authentic increase did not observe. At th4 strain statistically significant increase of activity in comparison with the control observed in the first week of experiment (18 %), in the second (67 %) and the fourth (88 %). The

Drosophila melanogaster cellular repressor of E1A-stimulated genes is a lysosomal protein essential for fly development.

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Kowalewski-Nimmerfall, Elisabeth; Schähs, Philipp; Maresch, Daniel; Rendic, Dubravko; Krämer, Helmut; Mach, Lukas

2014-12-01

Mammalian cellular repressor of E1A-stimulated genes is a lysosomal glycoprotein implicated in cellular growth and differentiation. The genome of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster encodes a putative orthologue (dCREG), suggesting evolutionarily conserved physiological functions of this protein. In D. melanogaster S2 cells, dCREG was found to localize in lysosomes. Further studies revealed that intracellular dCREG is subject of proteolytic maturation. Processing and turnover could be substantially reduced by RNAi-mediated silencing of cathepsin L. In contrast to mammalian cells, lysosomal delivery of dCREG does not depend on its carbohydrate moiety. Furthermore, depletion of the putative D. melanogaster lysosomal sorting receptor lysosomal enzyme receptor protein did not compromise cellular retention of dCREG. We also investigated the developmental consequences of dCREG ablation in whole D. melanogaster flies. Ubiquitous depletion of dCREG proved lethal at the late pupal stage once a knock-down efficiency of >95% was achieved. These results demonstrate that dCREG is essential for proper completion of fly development. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Characterization of the activity of β-galactosidase from Escherichia coli and Drosophila melanogaster in fixed and non-fixed Drosophila tissues

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Mizuki Tomizawa

2016-12-01

Full Text Available β-Galactosidase encoded by the Escherichia coli lacZ gene, is widely used as a reporter molecule in molecular biology in a wide variety of animals. β-Galactosidase retains its enzymatic activity in cells or tissues even after fixation and can degrade X-Gal, a frequently used colormetric substrate, producing a blue color. Therefore, it can be used for the activity staining of fixed tissues. However, the enzymatic activity of the β-galactosidase that is ectopically expressed in the non-fixed tissues of animals has not been extensively studied. Here, we report the characterization of β-galactosidase activity in Drosophila tissues with and without fixation in various experimental conditions comparing the activity of two evolutionarily orthologous β-galactosidases derived from the E. coli lacZ and Drosophila melanogaster DmelGal genes. We performed quantitative analysis of the activity staining of larval imaginal discs and an in vitro assay using larval lysates. Our data showed that both E. coli and Drosophila β-galactosidase can be used for cell-type-specific activity staining, but they have their own preferences in regard to conditions. E. coli β-galactosidase showed a preference for neutral pH but not for acidic pH compared with Drosophila β-galactosidase. Our data suggested that both E. coli and Drosophila β-galactosidase show enzymatic activity in the physiological conditions of living animals when they are ectopically expressed in a desired specific spatial and temporal pattern. This may enable their future application to studies of chemical biology using model animals.

Genetic effects of low-dose irradiation in Drosophila Melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zajnulin, V.G.; Shaposhnikov, M.V.; Yuraneva, I.N.

2000-01-01

Influence of chronic γ-irradiation at the dose rate of 0.17 cGy/h on the rate of genetic variability in the laboratory strains of Drosophila Melanogaster with genotypic distinguishes by families of mobile genetic elements and of systems of hybrid disgenesis and also violations in reparation processes control mechanisms. It was shown that the rates of induction of recessive lethal mutations depended on genotype of investigated strains. In the different strains an increase as well as a decrease of the mutation rate were observed. Also in was established that irradiation leads to the increase in frequencies of the gonads sterility and mutability of the sn w and h(w + ) in the P-M and H-E dysgenic crosses. Obtained results suggest that mobile genetic elements play an important role in the forming of genetic effects in response to low dose irradiation [ru

Effects of high-LET particles /A-40/ on the brain of Drosophila melanogaster

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Miquel, J.; Herman, M. M.; Benton, E. V.; Welch, G.

1976-01-01

To investigate the effects of galactic heavy particles on nervous tissue, Drosophila melanogaster flies were exposed to A-40 from the Super-HILAC accelerator at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The energy of the particles reaching the Drosophila neurons was 4.8 MeV/nucleon, and the fluence ranged from 60,000 to 80 million particles/sq cm. Thirty-five days after irradiation at the higher fluences, extensive tissue fragmentation and cysts were found. At fluences as low as one hit/two cell bodies (about 5 million) and one hit/90 cell bodies (about 90,000 particles/sq cm or 21 rad average dose) swelling of neuronal cytoplasm and focally fragmented membranes were noted; at fluences ranging from one hit/six to one hit/135 cell bodies, there was frequently a marked increase in glial lamellae around nerve-cell processes, which often had degenerative features. These findings support the view that single hits by heavy particles may injure nervous tissue.

The corticotropin-releasing factor-like diuretic hormone 44 (DH44) and kinin neuropeptides modulate desiccation and starvation tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cannell, Elizabeth; Dornan, Anthony J.; Halberg, Kenneth Agerlin

2016-01-01

Malpighian tubules are critical organs for epithelial fluid transport and stress tolerance in insects, and are under neuroendocrine control by multiple neuropeptides secreted by identified neurons. Here, we demonstrate roles for CRF-like diuretic hormone 44 (DH44) and Drosophila melanogaster kinin...

The effect of royal sun agaricus, agaricus brasiliensis S. Wasser et al., Extract on methyl Methanesulfonate caused genotoxicity in Drosophila melanogaster

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Savic, T.; Patenkovic, A.; Sokovic, M.; Glamoclija, J.; Andjelkovic, M.; Griensven, van L.J.L.D.

2011-01-01

The effect of culinary-medicinal Royal Sun Agaricus (Agaricus brasiliensis) hot water extract on methyl methane sulfonate (MMS) induced mutagenicity/genotoxity in Drosophila melanogaster was studied using a quick and broadly applicable in vivo assay, i.e., the wing somatic mutation and recombination

Life extension and the position of the hormetic zone depends on sex and genetic background in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Sarup, Pernille; Loeschcke, Volker

2011-04-01

Hormesis, the beneficial effect of a mild stress, has been proposed as a means to prolong the period of healthy ageing as it can increase the average lifespan of a cohort. However, if we want to use hormesis therapeutically it is important that the treatment is beneficial on the individual level and not just on average at the population level. Long lived lines have been shown not to benefit from a, in other lines, hormesis inducing heat treatment in Drosophila melanogaster, D. buzzatii and mice. Also in many experiments hormesis has been reported to occur in one sex only, usually males but not in females. Here we investigated the interaction between the hormetic response and genetic background, sex and duration of a mild heat stress in D. melanogaster, using three replicate lines that have been selected for increased longevity and their respective control lines. We found that genetic background influences the position of the hormetic zone. The implication of this result could be that in a genetically diverse populations a treatment that is life prolonging in one individual could be life shortening in other individuals. However, we did find a hormetic response in all combinations of line and sex in at least one of the experiments which suggests that if it is possible to identify the optimal hormetic dose individually hormesis might become a therapeutic treatment.

Comparative Analysis of Drosophila melanogaster Gut Microbiota with Respect to Host Strain, Sex, and Age.

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Han, Gangsik; Lee, Hyo Jung; Jeong, Sang Eun; Jeon, Che Ok; Hyun, Seogang

2017-07-01

Microbiota has a significant impact on the health of the host individual. The complexity of the interactions between mammalian hosts and their microbiota highlights the value of using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, because of its relatively simple microbial community and ease of physiological and genetic manipulation. However, highly variable and sometimes inconsistent results regarding the microbiota of D. melanogaster have been reported for host samples collected from different geographical locations; discrepancies that may be because of the inherent physiological conditions of the D. melanogaster host. Here, we conducted a comparative analysis of the gut microbiota of two D. melanogaster laboratory strains, w 1118 and Canton S, with respect to the sex and age of the host, by pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. In addition to the widespread and abundant commensal bacterial genera Lactobacillus and Acetobacter, we identified Enterococcus and Leuconostoc as major host-strain-specific bacterial genera. The relative proportions of these bacterial genera, and those of the species within each, were found to differ markedly with respect to strain, sex, and age of the host, even though host individuals were reared under the same nutritional conditions. By using various bioinformatic tools, we uncovered several characteristic features of microbiota corresponding to specific categories of the flies: host-sex-bias association of specific bacteria, age-dependent alteration of microbiota across host species and sex, and uniqueness of the microbiota of female w 1118 flies. Our results, thus, help to further our understanding of host-microbe interactions in the D. melanogaster model.

Rhizoxin analogs, orfamide A and chitinase production contribute to the toxicity of Pseudomonas protegens strain Pf-5 to Drosophila melanogaster

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Pseudomonas protegens strain Pf-5 is a soil bacterium that was first described for its activity in biological control of plant diseases and has since been shown to be lethal to certain insects. Among these is the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, a well-established model organism for studies evalu...

Downregulation of dTps1 in Drosophila melanogaster larvae confirms involvement of trehalose in redox regulation following desiccation.

Science.gov (United States)

Thorat, Leena; Mani, Krishna-Priya; Thangaraj, Pradeep; Chatterjee, Suvro; Nath, Bimalendu B

2016-03-01

As a survival strategy to environmental water deficits, desiccation-tolerant organisms are commonly known for their ability to recruit stress-protective biomolecules such as trehalose. We have previously reported the pivotal role of trehalose in larval desiccation tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster. Trehalose has emerged as a versatile molecule, serving mainly as energy source in insects and also being a stress protectant. While several recent reports have revealed the unconventional role of trehalose in scavenging reactive oxygen species in yeast and plants, this aspect has not received much attention in animals. We examined the status of desiccation-induced generation of reactive oxygen species in D. melanogaster larvae and the possible involvement of trehalose in ameliorating the harmful consequences thereof. Insect trehalose synthesis is governed by the enzyme trehalose 6-phosphate synthase 1 (TPS1). Using the ubiquitous da-GAL4-driven expression of the dTps1-RNAi transgene, we generated dTps1-downregulated Drosophila larvae possessing depleted levels of dTps1 transcripts. This resulted in the inability of the larvae for trehalose synthesis, thereby allowing us to elucidate the significance of trehalose in the regulation of desiccation-responsive redox homeostasis. Furthermore, the results from molecular genetics studies, biochemical assays, electron spin resonance analyses and a simple, non-invasive method of whole larval live imaging suggested that trehalose in collaboration with superoxide dismutase (SOD) is involved in the maintenance of redox state in D. melanogaster.

Identification of X-linked quantitative trait loci affecting cold tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster and fine mapping by selective sweep analysis.

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Svetec, Nicolas; Werzner, Annegret; Wilches, Ricardo; Pavlidis, Pavlos; Alvarez-Castro, José M; Broman, Karl W; Metzler, Dirk; Stephan, Wolfgang

2011-02-01

Drosophila melanogaster is a cosmopolitan species that colonizes a great variety of environments. One trait that shows abundant evidence for naturally segregating genetic variance in different populations of D. melanogaster is cold tolerance. Previous work has found quantitative trait loci (QTL) exclusively on the second and the third chromosomes. To gain insight into the genetic architecture of cold tolerance on the X chromosome and to compare the results with our analyses of selective sweeps, a mapping population was derived from a cross between substitution lines that solely differed in the origin of their X chromosome: one originates from a European inbred line and the other one from an African inbred line. We found a total of six QTL for cold tolerance factors on the X chromosome of D. melanogaster. Although the composite interval mapping revealed slightly different QTL profiles between sexes, a coherent model suggests that most QTL overlapped between sexes, and each explained around 5-14% of the genetic variance (which may be slightly overestimated). The allelic effects were largely additive, but we also detected two significant interactions. Taken together, this provides evidence for multiple QTL that are spread along the entire X chromosome and whose effects range from low to intermediate. One detected transgressive QTL influences cold tolerance in different ways for the two sexes. While females benefit from the European allele increasing their cold tolerance, males tend to do better with the African allele. Finally, using selective sweep mapping, the candidate gene CG16700 for cold tolerance colocalizing with a QTL was identified. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Male Drosophila melanogaster learn to prefer an arbitrary trait associated with female mating status

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verzijden, Machteld Nicolette; Abbott, Jessica K.; Philipsborn, Anne von

2015-01-01

Although males are generally less discriminating than females when it comes to choosing a mate, they still benefit from distinguishing between mates that are receptive to courtship and those that are not, in order to avoid wasting time and energy. It is known that males of Drosophila melanogaster...... color, but that males which were trained with sexually receptive females of a given eye color showed a preference for that color during a standard binary choice experiment. The learned cue was indeed likely to be truly visual, since the preference disappeared when the binary choice phase...

Evaluation of the mutagenic potential of Cochlospermum regium in Drosophila melanogaster male germ cells

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Nunes Wanderlene Blanco

2003-01-01

Full Text Available During the last few decades the search for medical treatments based on alternative medicine has increased significantly, making knowledge of the plants commonly used as folk medicines extremely important. The plant Cochlospermum regium, a member of the Cochlospermaceae found in the Brazilian cerrado (a type of savanna, is known to have high depurative activity and to be effective not only in treating skin problems such as pimples, boils and blotches but also in curing gastritis and ulcers. We prepared aqueous extracts using 13, 19 and 25 gL-1 of dried C. regium root and investigated these extracts for possible mutagenic effects on Drosophila melanogaster germ cells. Mutagenesis was assessed using the ring-X loss (RXL test which can detect chromosome mosaicism, partial loss of the ring X chromosome and chromosome non-disjunction. Our results showed that at the concentrations tested C. regium extracts did not induce ring-X loss in D. melanogaster.

Allelic asymmetry of the Lethal hybrid rescue (Lhr) gene expression in the hybrid between Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans: confirmation by using genetic variations of D. melanogaster.

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Shirata, Mika; Araye, Quenta; Maehara, Kazunori; Enya, Sora; Takano-Shimizu, Toshiyuki; Sawamura, Kyoichi

2014-02-01

In the cross between Drosophila melanogaster females and D. simulans males, hybrid males die at the late larval stage, and the sibling females also die at later stages at high temperatures. Removing the D. simulans allele of the Lethal hybrid rescue gene (Lhr (sim) ) improves the hybrid incompatibility phenotypes. However, the loss-of-function mutation of Lhr (sim) (Lhr (sim0) ) does not rescue the hybrid males in crosses with several D. melanogaster strains. We first describe the genetic factor possessed by the D. melanogaster strains. It has been suggested that removing the D. melanogaster allele of Lhr (Lhr (mel) ), that is Lhr (mel0) , does not have the hybrid male rescue effect, contrasting to Lhr (sim0) . Because the expression level of the Lhr gene is known to be Lhr (sim) > Lhr (mel) in the hybrid, Lhr (mel0) may not lead to enough of a reduction in total Lhr expression. Then, there is a possibility that the D. melanogaster factor changes the expression level to Lhr (sim) Lhr (mel) in the hybrid irrespectively of the presence of the factor. At last, we showed that Lhr (mel0) slightly improves the viability of hybrid females, which was not realized previously. All of the present results are consistent with the allelic asymmetry model of the Lhr gene expression in the hybrid.

ARTIFICIAL SELECTION FOR DEVELOPMENTAL TIME IN DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER IN RELATION TO THE EVOLUTION OF AGING - DIRECT AND CORRELATED RESPONSES

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ZWAAN, B; BIJLSMA, R; HOEKSTRA, RF

A wild-type strain of Drosophila melanogaster was successfully selected for both fast and slow larval development. The realized heritabilities (h(2)) ranged from 0.20 to 0.30 for the fast lines and 0.35 to 0.60 for the slow lines. The selection applied is relevant in relation to the evolution of

Differential Microbial Diversity in Drosophila melanogaster: Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?

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Luis A. Ramírez-Camejo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Drosophila melanogaster has become a model system to study interactions between innate immunity and microbial pathogens, yet many aspects regarding its microbial community and interactions with pathogens remain unclear. In this study wild D. melanogaster were collected from tropical fruits in Puerto Rico to test how the microbiota is distributed and to compare the culturable diversity of fungi and bacteria. Additionally, we investigated whether flies are potential vectors of human and plant pathogens. Eighteen species of fungi and twelve species of bacteria were isolated from wild flies. The most abundant microorganisms identified were the yeast Candida inconspicua and the bacterium Klebsiella sp. The yeast Issatchenkia hanoiensis was significantly more common internally than externally in flies. Species richness was higher in fungi than in bacteria, but diversity was lower in fungi than in bacteria. The microbial composition of flies was similar internally and externally. We identified a variety of opportunistic human and plant pathogens in flies such as Alcaligenes faecalis, Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, Fusarium equiseti/oxysporum, Geotrichum candidum, Klebsiella oxytoca, Microbacterium oxydans, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Despite its utility as a model system, D. melanogaster can be a vector of microorganisms that represent a potential risk to plant and public health.

Studies on a photoreactivating enzyme from Drosophila melanogaster cultured cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, L.A.

1982-01-01

A photoreactivating enzyme was purified from Schneider's Line No. 2 Drosophila melanogaster cultured cells. DEAE cellulose chromatography with high potassium phosphate buffer conditions was used to separate nucleic acids from the protein component of the crude cell extract. The protein pass-through fraction from DEAE cellulose was chromatographed on phosphocellulose followed by hydroxylapatite, using linear potassium phosphate gradients to elute the enzyme. Gel filtration chromatography on Sephacryl S-200 resulted in a 4500-fold purification of the enzyme with a final recovery of 4%. The enzyme has an apparent gel filtration molecular weight of 32,900 (+/- 1350 daltons) and an isoelectric pH of 4.9. Optimum ionic strength for activity is 0.17 at pH 6.5 in potassium phosphate buffer. The action spectrum for photoreactivation in Drosophila has an optimum at 365 nm with a response to wavelengths in the range of 313 to 465 nm. Drosophila photoreactivating enzyme contains an essential RNA that is necessary for activity in vitro. The ability of the enzyme to photoreactivate dimers in vitro is abolished by treatment of the enzyme with ribonucleases, or by disruption of the enzyme-RNA complex by electrophoresis or adsorption to DEAE cellulose. The essential RNA is heterogeneous in size but contains a 10-12 base region that may interact with the active site of the enzyme, and thus is protected from degradation by contaminating RNase activities during purification. The RNA is thought to stabilize the photoreactivating enzyme by maintaining the enzyme in the proper configuration for binding to dimer-containing DNA. It is not known whether this RNA is essential for in vivo photoreactivation

Genome-wide analysis of promoter architecture in Drosophila melanogaster

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Hoskins, Roger A.; Landolin, Jane M.; Brown, James B.; Sandler, Jeremy E.; Takahashi, Hazuki; Lassmann, Timo; Yu, Charles; Booth, Benjamin W.; Zhang, Dayu; Wan, Kenneth H.; Yang, Li; Boley, Nathan; Andrews, Justen; Kaufman, Thomas C.; Graveley, Brenton R.; Bickel, Peter J.; Carninci, Piero; Carlson, Joseph W.; Celniker, Susan E.

2010-10-20

Core promoters are critical regions for gene regulation in higher eukaryotes. However, the boundaries of promoter regions, the relative rates of initiation at the transcription start sites (TSSs) distributed within them, and the functional significance of promoter architecture remain poorly understood. We produced a high-resolution map of promoters active in the Drosophila melanogaster embryo by integrating data from three independent and complementary methods: 21 million cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE) tags, 1.2 million RNA ligase mediated rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RLMRACE) reads, and 50,000 cap-trapped expressed sequence tags (ESTs). We defined 12,454 promoters of 8037 genes. Our analysis indicates that, due to non-promoter-associated RNA background signal, previous studies have likely overestimated the number of promoter-associated CAGE clusters by fivefold. We show that TSS distributions form a complex continuum of shapes, and that promoters active in the embryo and adult have highly similar shapes in 95% of cases. This suggests that these distributions are generally determined by static elements such as local DNA sequence and are not modulated by dynamic signals such as histone modifications. Transcription factor binding motifs are differentially enriched as a function of promoter shape, and peaked promoter shape is correlated with both temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression. Our results contribute to the emerging view that core promoters are functionally diverse and control patterning of gene expression in Drosophila and mammals.

Effects of caffeine or maternal repair systems in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osgood, C.; Zimmering, S.

1979-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster females were treated with 1% caffeine, mated with X-rayed males and the frequencies of induced sex-chromosome loss, translocations between the major autosomes and between the Y-chromosome and the major autosomes determined. In a reversal of the results obtained previously with 0.2% caffeine by Mendelson and Sobels, treatment of females with 1% caffeine led to a decrease in sex-chromosome loss, confirming preliminary data of Zimmering and Osgood and in increase in autosome-autosome translocations. It is suggested that the higher concentration of caffeine inhibits replication permitting more time available for chromosome-type restitutions by means of caffeine-insensitive repair mechanisms. In contrast with results for autosome-autosome translocation, the fequency of Y-autosome translocations was depressed below controls suggesting an isolation (by any one of several means) of Y-chromosome breaks from those in the autosomes. (Auth.)

Disparate patterns of thermal adaptation between life stages in temperate vs. tropical Drosophila melanogaster.

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Lockwood, B L; Gupta, T; Scavotto, R

2018-02-01

Many terrestrial ectothermic species exhibit limited variation in upper thermal tolerance across latitude. However, these trends may not signify limited adaptive capacity to increase thermal tolerance in the face of climate change. Instead, thermal tolerance may be similar among populations because behavioural thermoregulation by mobile organisms or life stages may buffer natural selection for thermal tolerance. We compared thermal tolerance of adults and embryos among natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster from a broad range of thermal habitats around the globe to assess natural variation of thermal tolerance in mobile vs. immobile life stages. We found no variation among populations in adult thermal tolerance, but embryonic thermal tolerance was higher in tropical strains than in temperate strains. We further report that embryos live closer to their upper thermal limits than adults - that is, thermal safety margins are smaller for embryos than adults. F1 hybrid embryos from crosses between temperate and tropical populations had thermal tolerance that matched that of tropical embryos, suggesting the dominance of heat-tolerant alleles. Together, our findings suggest that thermal selection has led to divergence in embryonic thermal tolerance but that selection for divergent thermal tolerance may be limited in adults. Further, our results suggest that thermal traits should be measured across life stages to better predict adaptive limits. © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Evaluation of radioprotective efficacy of pyrimidine-5-carboxylate derivative on radiation induced oxidative stress using Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarojini, B.K.; Mohan, B.J.; Narayana, B.; Sanjeev, Ganesh

2014-01-01

In the present study, radioprotection efficacy of Ethyl 4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-methyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4-tetra hydropyrimidine-5-carboxylate (PYR) was evaluated against the gamma ray induced oxidative stress using drosophila melanogaster (Oregon K). The gamma ray irradiated flies were assayed for oxidative stress markers namely; Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and enzymatic antioxidant SOD and CAT. The oxidative stress was induced at 6 Gy. (author)

The Combined Effect of Methyl- and Ethyl-Paraben on Lifespan and Preadult Development Period of Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Qi; Pan, Chenguang; Li, Yajuan; Zhang, Min; Gu, Wei

2016-01-01

Parabens are widely used as preservative substances in foods, pharmaceuticals, industrial products, and cosmetics. But several studies have cautioned that parabens have estrogenic or endocrine-disrupting properties. Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal model in vivo to detect the toxic effects of chemistry. The study was designed to assess the potential additive toxic effects of methylparaben (MP) and ethylparaben (EP) mixture (MP + EP) on lifespan and preadult development period in D. melanogaster The data revealed that the MP + EP can reduce the longevity of flies compared with the control group, consistent with a significant reduction in malondialdehyde levels and an increase in superoxide dismutase activities. Furthermore, MP + EP may have a greater toxic effect on longevity of flies than separate using with the same concentration. Additionally, parabens had a nonmonotonic dose-response effect on D. melanogaster preadult development period, showing that MP + EP delayed preadult development period compared with control group while individual MP or EP significantly shortened (P melanogaster. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

Radioprotective potential of Decalepis hamiltonii: a study on gamma radiation-induced oxidative stress and toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasha, Muzeer; Shivanandappa, T.; Ramesh, S.R.; Sanjeev, Ganesh

2016-01-01

Radiation-induced damage to normal tissues restricts the therapeutic use of radiation in clinical application for cancer treatment and thereby limits the efficacy of the treatment. The use of chemical compounds as radioprotectors is a desirable strategy to improve the therapeutic index of radiotherapy. However, most of the synthetic radioprotective compounds studied have shown to have undesirable properties of toxicity. There is a need for safer, natural radioprotective agents without compromising efficacy of the treatment. We have investigated the radioprotective potential of Decalepis hamiltonii (Dh) root extract which is rich in natural antioxidants by employing Drosophila melanogaster as a model. Irradiation of Drosophila with 100, 200, and 400 Gy of gamma radiation induced dose-dependent mortality. Elevation in the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and depletion of glutathione (GSH) content suggested radiation-induced oxidative stress. Pretreatment of flies with Dh root extract protected them from radiation-induced mortality and oxidative stress as evidenced by reduction in TBARS and restoration of the antioxidant enzymes, SOD and CAT, and GSH to control levels. This is the first report of radioprotective action of Dh root extract in D. melanogaster. (author)

Somatic mutation and recombination induced with reactor thermal neutrons in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zambrano A, F.; Guzman R, J.; Paredes G, L.; Delfin L, A.

1997-01-01

The SMART test of Drosophila melanogaster was used to quantify the effect over the somatic mutation and recombination induced by thermal and fast neutrons at the TRIGA Mark III reactor of the ININ at the power of 300 k W for times of 30, 60 and 120 minutes with total equivalent doses respectively of 20.8, 41.6 and 83.2 Sv. A linear relation between the radiation equivalent dose and the frequency of the genetic effects such as mutation and recombination was observed. The obtained results allow to conclude that SMART is a sensitive system to the induced damage by neutrons, so this can be used for studying its biological effects. (Author)

Adaptation to Chronic Nutritional Stress Leads to Reduced Dependence on Microbiota in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Erkosar, Berra; Kolly, Sylvain; van der Meer, Jan R; Kawecki, Tadeusz J

2017-10-24

Numerous studies have shown that animal nutrition is tightly linked to gut microbiota, especially under nutritional stress. In Drosophila melanogaster , microbiota are known to promote juvenile growth, development, and survival on poor diets, mainly through enhanced digestion leading to changes in hormonal signaling. Here, we show that this reliance on microbiota is greatly reduced in replicated Drosophila populations that became genetically adapted to a poor larval diet in the course of over 170 generations of experimental evolution. Protein and polysaccharide digestion in these poor-diet-adapted populations became much less dependent on colonization with microbiota. This was accompanied by changes in expression levels of dFOXO transcription factor, a key regulator of cell growth and survival, and many of its targets. These evolutionary changes in the expression of dFOXO targets to a large degree mimic the response of the same genes to microbiota, suggesting that the evolutionary adaptation to poor diet acted on mechanisms that normally mediate the response to microbiota. Our study suggests that some metazoans have retained the evolutionary potential to adapt their physiology such that association with microbiota may become optional rather than essential. IMPORTANCE Animals depend on gut microbiota for various metabolic tasks, particularly under conditions of nutritional stress, a relationship usually regarded as an inherent aspect of animal physiology. Here, we use experimental evolution in fly populations to show that the degree of host dependence on microbiota can substantially and rapidly change as the host population evolves in response to poor diet. Our results suggest that, although microbiota may initially greatly facilitate coping with suboptimal diets, chronic nutritional stress experienced over multiple generations leads to evolutionary adaptation in physiology and gut digestive properties that reduces dependence on the microbiota for growth and

Regulation of sleep by neuropeptide Y-like system in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Chunxia He

Full Text Available Sleep is important for maintenance of normal physiology in animals. In mammals, neuropeptide Y (NPY, a homolog of Drosophila neuropeptide F (NPF, is involved in sleep regulation, with different effects in human and rat. However, the function of NPF on sleep in Drosophila melanogaster has not yet been described. In this study, we investigated the effects of NPF and its receptor-neuropeptide F receptor (NPFR1 on Drosophila sleep. Male flies over-expressing NPF or NPFR1 exhibited increased sleep during the nighttime. Further analysis demonstrated that sleep episode duration during nighttime was greatly increased and sleep latency was significantly reduced, indicating that NPF and NPFR1 promote sleep quality, and their action on sleep is not because of an impact of the NPF signal system on development. Moreover, the homeostatic regulation of flies after sleep deprivation was disrupted by altered NPF signaling, since sleep deprivation decreased transcription of NPF in control flies, and there were less sleep loss during sleep deprivation and less sleep gain after sleep deprivation in flies overexpressing NPF and NPFR1 than in control flies, suggesting that NPF system auto-regulation plays an important role in sleep homeostasis. However, these effects did not occur in females, suggesting a sex-dependent regulatory function in sleep for NPF and NPFR1. NPF in D1 brain neurons showed male-specific expression, providing the cellular locus for male-specific regulation of sleep by NPF and NPFR1. This study brings a new understanding into sleep studies of a sexually dimorphic regulatory mode in female and male flies.

Long-Term Resistance of Drosophila melanogaster to the Mushroom Toxin Alpha-Amanitin.

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Chelsea L Mitchell

Full Text Available Insect resistance to toxins exerts not only a great impact on our economy, but also on the ecology of many species. Resistance to one toxin is often associated with cross-resistance to other, sometimes unrelated, chemicals. In this study, we investigated mushroom toxin resistance in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen. This fruit fly species does not feed on mushrooms in nature and may thus have evolved cross-resistance to α-amanitin, the principal toxin of deadly poisonous mushrooms, due to previous pesticide exposure. The three Asian D. melanogaster stocks used in this study, Ama-KTT, Ama-MI, and Ama-KLM, acquired α-amanitin resistance at least five decades ago in their natural habitats in Taiwan, India, and Malaysia, respectively. Here we show that all three stocks have not lost the resistance phenotype despite the absence of selective pressure over the past half century. In response to α-amanitin in the larval food, several signs of developmental retardation become apparent in a concentration-dependent manner: higher pre-adult mortality, prolonged larva-to-adult developmental time, decreased adult body size, and reduced adult longevity. In contrast, female fecundity nearly doubles in response to higher α-amanitin concentrations. Our results suggest that α-amanitin resistance has no fitness cost, which could explain why the resistance has persisted in all three stocks over the past five decades. If pesticides caused α-amanitin resistance in D. melanogaster, their use may go far beyond their intended effects and have long-lasting effects on ecosystems.

Long-Term Resistance of Drosophila melanogaster to the Mushroom Toxin Alpha-Amanitin.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Chelsea L; Yeager, Roger D; Johnson, Zachary J; D'Annunzio, Stephanie E; Vogel, Kara R; Werner, Thomas

2015-01-01

Insect resistance to toxins exerts not only a great impact on our economy, but also on the ecology of many species. Resistance to one toxin is often associated with cross-resistance to other, sometimes unrelated, chemicals. In this study, we investigated mushroom toxin resistance in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen). This fruit fly species does not feed on mushrooms in nature and may thus have evolved cross-resistance to α-amanitin, the principal toxin of deadly poisonous mushrooms, due to previous pesticide exposure. The three Asian D. melanogaster stocks used in this study, Ama-KTT, Ama-MI, and Ama-KLM, acquired α-amanitin resistance at least five decades ago in their natural habitats in Taiwan, India, and Malaysia, respectively. Here we show that all three stocks have not lost the resistance phenotype despite the absence of selective pressure over the past half century. In response to α-amanitin in the larval food, several signs of developmental retardation become apparent in a concentration-dependent manner: higher pre-adult mortality, prolonged larva-to-adult developmental time, decreased adult body size, and reduced adult longevity. In contrast, female fecundity nearly doubles in response to higher α-amanitin concentrations. Our results suggest that α-amanitin resistance has no fitness cost, which could explain why the resistance has persisted in all three stocks over the past five decades. If pesticides caused α-amanitin resistance in D. melanogaster, their use may go far beyond their intended effects and have long-lasting effects on ecosystems.

The Centrioles, Centrosomes, Basal Bodies, and Cilia of Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Lattao, Ramona; Kovács, Levente; Glover, David M

2017-05-01

Centrioles play a key role in the development of the fly. They are needed for the correct formation of centrosomes, the organelles at the poles of the spindle that can persist as microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) into interphase. The ability to nucleate cytoplasmic microtubules (MTs) is a property of the surrounding pericentriolar material (PCM). The centriole has a dual life, existing not only as the core of the centrosome but also as the basal body, the structure that templates the formation of cilia and flagellae. Thus the structure and functions of the centriole, the centrosome, and the basal body have an impact upon many aspects of development and physiology that can readily be modeled in Drosophila Centrosomes are essential to give organization to the rapidly increasing numbers of nuclei in the syncytial embryo and for the spatially precise execution of cell division in numerous tissues, particularly during male meiosis. Although mitotic cell cycles can take place in the absence of centrosomes, this is an error-prone process that opens up the fly to developmental defects and the potential of tumor formation. Here, we review the structure and functions of the centriole, the centrosome, and the basal body in different tissues and cultured cells of Drosophila melanogaster , highlighting their contributions to different aspects of development and cell division. Copyright © 2017 Lattao et al.

Methylmercury Exposure Induces Sexual Dysfunction in Male and Female Drosophila Melanogaster.

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Chauhan, Ved; Srikumar, Syian; Aamer, Sarah; Pandareesh, Mirazkar D; Chauhan, Abha

2017-09-24

Mercury, an environmental health hazard, is a neurotoxic heavy metal. In this study, the effect of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure was analyzed on sexual behavior in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), because neurons play a vital role in sexual functions. The virgin male and female flies were fed a diet mixed with different concentrations of MeHg (28.25, 56.5, 113, 226, and 339 µM) for four days, and the effect of MeHg on copulation of these flies was studied. While male and female control flies (no MeHg) and flies fed with lower concentrations of MeHg (28.25, 56.5 µM) copulated in a normal manner, male and female flies exposed to higher concentrations of MeHg (113, 226, and 339 µM) did not copulate. When male flies exposed to higher concentrations of MeHg were allowed to copulate with control female flies, only male flies fed with 113 µM MeHg were able to copulate. On the other hand, when female flies exposed to higher concentrations of MeHg were allowed to copulate with control male flies, none of the flies could copulate. After introduction of male and female flies in the copulation chamber, duration of wing flapping by male flies decreased in a MeHg-concentration-dependent manner from 101 ± 24 seconds (control) to 100.7 ± 18, 96 ±12, 59 ± 44, 31 ± 15, and 3.7 ± 2.7 seconds at 28.25, 56.5, 113, 226, and 339 µM MeHg, respectively. On the other hand, grooming in male and female flies increased in a MeHg-concentration-dependent manner. These findings suggest that MeHg exposure causes sexual dysfunction in male and female Drosophila melanogaster . Further studies showed that MeHg exposure increased oxidative stress and decreased triglyceride levels in a concentration-dependent manner in both male and female flies, suggesting that MeHg-induced oxidative stress and decreased triglyceride levels may partly contribute to sexual dysfunction in fruit flies.

Sexual selection, sexual isolation and pheromones in Drosophila melanogaster strains after long-term maintaining on different diets.

Science.gov (United States)

Trajković, Jelena; Miličić, Dragana; Savić, Tatjana; Pavković-Lučić, Sofija

2017-07-01

Evolution of reproductive isolation may be a consequence of a variety of signals used in courtship and mate preferences. Pheromones play an important role in both sexual selection and sexual isolation. The abundance of pheromones in Drosophila melanogaster may depend on different environmental factors, including diet. The aim of this study was to ascertain to which degree principal pheromones affect sexual selection in D. melanogaster. We used D. melanogaster strains reared for 14 years on four substrates: standard cornmeal substrate and those containing tomato, banana and carrot. We have previously determined that long-term maintaining of these dietary strains resulted in differences in their cuticular hydrocarbons profile (CHs). In this work, we have tested the level of sexual selection and sexual isolation between aforementioned strains. We found that the high levels of cis-vaccenyl acetate, 7-pentacosene and 7,11-nonacosadiene in the strain reared on a substrate containing carrot affected the individual attractiveness and influenced sexual isolation between flies of this strain and flies reared on a substrate containing banana. Based on these results, long-term different diets, may contribute, to sexual behaviour of D. melanogaster via the effects of principal pheromones. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interactions between Drosophila and its natural yeast symbionts-Is Saccharomyces cerevisiae a good model for studying the fly-yeast relationship?

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Hoang, Don; Kopp, Artyom; Chandler, James Angus

2015-01-01

Yeasts play an important role in the biology of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In addition to being a valuable source of nutrition, yeasts affect D. melanogaster behavior and interact with the host immune system. Most experiments investigating the role of yeasts in D. melanogaster biology use the baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, S. cerevisiae is rarely found with natural populations of D. melanogaster or other Drosophila species. Moreover, the strain of S. cerevisiae used most often in D. melanogaster experiments is a commercially and industrially important strain that, to the best of our knowledge, was not isolated from flies. Since disrupting natural host-microbe interactions can have profound effects on host biology, the results from D. melanogaster-S. cerevisiae laboratory experiments may not be fully representative of host-microbe interactions in nature. In this study, we explore the D. melanogaster-yeast relationship using five different strains of yeast that were isolated from wild Drosophila populations. Ingested live yeasts have variable persistence in the D. melanogaster gastrointestinal tract. For example, Hanseniaspora occidentalis persists relative to S. cerevisiae, while Brettanomyces naardenensis is removed. Despite these differences in persistence relative to S. cerevisiae, we find that all yeasts decrease in total abundance over time. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are an important component of the D. melanogaster anti-microbial response and can inhibit S. cerevisiae growth in the intestine. To determine if sensitivity to ROS explains the differences in yeast persistence, we measured yeast growth in the presence and absence of hydrogen peroxide. We find that B. naardenesis is completely inhibited by hydrogen peroxide, while H. occidentalis is not, which is consistent with yeast sensitivity to ROS affecting persistence within the D. melanogaster gastrointestinal tract. We also compared the feeding preference of D

Phenotypic Plasticity through Transcriptional Regulation of the Evolutionary Hotspot Gene tan in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Jean-Michel Gibert

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of a given genotype to produce different phenotypes in response to distinct environmental conditions. Phenotypic plasticity can be adaptive. Furthermore, it is thought to facilitate evolution. Although phenotypic plasticity is a widespread phenomenon, its molecular mechanisms are only beginning to be unravelled. Environmental conditions can affect gene expression through modification of chromatin structure, mainly via histone modifications, nucleosome remodelling or DNA methylation, suggesting that phenotypic plasticity might partly be due to chromatin plasticity. As a model of phenotypic plasticity, we study abdominal pigmentation of Drosophila melanogaster females, which is temperature sensitive. Abdominal pigmentation is indeed darker in females grown at 18°C than at 29°C. This phenomenon is thought to be adaptive as the dark pigmentation produced at lower temperature increases body temperature. We show here that temperature modulates the expression of tan (t, a pigmentation gene involved in melanin production. t is expressed 7 times more at 18°C than at 29°C in female abdominal epidermis. Genetic experiments show that modulation of t expression by temperature is essential for female abdominal pigmentation plasticity. Temperature modulates the activity of an enhancer of t without modifying compaction of its chromatin or level of the active histone mark H3K27ac. By contrast, the active mark H3K4me3 on the t promoter is strongly modulated by temperature. The H3K4 methyl-transferase involved in this process is likely Trithorax, as we show that it regulates t expression and the H3K4me3 level on the t promoter and also participates in female pigmentation and its plasticity. Interestingly, t was previously shown to be involved in inter-individual variation of female abdominal pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster, and in abdominal pigmentation divergence between Drosophila species. Sensitivity of t

Tolerance in Drosophila

OpenAIRE

Atkinson, Nigel S.

2009-01-01

The set of genes that underlie ethanol tolerance (inducible resistance) are likely to overlap with the set of genes responsible for ethanol addiction. Whereas addiction is difficult to recognize in simple model systems, behavioral tolerance is readily identifiable and can be induced in large populations of animals. Thus, tolerance lends itself to analysis in model systems with powerful genetics. Drosophila melanogaster has been used by a variety of laboratories for the identification of genes...

Pomegranate juice enhances healthy lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Padmavathy eVenkatasubramanian

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Exploring innovative ways to ensure healthy ageing of populations is a pre-requisite to contain rising healthcare costs. Scientific research into the principles and practices of traditional medicines can provide new insights and simple solutions to lead a healthy life. Rasayana is a dedicated branch of Ayurveda (an Indian medicine that deals with methods to increase vitality and delay aging through the use of diet, herbal supplements and other lifestyle practices. The life-span and health-span enhancing actions of the fruits of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L., a well-known Rasayana, were tested on Drosophila melanogaster (fruitfly model. Supplementation of standard corn meal with 10% (v/v pomegranate juice (PJ extended the life-span of male and female flies by 18% and 8% respectively. When male and female flies were mixed and reared together, there was 19% increase in the longevity of PJ fed flies, as assessed by MSD, the median survival day (24.8. MSD for control and resveratrol (RV groups was at 20.8 and 23.1 days respectively. A two-fold enhancement in fecundity, improved resistance to oxidative stress (H2O2 and paraquat induced and to Candida albicans infection were observed in PJ fed flies. Further, the flies in the PJ fed group were physically active over an extended period of time, as assessed by the climbing assay. PJ thus outperformed both control and RV groups in the life-span and health-span parameters tested. This study provides the scope to explore the potential of PJ as a nutraceutical to improve health span and lifespan in humans.

How gut transcriptional function of Drosophila melanogaster varies with the presence and composition of the gut microbiota.

Science.gov (United States)

Bost, Alyssa; Franzenburg, Soeren; Adair, Karen L; Martinson, Vincent G; Loeb, Greg; Douglas, Angela E

2018-04-01

Despite evidence from laboratory experiments that perturbation of the gut microbiota affects many traits of the animal host, our understanding of the effect of variation in microbiota composition on animals in natural populations is very limited. The core purpose of this study on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster was to identify the impact of natural variation in the taxonomic composition of gut bacterial communities on host traits, with the gut transcriptome as a molecular index of microbiota-responsive host traits. Use of the gut transcriptome was validated by demonstrating significant transcriptional differences between the guts of laboratory flies colonized with bacteria and maintained under axenic conditions. Wild Drosophila from six field collections made over two years had gut bacterial communities of diverse composition, dominated to varying extents by Acetobacteraceae and Enterobacteriaceae. The gut transcriptomes also varied among collections and differed markedly from those of laboratory flies. However, no overall relationship between variation in the wild fly transcriptome and taxonomic composition of the gut microbiota was evident at all taxonomic scales of bacteria tested for both individual fly genes and functional categories in Gene Ontology. We conclude that the interaction between microbiota composition and host functional traits may be confounded by uncontrolled variation in both ecological circumstance and host traits (e.g., genotype, age physiological condition) under natural conditions, and that microbiota effects on host traits identified in the laboratory should, therefore, be extrapolated to field population with great caution. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evolution of robust circadian clocks in Drosophila melanogaster populations reared in constant dark for over 330 generations

Science.gov (United States)

Shindey, Radhika; Varma, Vishwanath; Nikhil, K. L.; Sharma, Vijay Kumar

2016-10-01

Robustness is considered to be an important feature of biological systems which may evolve when the functionality of a trait is associated with higher fitness across multiple environmental conditions. Thus, the ability to maintain stable biological phenotypes across environments is thought to be of adaptive value. Previously, we have reported higher intrinsic activity levels (activity levels of free-running rhythm in constant darkness) and power of rhythm (as assessed by amplitude of the periodogram) in Drosophila melanogaster populations (stocks) reared in constant darkness (DD stocks) as compared to those reared in constant light (LL stocks) and 12:12-h light-dark cycles (LD stocks) for over 19 years (˜330 generations). In the current study, we intended to examine whether the enhanced levels of activity observed in DD stocks persist under various environments such as photoperiods, ambient temperatures, non-24-h light-dark (LD) cycles, and semi-natural conditions (SN). We found that DD stocks largely retain their phenotype of enhanced activity levels across most of the above-mentioned environments suggesting the evolution of robust circadian clocks in DD stocks. Furthermore, we compared the peak activity levels of the three stocks across different environmental conditions relative to their peaks in constant darkness and found that the change in peak activity levels upon entrainment was not significantly different across the three stocks for any of the examined environmental conditions. This suggests that the enhancement of activity levels in DD stocks is not due to differential sensitivity to environment. Thus, these results suggest that rearing in constant darkness (DD) leads to evolution of robust circadian clocks suggesting a possible adaptive value of possessing such rhythms under constant dark environments.

Cardiac optogenetic pacing in drosophila melanogaster using red-shifted opsins (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Men, Jing; Li, Airong; Jerwick, Jason; Tanzi, Rudolph E.; Zhou, Chao

2017-02-01

Electrical pacing is the current gold standard for investigation of mammalian cardiac electrical conduction systems as well as for treatment of certain cardiac pathologies. However, this method requires an invasive surgical procedure to implant the pacing electrodes. Recently, optogenetic pacing has been developed as an alternative, non-invasive method for heartbeat pacing in animals. It induces heartbeats by shining pulsed light on transgene-generated microbial opsins which in turn activate light gated ion channels in animal hearts. However, commonly used opsins, such as channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), require short light wavelength stimulation (475 nm), which is strongly absorbed and scattered by tissue. Here, we expressed recently engineered red-shifted opsins, ReaChR and CsChrimson, in the heart of a well-developed animal model, Drosophila melanogaster, for the first time. Optogenetic pacing was successfully conducted in both ReaChR and CsChrimson flies at their larval, pupal, and adult stages using 617 nm excitation light pulse, enabling a much deeper tissue penetration compared to blue stimulation light. A customized high speed and ultrahigh resolution OCM system was used to non-invasively monitor the heartbeat pacing in Drosophila. Compared to previous studies on optogenetic pacing of Drosophila, higher penetration depth of optogenetic excitation light was achieved in opaque late pupal flies. Lower stimulating power density is needed for excitation at each developmental stage of both groups, which improves the safety of this technique for heart rhythm studies.

Effects of high-LET particles (40A) on the brain of Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miquel, J.; Herman, M.M.; Benton, E.V.; Welch, G.

1976-01-01

To investigate the effects of galactic heavy particles on nervous tissue, Drosophila melanogaster flies were exposed to 40 A from the Super-HILAC accelerator at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The energy of the particles reaching the Drosophila neurons was 4.8 MeV/nucleon, and the fluence ranged from 6 x 10 4 to 8 x 10 7 particles/cm 2 . Thirty-five days after irradiation at the higher fluences, extensive tissue fragmentation and cysts were found. At fluences as low as one hit/two cell bodies (about 5 x 10 6 ) and one hit/90 cell bodies (about 9 x 10 4 particles/cm 2 or 21 rad average dose) swelling of neuronal cytoplasm and focally fragmented membranes were noted; at fluences ranging from one hit/six to one hit/135 cell bodies, there was frequently a marked increase in glial lamellae around nerve-cell processes, which often had degenerative features. These findings support the view that single hits by heavy particles may injure nervous tissue. (author)

The Drosophila melanogaster homolog of UBE3A is not imprinted in neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Hope, Kevin A; LeDoux, Mark S; Reiter, Lawrence T

2016-09-01

In mammals, expression of UBE3A is epigenetically regulated in neurons and expression is restricted to the maternal copy of UBE3A. A recent report claimed that Drosophila melanogaster UBE3A homolog (Dube3a) is preferentially expressed from the maternal allele in fly brain, inferring an imprinting mechanism. However, complex epigenetic regulatory features of the mammalian imprinting center are not present in Drosophila, and allele specific expression of Dube3a has not been documented. We used behavioral and electrophysiological analysis of the Dube3a loss-of-function allele (Dube3a 15b ) to investigate Dube3a imprinting in fly neurons. We found that motor impairment (climbing ability) and a newly-characterized defect in synaptic transmission are independent of parental inheritance of the Dube3a 15b allele. Furthermore, expression analysis of coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Dube3a did not reveal allele specific expression differences among reciprocal crosses. These data indicate that Dube3a is neither imprinted nor preferentially expressed from the maternal allele in fly neurons.

In vivo 3D PIXE-micron-CT imaging of Drosophila melanogaster using a contrast agent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsuyama, Shigeo; Hamada, Naoki; Ishii, Keizo; Nozawa, Yuichiro; Ohkura, Satoru; Terakawa, Atsuki; Hatori, Yoshinobu; Fujiki, Kota; Fujiwara, Mitsuhiro; Toyama, Sho

2015-04-01

In this study, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) in vivo imaging system for imaging small insects with micrometer resolution. The 3D CT imaging system, referred to as 3D PIXE-micron-CT (PIXEμCT), uses characteristic X-rays produced by ion microbeam bombardment of a metal target. PIXEμCT was used to observe the body organs and internal structure of a living Drosophila melanogaster. Although the organs of the thorax were clearly imaged, the digestive organs in the abdominal cavity could not be clearly discerned initially, with the exception of the rectum and the Malpighian tubule. To enhance the abdominal images, a barium sulfate powder radiocontrast agent was added. For the first time, 3D images of the ventriculus of a living D. melanogaster were obtained. Our results showed that PIXEμCT can provide in vivo 3D-CT images that reflect correctly the structure of individual living organs, which is expected to be very useful in biological research.

Cytochrome c oxidase loses catalytic activity and structural integrity during the aging process in Drosophila melanogaster

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, Jian-Ching; Rebrin, Igor [Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033 (United States); Klichko, Vladimir; Orr, William C. [Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275 (United States); Sohal, Rajindar S., E-mail: sohal@usc.edu [Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033 (United States)

2010-10-08

Research highlights: {yields} Cytochrome c oxidase loses catalytic activity during the aging process. {yields} Abundance of seven nuclear-encoded subunits of cytochrome c oxidase decreased with age in Drosophila. {yields} Cytochrome c oxidase is specific intra-mitochondrial site of age-related deterioration. -- Abstract: The hypothesis, that structural deterioration of cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) is a causal factor in the age-related decline in mitochondrial respiratory activity and an increase in H{sub 2}O{sub 2} generation, was tested in Drosophila melanogaster. CcO activity and the levels of seven different nuclear DNA-encoded CcO subunits were determined at three different stages of adult life, namely, young-, middle-, and old-age. CcO activity declined progressively with age by 33%. Western blot analysis, using antibodies specific to Drosophila CcO subunits IV, Va, Vb, VIb, VIc, VIIc, and VIII, indicated that the abundance these polypeptides decreased, ranging from 11% to 40%, during aging. These and previous results suggest that CcO is a specific intra-mitochondrial site of age-related deterioration, which may have a broad impact on mitochondrial physiology.

Cytochrome c oxidase loses catalytic activity and structural integrity during the aging process in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, Jian-Ching; Rebrin, Igor; Klichko, Vladimir; Orr, William C.; Sohal, Rajindar S.

2010-01-01

Research highlights: → Cytochrome c oxidase loses catalytic activity during the aging process. → Abundance of seven nuclear-encoded subunits of cytochrome c oxidase decreased with age in Drosophila. → Cytochrome c oxidase is specific intra-mitochondrial site of age-related deterioration. -- Abstract: The hypothesis, that structural deterioration of cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) is a causal factor in the age-related decline in mitochondrial respiratory activity and an increase in H 2 O 2 generation, was tested in Drosophila melanogaster. CcO activity and the levels of seven different nuclear DNA-encoded CcO subunits were determined at three different stages of adult life, namely, young-, middle-, and old-age. CcO activity declined progressively with age by 33%. Western blot analysis, using antibodies specific to Drosophila CcO subunits IV, Va, Vb, VIb, VIc, VIIc, and VIII, indicated that the abundance these polypeptides decreased, ranging from 11% to 40%, during aging. These and previous results suggest that CcO is a specific intra-mitochondrial site of age-related deterioration, which may have a broad impact on mitochondrial physiology.

The effects of chronic low dose irradiation on drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zajnullin, V.G.; Moskalev, A.A.; Shaposhnikov, M.V.; Yuraneva, I.N.; Taskaev, A.I.

2001-01-01

It was investigated the influence of the chronic gamma-irradiation in the dose rate of 0.17 cGy/h on the rate of genetic variability and on the life-span in the laboratory strains of Drosophila melanogaster with genotypic distinguishes in mobile genetic elements and defects in the DNA repair processes. It is shown that the radiation-induced alteration of the traits under study depends from genotype of investigated strains. In the different strains we have observed an increase as well as a decrease of the mutation rate and life-span. Also it was established that irradiation leads to the frequencies of the GD-sterility and mutability of the snw and h(w+) in the P-M and H-E dysgenic crosses. The obtained results suggest that mobile genetic elements play an important role in the forming of genetic effects in response to low dose irradiation. (author)

Genomic Evidence for Adaptive Inversion Clines in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Kapun, Martin; Fabian, Daniel K; Goudet, Jérôme; Flatt, Thomas

2016-05-01

Clines in chromosomal inversion polymorphisms-presumably driven by climatic gradients-are common but there is surprisingly little evidence for selection acting on them. Here we address this long-standing issue in Drosophila melanogaster by using diagnostic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to estimate inversion frequencies from 28 whole-genome Pool-seq samples collected from 10 populations along the North American east coast. Inversions In(3L)P, In(3R)Mo, and In(3R)Payne showed clear latitudinal clines, and for In(2L)t, In(2R)NS, and In(3R)Payne the steepness of the clinal slopes changed between summer and fall. Consistent with an effect of seasonality on inversion frequencies, we detected small but stable seasonal fluctuations of In(2R)NS and In(3R)Payne in a temperate Pennsylvanian population over 4 years. In support of spatially varying selection, we observed that the cline in In(3R)Payne has remained stable for >40 years and that the frequencies of In(2L)t and In(3R)Payne are strongly correlated with climatic factors that vary latitudinally, independent of population structure. To test whether these patterns are adaptive, we compared the amount of genetic differentiation of inversions versus neutral SNPs and found that the clines in In(2L)t and In(3R)Payne are maintained nonneutrally and independent of admixture. We also identified numerous clinal inversion-associated SNPs, many of which exhibit parallel differentiation along the Australian cline and reside in genes known to affect fitness-related traits. Together, our results provide strong evidence that inversion clines are maintained by spatially-and perhaps also temporally-varying selection. We interpret our data in light of current hypotheses about how inversions are established and maintained. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Proviral amplification of the Gypsy endogenous retrovirus of Drosophila melanogaster involves env-independent invasion of the female germline.

OpenAIRE

Chalvet, F; Teysset, L; Terzian, C; Prud'homme, N; Santamaria, P; Bucheton, A; Pélisson, A

1999-01-01

Gypsy is an infectious endogenous retrovirus of Drosophila melanogaster. The gypsy proviruses replicate very efficiently in the genome of the progeny of females homozygous for permissive alleles of the flamenco gene. This replicative transposition is correlated with derepression of gypsy expression, specifically in the somatic cells of the ovaries of the permissive mothers. The determinism of this amplification was studied further by making chimeric mothers containing different permissive/res...

miR-11 regulates pupal size of Drosophila melanogaster via directly targeting Ras85D.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yao; Li, Shengjie; Jin, Ping; Chen, Liming; Ma, Fei

2017-01-01

MicroRNAs play diverse roles in various physiological processes during Drosophila development. In the present study, we reported that miR-11 regulates pupal size during Drosophila metamorphosis via targeting Ras85D with the following evidences: pupal size was increased in the miR-11 deletion mutant; restoration of miR-11 in the miR-11 deletion mutant rescued the increased pupal size phenotype observed in the miR-11 deletion mutant; ectopic expression of miR-11 in brain insulin-producing cells (IPCs) and whole body shows consistent alteration of pupal size; Dilps and Ras85D expressions were negatively regulated by miR-11 in vivo; miR-11 targets Ras85D through directly binding to Ras85D 3'-untranslated region in vitro; removal of one copy of Ras85D in the miR-11 deletion mutant rescued the increased pupal size phenotype observed in the miR-11 deletion mutant. Thus, our current work provides a novel mechanism of pupal size determination by microRNAs during Drosophila melanogaster metamorphosis. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

RGE of fission neutrons under the recessive mutation induction in Drosophila Melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleksandrov, I.D.; Aleksandrova, M.V.; Lapidus, I.L.; Korablinova, S.V.; )

2001-01-01

The RCR-analysis of 81 γ- and neutron-induced vg recessive mutations in ripe sperm of Drosophila melanogaster males of combined with complementation assay with the vg[nw83b27] deletion mutation is used to detect precisely the RGE values of neutrons (0.85 MeV) under the chromosome and point mutation induction. The results obtained show that all genetic end-points increase linearly with γ-ray and neutron dose. Thereby, the efficacy of neutrons is found to be twice (and more) as large as that of γ-rays under the all macro- and micro-aberration mutation induction. Unlike that, the RGE of neutrons are more than twice as low as that of γ-rays under the gene/point mutation induction [ru

A comprehensive study of the harmful effects of ZnO nanoparticles using Drosophila melanogaster as an in vivo model.

Science.gov (United States)

Alaraby, Mohamed; Annangi, Balasubramanyam; Hernández, Alba; Creus, Amadeu; Marcos, Ricard

2015-10-15

This study planned to determine the range of biological effects associated with ZnO-NP exposure using Drosophila melanogaster as an in vivo model. In addition, ZnCl2 was used to determine the potential role of Zn ions alone. Toxicity, internalization through the intestinal barrier, gene expression changes, ROS production, and genotoxicity were the end-points evaluated. No toxicity or oxidative stress induction was observed in D. melanogaster larvae, whether using ZnO-NPs or ZnCl2. Internalization of ZnO-NPs through the intestinal barrier was observed. No significant changes in the frequency of mutant clones (wing-spot test) or percentage of DNA in tail (comet assay) were observed although significant changes in Hsp70 and p53 gene expression were detected. Our study shows that ZnO-NPs do not induce toxicity or genotoxicity in D. melanogaster, although uptake occurs and altered gene expression is observed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Silver nanoparticles induced heat shock protein 70, oxidative stress and apoptosis in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahamed, Maqusood; Posgai, Ryan; Gorey, Timothy J; Nielsen, Mark; Hussain, Saber M; Rowe, John J

2010-02-01

Due to the intensive commercial application of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), risk assessment of this nanoparticle is of great importance. Our previous in vitro study demonstrated that Ag NPs caused DNA damage and apoptosis in mouse embryonic stem cells and fibroblasts. However, toxicity of Ag NPs in vivo is largely lacking. This study was undertaken to examine the toxic effects of well-characterized polysaccharide coated 10 nm Ag NPs on heat shock stress, oxidative stress, DNA damage and apoptosis in Drosophila melanogaster. Third instar larvae of D. melanogaster were fed a diet of standard cornmeal media mixed with Ag NPs at the concentrations of 50 and 100 microg/ml for 24 and 48 h. Ag NPs up-regulated the expression of heat shock protein 70 and induced oxidative stress in D. melanogaster. Malondialdehyde level, an end product of lipid peroxidation was significantly higher while antioxidant glutathione content was significantly lower in Ag NPs exposed organisms. Activities of antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase and catalase were also significantly higher in the organisms exposed to Ag NPs. Furthermore, Ag NPs up-regulated the cell cycle checkpoint p53 and cell signaling protein p38 that are involved in the DNA damage repair pathway. Moreover, activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9, markers of apoptosis were significantly higher in Ag NPs exposed organisms. The results indicate that Ag NPs in D. melanogaster induce heat shock stress, oxidative stress, DNA damage and apoptosis. This study suggests that the organism is stressed and thus warrants more careful assessment of Ag NPs using in vivo models to determine if chronic exposure presents developmental and reproductive toxicity. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Silver nanoparticles induced heat shock protein 70, oxidative stress and apoptosis in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahamed, Maqusood; Posgai, Ryan; Gorey, Timothy J.; Nielsen, Mark; Hussain, Saber M.; Rowe, John J.

2010-01-01

Due to the intensive commercial application of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), risk assessment of this nanoparticle is of great importance. Our previous in vitro study demonstrated that Ag NPs caused DNA damage and apoptosis in mouse embryonic stem cells and fibroblasts. However, toxicity of Ag NPs in vivo is largely lacking. This study was undertaken to examine the toxic effects of well-characterized polysaccharide coated 10 nm Ag NPs on heat shock stress, oxidative stress, DNA damage and apoptosis in Drosophila melanogaster. Third instar larvae of D. melanogaster were fed a diet of standard cornmeal media mixed with Ag NPs at the concentrations of 50 and 100 μg/ml for 24 and 48 h. Ag NPs up-regulated the expression of heat shock protein 70 and induced oxidative stress in D. melanogaster. Malondialdehyde level, an end product of lipid peroxidation was significantly higher while antioxidant glutathione content was significantly lower in Ag NPs exposed organisms. Activities of antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase and catalase were also significantly higher in the organisms exposed to Ag NPs. Furthermore, Ag NPs up-regulated the cell cycle checkpoint p53 and cell signaling protein p38 that are involved in the DNA damage repair pathway. Moreover, activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9, markers of apoptosis were significantly higher in Ag NPs exposed organisms. The results indicate that Ag NPs in D. melanogaster induce heat shock stress, oxidative stress, DNA damage and apoptosis. This study suggests that the organism is stressed and thus warrants more careful assessment of Ag NPs using in vivo models to determine if chronic exposure presents developmental and reproductive toxicity.

Mutagenic effect of radionuclides incorporated into DNA of Drosophila melanogaster. Technical progress report, December 15, 1985-July 15, 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, W.R.

1986-01-01

This project compares the mutagenic effect of ionizing radiation from tritium to that of x-ray. Mutants are described at the molecular level after having been characterized by classical genetic techniques in Drosophila melanogaster, therefore tying together the molecular studies with previous work in mutagenesis. The objectives of this project are to analyze x-ray and tritium induced mutants by ''walking down'' the chromosomes and studying the frequency of breaks that are not associated with the gene used in screening for the mutants, to study the molecular effect of these mutants in heterozygotes with the aim of developing methods of detecting mutants in heterozygotes that may be applicable to human populations, and to induce mutants from tritium beta radiation and analyze them at the molecular level. 9 refs., 4 figs

Genome differentiation of Drosophila melanogaster from a microclimate contrast in Evolution Canyon, Israel

Science.gov (United States)

Hübner, Sariel; Rashkovetsky, Eugenia; Kim, Young Bun; Oh, Jung Hun; Michalak, Katarzyna; Weiner, Dmitry; Korol, Abraham B.; Nevo, Eviatar; Michalak, Pawel

2013-01-01

The opposite slopes of “Evolution Canyon” in Israel have served as a natural model system of adaptation to a microclimate contrast. Long-term studies of Drosophila melanogaster populations inhabiting the canyon have exhibited significant interslope divergence in thermal and drought stress resistance, candidate genes, mobile elements, habitat choice, mating discrimination, and wing-shape variation, all despite close physical proximity of the contrasting habitats, as well as substantial interslope migration. To examine patterns of genetic differentiation at the genome-wide level, we used high coverage sequencing of the flies’ genomes. A total of 572 genes were significantly different in allele frequency between the slopes, 106 out of which were associated with 74 significantly overrepresented gene ontology (GO) terms, particularly so with response to stimulus and developmental and reproductive processes, thus corroborating previous observations of interslope divergence in stress response, life history, and mating functions. There were at least 37 chromosomal “islands” of interslope divergence and low sequence polymorphism, plausible signatures of selective sweeps, more abundant in flies derived from one (north-facing) of the slopes. Positive correlation between local recombination rate and the level of nucleotide polymorphism was also found. PMID:24324170

Naturally occurring genetic variation affecting the expression of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Laurie-Ahlberg, C C; Bewley, G C

1983-10-01

Genetic variation among second and third chromosomes from natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster affects the activity level of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.8; GPDH) at both the larval and the adult stages. The genetic effects, represented by differences among chromosome substitution lines with coisogenic backgrounds, are very repeatable over time and are generally substantially larger than environmental and measurement error effects. Neither the GPDH allozyme, the geographic origin, nor the karyotype of the chromosome contributes significantly to GPDH activity variation. The strong relationship between GPDH activity level and GPDH-specific CRM level, as well as our failure to find any thermostability variation among the lines, indicates that most, if not all, of the activity variation is due to variation in the steady-state quantity of enzyme rather than in its catalytic properties. The lack of a strong relationship between adult and larval activity levels suggests the importance of stage- or isozyme-specific effects.

Evolution of the proportions of two sigma viral types in experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster in the absence of the allele that is restrictive of viral multiplication.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleuriet, A

1999-12-01

A minority of flies in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster are endemically infected by a rhabdovirus, sigma. The virus is vertically transmitted through male and female gametes. Two alleles of a fly locus, the ref(2)P locus, are present as a polymorphism in all populations: O permissive, and P restrictive for viral multiplication and transmission. Two viral types are known, Type I, which is very sensitive to the P allele, and Type II, which is more resistant. Previous observations have shown that, in presence of the P allele, viral Type II is selected for, in both natural and experimental populations. The aim of the present study was to determine whether, in the absence of P, Type I is selected for, or whether the two types are equivalent. For this purpose, experimental populations deprived of the P allele and differing in the initial proportions of the two viral types were established. After several generations, and despite a possible bias toward Type I, the frequencies of Type I and Type II clones differed in the various populations, depending on their initial values. These findings do not rule out selective advantage of viral Type I in the absence of P, but suggest that, if any, this advantage is in no way comparable to that displayed by viral Type II in the presence of P.

Evolutionary changes in gene expression, coding sequence and copy-number at the Cyp6g1 locus contribute to resistance to multiple insecticides in Drosophila.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas W R Harrop

Full Text Available Widespread use of insecticides has led to insecticide resistance in many populations of insects. In some populations, resistance has evolved to multiple pesticides. In Drosophila melanogaster, resistance to multiple classes of insecticide is due to the overexpression of a single cytochrome P450 gene, Cyp6g1. Overexpression of Cyp6g1 appears to have evolved in parallel in Drosophila simulans, a sibling species of D. melanogaster, where it is also associated with insecticide resistance. However, it is not known whether the ability of the CYP6G1 enzyme to provide resistance to multiple insecticides evolved recently in D. melanogaster or if this function is present in all Drosophila species. Here we show that duplication of the Cyp6g1 gene occurred at least four times during the evolution of different Drosophila species, and the ability of CYP6G1 to confer resistance to multiple insecticides exists in D. melanogaster and D. simulans but not in Drosophila willistoni or Drosophila virilis. In D. virilis, which has multiple copies of Cyp6g1, one copy confers resistance to DDT and another to nitenpyram, suggesting that the divergence of protein sequence between copies subsequent to the duplication affected the activity of the enzyme. All orthologs tested conferred resistance to one or more insecticides, suggesting that CYP6G1 had the capacity to provide resistance to anthropogenic chemicals before they existed. Finally, we show that expression of Cyp6g1 in the Malpighian tubules, which contributes to DDT resistance in D. melanogaster, is specific to the D. melanogaster-D. simulans lineage. Our results suggest that a combination of gene duplication, regulatory changes and protein coding changes has taken place at the Cyp6g1 locus during evolution and this locus may play a role in providing resistance to different environmental toxins in different Drosophila species.

Adult sex ratio effects on male survivorship of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera, Drosophilidae Efeito da razão sexual de adultos na curva de sobrevivência de machos de Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera, Drosophilidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcelo Costa

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The behavioral biology has a central role in evolutionary biology mainly because the antagonistic relations that occur in the sexual reproduction. One involves the effect of reproduction on the future life expectation. In this scenario, changes in male operational sex ratio could lead to an increase in mortality due to costs associated with excessive courtship and mating displays. Thus, this work experimentally altered the male sex ratio of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, 1830, to determine its impact on mortality. The results indicated that mortality increases as the sex ratio changes, including modifications in the survivorship curve type and in the curve concavity, measured by entropy.A biologia comportamental tem um papel central na biologia evolutiva principalmente pelas relações antagônicas que ocorrem na reprodução sexuada. Uma destas relações envolve o efeito da reprodução sobre a expectativa de vida futura. Neste cenário, alterações na razão sexual operacional de machos podem levar a um aumento na mortalidade por causa dos custos associados com o excesso de displays de corte e cópulas. Neste sentido este trabalho alterou experimentalmente a razão sexual em machos de Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, 1830, para determinar os efeitos em termos de mortalidade. Os resultados indicam que a mortalidade aumenta a medida que a razão sexual se enviesa incluindo alterações no tipo de curva de sobrevivência e da concavidade da curva, medida pela entropia.

Involvement of oxidative stress in 4-vinylcyclohexene-induced toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Abolaji, Amos Olalekan; Kamdem, Jean Paul; Lugokenski, Thiago Henrique; Nascimento, Thallita Kalar; Waczuk, Emily Pansera; Farombi, Ebenezer Olatunde; Loreto, Élgion Lúcio da Silva; Rocha, João Batista Teixeira

2014-06-01

4-Vinylcyclohexene (VCH) is a dimer of 1,3-butadiene produced as a by-product of pesticides, plastic, rubber, flame retardants, and tire production. Although, several studies have reported the ovotoxicity of VCH, information on a possible involvement of oxidative stress in the toxicity of this occupational chemical is scarce. Hence, this study was carried out to investigate further possible mechanisms of toxicity of VCH with a specific emphasis on oxidative stress using a Drosophila melanogaster model. D. melanogaster (both genders) of 1 to 3 days old were exposed to different concentrations of VCH (10 µM-1 mM) in the diet for 5 days. Subsequently, the survival and negative geotaxis assays and the quantification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were determined. In addition, we evaluated RT-PCR expressions of selected oxidative stress and antioxidant mRNA genes (HSP27, 70, and 83, SOD, Nrf-2, MAPK2, and catalase). Furthermore, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), delta aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δ-ALA-D), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities were determined. VCH exposure impaired negative geotaxic behavior and induced the mRNA of SOD, Nrf-2, and MAPK2 genes expressions. There were increases in catalase and ROS production, as well as inhibitions of GST, δ-ALA-D, and AChE activities (Pbalance, and possible neurotoxic consequences due to decreased AChE activity, and impairments in negative geotaxic behavior. Thus, we conclude that D. melanogaster is a useful model for investigating the toxicity of VCH exposure, and here, we have provided further insights on the mechanism of VCH-induced toxicity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patterns of mutation and selection at synonymous sites in Drosophila

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, Nadia D; Bauer DuMont, Vanessa L; Hubisz, Melissa J

2007-01-01

, when applied to 18 coding sequences in 3 species of Drosophila, confirmed an earlier report that the Notch gene in Drosophila melanogaster was evolving under selection in favor of those codons defined as unpreferred in this species. This finding opened the possibility that synonymous sites may...... be subject to a variety of selective pressures beyond weak selection for increased frequencies of the codons currently defined as "preferred" in D. melanogaster. To further explore patterns of synonymous site evolution in Drosophila in a lineage-specific manner, we expanded the application of the maximum...... likelihood framework to 8,452 protein coding sequences with well-defined orthology in D. melanogaster, Drosophila sechellia, and Drosophila yakuba. Our analyses reveal intragenomic and interspecific variation in mutational patterns as well as in patterns and intensity of selection on synonymous sites. In D...

Ameliorative effects of gallic acid, quercetin and limonene on urethane-induced genotoxicity and oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagpal, Isha; Abraham, Suresh K

2017-05-01

The main objective of our present work was to ascertain the efficacy of Drosophila melanogaster model for assessing antigenotoxic and antioxidant effects of dietary phytochemicals gallic acid (GA), quercetin (QC) and limonene (Lim) against urethane (URE), a genotoxic environmental carcinogen. Oregon-K (ORK) adult male flies were fed GA, QC and Lim in combination with URE (20 mM) in 10% sucrose for 72 h. Third instar larvae were fed instant medium containing the above phytochemicals and URE for 24 h. Sex-linked recessive lethal (SLRL) test and assays for estimating glutathione content (GSH), glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lipid peroxidation (MDA content) were performed. Adult feeding experiments demonstrated that co-treatment of flies with URE and the test phytochemicals has significantly decreased the frequencies of SLRL mutations in all the germ cell stages when compared to that with URE alone. Larval feeding experiments also showed a similar pattern. The above results correlate well with antioxidative potentials of the test agents where we observed the elevated enzymatic levels with a significant reduction in MDA level in Drosophila larvae. The results further suggest that the dietary phytochemicals have an antioxidant and antimutagenic property which can be assessed using D. melanogaster.

Confirming candidate genes for longevity in Drosophila melanogaster using two different genetic backgrounds and selection methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wit, Janneke; Frydenberg, Jane; Sarup, Pernille Merete

2013-01-01

usually focussed on one sex and on flies originating from one genetic background, and results from different studies often do not overlap. Using D. melanogaster selected for increased longevity we aimed to find robust longevity related genes by examining gene expression in both sexes of flies originating......Elucidating genes that affect life span or that can be used as biomarkers for ageing has received attention in diverse studies in recent years. Using model organisms and various approaches several genes have been linked to the longevity phenotype. For Drosophila melanogaster those studies have...... from different genetic backgrounds. Further, we compared expression changes across three ages, when flies were young, middle aged or old, to examine how candidate gene expression changes with the onset of ageing. We selected 10 genes based on their expression differences in prior microarray studies...

Genetic and Genomic Response to Selection for Food Consumption in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Garlapow, Megan E.; Everett, Logan J.; Zhou, Shanshan; Gearhart, Alexander W.; Fay, Kairsten A.; Huang, Wen; Morozova, Tatiana V.; Arya, Gunjan H.; Turlapati, Lavanya; Armour, Genevieve St.; Hussain, Yasmeen N.; McAdams, Sarah E.; Fochler, Sophia; Mackay, Trudy F. C.

2016-01-01

Food consumption is an essential component of animal fitness; however, excessive food intake in humans increases risk for many diseases. The roles of neuroendocrine feedback loops, food sensing modalities, and physiological state in regulating food intake are well understood, but not the genetic basis underlying variation in food consumption. Here, we applied ten generations of artificial selection for high and low food consumption in replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster. The phenotypic response to selection was highly asymmetric, with significant responses only for increased food consumption and minimal correlated responses in body mass and composition. We assessed the molecular correlates of selection responses by DNA and RNA sequencing of the selection lines. The high and low selection lines had variants with significantly divergent allele frequencies within or near 2,081 genes and 3,526 differentially expressed genes in one or both sexes. A total of 519 genes were both genetically divergent and differentially expressed between the divergent selection lines. We performed functional analyses of the effects of RNAi suppression of gene expression and induced mutations for 27 of these candidate genes that have human orthologs and the strongest statistical support, and confirmed that 25 (93%) affected the mean and/or variance of food consumption. PMID:27704301

Protective effects of ether, oxygen and their mixture for radiation in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Megumi, Tsuneo; Tsujii, Yukio; Gamo, Sumiko

1992-01-01

Protective effects of ether mixed with air or oxygen against ionizing radiation damages were demonstrated in adult flies of Drosophila melanogaster. The protective effects against knock-down on the second day and lethality on the eighth day after irradiation were not affected by the radiation sensitivity and DNA repair capacity of the strains. Ether (4.2%) in oxygen was more effective than ether in air for both endpoints. The protective effects may be due to damages not involving cell division, since no mitotic cells are observed in adult flies except in gonadal glands. A change in the orderliness of the cell membrane by ether is suggested to be the cause of the protective effects. (author). 16 refs.; 3 tabs

Analysis of immune-related genes during Nora virus infection of Drosophila melanogaster using next generation sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Wilfredo; Page, Alexis M; Carlson, Darby J; Ericson, Brad L; Cserhati, Matyas F; Guda, Chittibabu; Carlson, Kimberly A

2018-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster depends upon the innate immune system to regulate and combat viral infection. This is a complex, yet widely conserved process that involves a number of immune pathways and gene interactions. In addition, expression of genes involved in immunity are differentially regulated as the organism ages. This is particularly true for viruses that demonstrate chronic infection, as is seen with Nora virus. Nora virus is a persistent non-pathogenic virus that replicates in a horizontal manner in D. melanogaster . The genes involved in the regulation of the immune response to Nora virus infection are largely unknown. In addition, the temporal response of immune response genes as a result of infection has not been examined. In this study, D. melanogaster either infected with Nora virus or left uninfected were aged for 2, 10, 20 and 30 days. The RNA from these samples was analyzed by next generation sequencing (NGS) and the resulting immune-related genes evaluated by utilizing both the PANTHER and DAVID databases, as well as comparison to lists of immune related genes and FlyBase. The data demonstrate that Nora virus infected D. melanogaster exhibit an increase in immune related gene expression over time. In addition, at day 30, the data demonstrate that a persistent immune response may occur leading to an upregulation of specific immune response genes. These results demonstrate the utility of NGS in determining the potential immune system genes involved in Nora virus replication, chronic infection and involvement of antiviral pathways.

Origin of sphinx, a young chimeric RNA gene in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wen; Brunet, Frédéric G.; Nevo, Eviatar; Long, Manyuan

2002-01-01

Non-protein-coding RNA genes play an important role in various biological processes. How new RNA genes originated and whether this process is controlled by similar evolutionary mechanisms for the origin of protein-coding genes remains unclear. A young chimeric RNA gene that we term sphinx (spx) provides the first insight into the early stage of evolution of RNA genes. spx originated as an insertion of a retroposed sequence of the ATP synthase chain F gene at the cytological region 60DB since the divergence of Drosophila melanogaster from its sibling species 2–3 million years ago. This retrosequence, which is located at 102F on the fourth chromosome, recruited a nearby exon and intron, thereby evolving a chimeric gene structure. This molecular process suggests that the mechanism of exon shuffling, which can generate protein-coding genes, also plays a role in the origin of RNA genes. The subsequent evolutionary process of spx has been associated with a high nucleotide substitution rate, possibly driven by a continuous positive Darwinian selection for a novel function, as is shown in its sex- and development-specific alternative splicing. To test whether spx has adapted to different environments, we investigated its population genetic structure in the unique “Evolution Canyon” in Israel, revealing a similar haplotype structure in spx, and thus similar evolutionary forces operating on spx between environments. PMID:11904380

Antimutagenic evaluation of traditional medicinal plants from South America Peumus boldus and Cryptocarya alba using Drosophila melanogaster.