Tag Archives: drosophila
Some homemade simple tools and their use in handling of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster is a model organism widely used in biological research and biology education. Transferring adult flies is a common but difficult practice as flies fly. A set of homemade tools can be used to tackle this
The type of mitochondrial DNA mutations more than their quantity affects organismal fitness
Present in the majority of cells, mitochondria play a major role in the production of cellular and organismal energy, and contribute to cellular/ion homeostasis. Mitochondria possess multiple copies of their own genome (mtDNA), that encodes 13 essential
Understanding the behavior of fly larvae from neural activities in their isolated central nervous system
You may have heard about “The brain in a vat”, the philosophical scenario which talks about simulated reality and conceptions. It may sound bizarre and unrealistic. However, larval fruit fly neuroscientists literally perform the experiment to understand
The evolutionarily conserved role of Sp1 in appendage morphogenesis
Despite millions of years of independent evolution, some aspects of vertebrate and arthropod development share striking similarities. For example the appendages of a mouse and of a fly, at the naked eye doesn’t seem to share too
Big tasks for small flies: signaling cascades may help insects to detect faint odor traces
Have you ever wondered how a tiny vinegar fly manages to find its way to a ripened fruit in your kitchen? As many other insects flies possess a very keen sense of smell, which allows them to
Different morphs for different seasons: Seasonality of an insect invader
The Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), a cousin of the widely-studied model organism Drosophila melanogaster, is a devastating pest of fruit crops such as strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and blackberries. SWD females lay their eggs inside of fresh fruit,
Prox-1 and adipogenesis
Adipogenesis is the biological process that controls adipocytes differentiation and is one of the most well studied models of cellular differentiation. Adipose tissue is involved in the control of energy balance and especially in the study of
Fertility of Drosophila offspring depends on the correct choice of bridegroom
The cause of offspring sterility of some pairs of Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies is the genetic incompatibility of the parents. The infertility of progeny (mainly of intraspecies hybrid daughters) in such cases occurs only in one cross-direction.
Conditional mutations in drosophila
In 1865, Gregor Mendel discovered the laws of inheritance for the traits of living organisms. Reproduction, the major property of living matter and mode of its existence in the Universe, found itself in the spotlight of biology.
