That cloud of tiny flies hovering around spoiled fruit isn't just a nuisance. In fact, what science calls Drosophila melanogaster is more and more the key to intricate genetic studies that shed light on numerous biological processes, especially reproduction.
Now, evolutionary and developmental biologists at the University of Georgia and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have uncovered evidence that after fruit flies mate, the presence of sperm and male proteins in the female's reproductive tract sets off an amazing cascade of heretofore undescribed gene activity. Understanding how this works will give scientists new insights into reproduction, but it could also provide methods to safely control the spread of insect pests by interfering with their reproduction.
"We have been able to define a large number of mating-responsive genes that are activated in Drosophila," said Michael Bender, a developmental biologist in the department of genetics at UGA. "There is a lot of potential in this work for uncovering basic aspects of reproductive biology that will be useful in pest-control approaches."
The research was just published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The work resulted from a collaboration between Bender, Paul Mack, a postdoctoral fellow in the Bender lab at UGA, Yael Heifetz of Hebrew University and Anat Kapelnikov, a graduate student in the Heifetz lab. A number of undergraduates at UGA also worked on the research.
Drosophila has been used as a model animal for nearly a century. It is easy to manipulate in a lab, lives only a few weeks and begins mating soon after hatching. Its entire genetic map or genome has also been sequenced, giving researchers a powerful tool in understanding intricate biological processes and the genes that direct them.
Bender's team, using both the established genomic background of Drosophila and studies of mating insects, showed that the s
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Contact: Kim Carlyle
kcarlyle@uga.edu
706-583-0913
University of Georgia
27-Jun-2006