scholarly journals Prediction and enrichment analyses of the Homo sapiens−Drosophila melanogaster COPD-related orthologs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erasmia Rouka ◽  
Natalia Gourgoulianni ◽  
Stefan Lüpold ◽  
Chrissi Hatzoglou ◽  
Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Human Gene ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Gene List ◽  
Wnt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cells ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Beta Catenin

The significant similarities in airway epithelial cells between mammals and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster have rendered the latter an important model organism for studies of chronic inflammatory lung diseases. Focusing on the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we here mapped human gene orthologs associated with this disease in D. melanogaster to identify functionally equivalent genes for immediate, further screening with the fruit fly model. The DIOPT-DIST tool was accessed for the prediction of the COPD-associated orthologs between humans and Drosophila. Enrichment analyses with respect to pathways of the retrieved functional homologs were performed using the ToppFun and FlyMine tools, identifying 73 unique human genes as well as 438 fruit fly genes. The ToppFun analysis verified that the human gene list is associated with COPD phenotypes. Further, the FlyMine investigation highlighted that the Drosophila genes are functionally connected mainly with the 'ABC-family proteins mediated transport' and the 'beta-catenin independent WNT signaling pathway'. These results suggest an evolutionarily conserved role towards responses to inhaled toxicants and CO2 in both species. We reason that the predicted orthologous genes should be further studied in the Drosophila models of cigarette smoke-induced COPD.

Implication of Nanoparticles in Drosophila Toxicology Research

2021 ◽  
pp. 330-340
Author(s):  
Sumira Malik
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Biological Species ◽  
Biological Pathways ◽  
Nano Particles ◽  
Genetic Homology

Homo sapiens and Drosophila malenogaster, a fruit fly, share genetic homology in development process regulated through fundamental biological pathways and conserved mechanisms conserved as a process of evolution among these species. Drosophila melanogaster is an eminent model organism to study diverse biological species. In this chapter, the use of wide variety of nano particles and their impact on Drosophila melanogastsr's development, longevity, characteristics of reproduction has been studied.

scholarly journals Quantitative investigation reveals distinct phases in Drosophila sleep

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochan Xu ◽  
Wei Yang ◽  
Binghui Tian ◽  
Xiuwen Sui ◽  
Weilai Chi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Infrared Camera ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Genetic Dissection ◽  
Power Law Distribution ◽  
Quantitative Investigation ◽  
Waking Up ◽  
Set Up

AbstractThe fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been used as a model organism for the molecular and genetic dissection of sleeping behaviors. However, most previous studies were based on qualitative or semi-quantitative characterizations. Here we quantified sleep in flies. We set up an assay to continuously track the activity of flies using infrared camera, which monitored the movement of tens of flies simultaneously with high spatial and temporal resolution. We obtained accurate statistics regarding the rest and sleep patterns of single flies. Analysis of our data has revealed a general pattern of rest and sleep: the rest statistics obeyed a power law distribution and the sleep statistics obeyed an exponential distribution. Thus, a resting fly would start to move again with a probability that decreased with the time it has rested, whereas a sleeping fly would wake up with a probability independent of how long it had slept. Resting transits to sleeping at time scales of minutes. Our method allows quantitative investigations of resting and sleeping behaviors and our results provide insights for mechanisms of falling into and waking up from sleep.

scholarly journals Characterization of the genome of the mealybug Planococcus lilacinus, a model organism for studying whole-chromosome imprinting and inactivation

2002 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. NAGA MOHAN ◽  
PARAMITA RAY ◽  
H. SHARAT CHANDRA
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Repetitive Sequences ◽  
Gc Content ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Coding Sequences ◽  
Repeat Sequences ◽  
Chromosome Imprinting

The co-occurrence of three chromosome-wide phenomena – imprinting, facultative heterochromatization and diffuse centromere – in the mealybug Planococcus lilacinus makes investigation of the genomics of this species an attractive prospect. In order to estimate the complexity of the genome of this species, 300 random stretches of its DNA, constituting ∼0·1% of the genome, were sequenced. Coding sequences appear to constitute ∼53·5%, repeat sequences ∼44·5% and non-coding single-copy sequences ∼2% of the genome. The proportion of repetitive sequences in the mealybug is higher than that in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (∼30%). The mealybug genome (∼220 Mb) is about 1·3 times the size of the fly genome (∼165 Mb) and its GC content (∼35%) less than that of the fly genome (∼40%). The relative abundance of various dinucleotides, as analysed by the method of Gentles and Karlin, shows that the dinucleotide signatures of the two species are moderately similar and that in the mealybug there is neither over-representation nor under-representation of any dinucleotide.

scholarly journals The use of Drosophila Melanogaster as a Model Organism to study the effect of Innate Immunity on Metabolism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeer Mohbeddin ◽  
Nawar Haj Ahmed ◽  
Layla Kamareddine
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Janus Kinase ◽  
Signal Transducer ◽  
Metabolic Homeostasis ◽  
Stat Signaling ◽  
Stat Pathway

Apart from its traditional role in disease control, recent body of evidence has implicated a role of the immune system in regulating metabolic homeostasis. Owing to the importance of this “immune-metabolic alignment” in dictating a state of health or disease, a proper mechanistic understanding of this alignment is crucial in opening up for promising therapeutic approaches against a broad range of chronic, metabolic, and inflammatory disorders like obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel syndrome. In this project, we addressed the role of the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) innate immune pathway in regulating different metabolic parameters using the Drosophila melanogaster (DM) fruit fly model organism. Mutant JAK/STAT pathway flies with a systemic knockdown of either Domeless (Dome) [domeG0282], the receptor that activates JAK/STAT signaling, or the signal-transducer and activator of transcription protein at 92E (Stat92E) [stat92EEY10528], were used. The results of the study revealed that blocking JAK/STAT signaling alters the metabolic profile of mutant flies. Both domeG0282 and stat92EEY10528 mutants had an increase in body weight, lipid deprivation from their fat body (lipid storage organ in flies), irregular accumulation of lipid droplets in the gut, systemic elevation of glucose and triglyceride levels, and differential down-regulation in the relative gene expression of different peptide hormones (Tachykinin, Allatostatin C, and Diuretic hormone 31) known to regulate metabolic homeostasis in flies. Because the JAK/STAT pathway is evolutionary conserved between invertebrates and vertebrates, our potential findings in the fruit fly serves as a platform for further immune-metabolic translational studies in more complex mammalian systems including humans.

Fly-on-a-Chip: Microfluidics for Drosophila melanogaster Studies

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 425-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Zabihihesari ◽  
Arthur J Hilliker ◽  
Pouya Rezai
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
In Vitro Assays ◽  
Behavioral Studies ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Manual Manipulation

Abstract The fruit fly or Drosophila melanogaster has been used as a promising model organism in genetics, developmental and behavioral studies as well as in the fields of neuroscience, pharmacology, and toxicology. Not only all the developmental stages of Drosophila, including embryonic, larval, and adulthood stages, have been used in experimental in vivo biology, but also the organs, tissues, and cells extracted from this model have found applications in in vitro assays. However, the manual manipulation, cellular investigation and behavioral phenotyping techniques utilized in conventional Drosophila-based in vivo and in vitro assays are mostly time-consuming, labor-intensive, and low in throughput. Moreover, stimulation of the organism with external biological, chemical, or physical signals requires precision in signal delivery, while quantification of neural and behavioral phenotypes necessitates optical and physical accessibility to Drosophila. Recently, microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices have emerged as powerful tools to overcome these challenges. This review paper demonstrates the role of microfluidic technology in Drosophila studies with a focus on both in vivo and in vitro investigations. The reviewed microfluidic devices are categorized based on their applications to various stages of Drosophila development. We have emphasized technologies that were utilized for tissue- and behavior-based investigations. Furthermore, the challenges and future directions in Drosophila-on-a-chip research, and its integration with other advanced technologies, will be discussed.

scholarly journals Chromatin Structure and Function in Mosquitoes

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Óscar M. Lezcano ◽  
Miriam Sánchez-Polo ◽  
José L. Ruiz ◽  
Elena Gómez-Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Genome Structure ◽  
Nuclear Architecture ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
West Nile Fever ◽  
And Function

The principles and function of chromatin and nuclear architecture have been extensively studied in model organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster. However, little is known about the role of these epigenetic processes in transcriptional regulation in other insects including mosquitoes, which are major disease vectors and a worldwide threat for human health. Some of these life-threatening diseases are malaria, which is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes; dengue fever, which is caused by an arbovirus mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti; and West Nile fever, which is caused by an arbovirus transmitted by Culex spp. In this contribution, we review what is known about chromatin-associated mechanisms and the 3D genome structure in various mosquito vectors, including Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex spp. We also discuss the similarities between epigenetic mechanisms in mosquitoes and the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, and advocate that the field could benefit from the cross-application of state-of-the-art functional genomic technologies that are well-developed in the fruit fly. Uncovering the mosquito regulatory genome can lead to the discovery of unique regulatory networks associated with the parasitic life-style of these insects. It is also critical to understand the molecular interactions between the vectors and the pathogens that they transmit, which could hold the key to major breakthroughs on the fight against mosquito-borne diseases. Finally, it is clear that epigenetic mechanisms controlling mosquito environmental plasticity and evolvability are also of utmost importance, particularly in the current context of globalization and climate change.

Drowsy Drosophila: Rapid Evolution in the Face of Climate Change

2018 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 272-277
Author(s):  
Jennifer Broo ◽  
Jessica Mahoney ◽  
Julie Bokor ◽  
Daniel Hahn
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
The Face

Climate change can drive evolution. This connection is clear both historically and in modern times. The three-lesson curriculum described below provides opportunities for students to make connections between climate change and evolution through various modes of inquiry and self-investigation. Students examine how genetic variation may either facilitate or limit the ability for species to survive changing climates through work with the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. Students are asked to layer new understanding of the mechanisms of evolution onto their observations of genetic variation in fruit fly thermotolerance, and then synthesize this information to make predictions regarding the survival of species threatened by climate change.

scholarly journals Phenotypical Effect of Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) Inhibitor on Behavioral Activities of Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 222-229
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Pde5 Inhibitor ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Negative Geotaxis ◽  
Pde5 Inhibition ◽  
Explorative Study ◽  
Phosphodiesterase 5 ◽  
Physiological Systems

Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor is a class of drugs currently used to treat erectile dysfunction. Physiologically, inhibition of PDE5 may lead to vasodilation, blood flow increment, and penile erection. However, PDE5 inhibitors have been reported not only to modify the function of the male reproductive organ but also to influence other physiological systems. To explore the effect of PDE5 inhibitor on metazoan physiological systems, a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) model organism is used since the catalytic domain of fruit fly PDE5/6 shares a high similarity of amino acid sequence (58%) with the PDE5 of humans. This study aimed to investigate whether the effect of PDE5 inhibition by sildenafil is phenotypically observable as changes in the behavioral states. Two behavioral phenotypes of D. melanogaster, negative geotaxis, and ethanol sensitivity, were used as test parameters in this explorative study. The results demonstrated that sildenafil had a significant effect on reducing locomotor activity, as reflected by negative geotaxis assay, but it had no influence on the fruit fly sensitivity to ethanol. Taken together, our results suggested that PDE5 inhibition might impair the physiological condition of the metazoan species. Also, an explorative study using D. melanogaster might offer valuable insight as a model organism in the discovery and repurposing approach of PDE5 inhibitor.

scholarly journals ELAC2/RNaseZ linked cardiac hypertrophy in Drosophila melanogaster

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Migunova ◽  
Joanna Theophilopoulos ◽  
Marisa Mercadante ◽  
Jing Men ◽  
Chao Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Human Gene ◽  
Cardiac Contractility ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Gene Mutations ◽  
Severe Form ◽  
Causal Connection ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
Rare Form ◽  
Transgenic Lines

A severe form of infantile cardiomyopathy (CM) has been linked to ELAC2 gene mutations. ELAC2 is a highly conserved human gene. It encodes RNaseZL endoribonuclease that plays an essential role in the production of mature tRNAs. To establish a causal connection between ELAC2 variants and CM, here we use a model organism Drosophila melanogaster, which carries ELAC2 homolog - dRNaseZ. Even though dRNaseZ and ELAC2 have diverged in some of their biological functions, our study demonstrates the utility of the fly model to study the mechanism of ELAC2 related pathology. We established transgenic lines harboring dRNaseZ with CM-linked mutations in the background of endogenous dRNaseZ knockout. Importantly, we found that the phenotype of these flies is consistent with pathological features in human patients. Specifically, expression of CM-linked variants in flies causes heart hypertrophy and leads to reduction in cardiac contractility associated with a rare form of CM. This study provides first experimental evidence for the pathogenicity of CM-causing mutations in the ELAC2 protein and lay the foundation to improve our understanding and diagnosis of this rare infantile disease.

scholarly journals The Phenotypic Effect of Cardamom oil on the Developmental Stages of Drosophila Melanogaster

2021 ◽  
pp. 225-231
Author(s):  
Dr. Y. D. Akhare ◽  
H. A. Patharikar
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Culture Media ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Human Genetic Disease ◽  
Phenotypic Effect ◽  
Animal Development ◽  
Food And Drink

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been extensively studied as a model organism for genetic investigation. It also has many characteristics which make it an ideal organism for the study of animal development and behaviour, neurobiology and human genetic disease and condition. Drosophila melanogaster share several basic biological and chemical neurological and physiological similarities with mammals. In the present study, we noted the phenotypic effect of cardamom oil on the different stages of Drosophila melanogaster. The fruit flies were grown on 10-gram culture media supplemented with different concentration of cardamom oil (0.5µl, 1 µl, 2.5 µl). Further, the size and growth of different life stages of Drosophila melanogaster were observed and total protein estimated from it.The increase in the size and protein concentration in different life stages of controlled Drosophila melanogaster were recorded. Cardamom is a highly valued herbal spice used in tropical and subtropical Asia. cardamom is used as a flavouring and cooking spices in both food and drink and as a medicine.

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