Search results for "DROSOPHILA"
showing 10 items of 782 documents
The pattern of neuroblast formation, mitotic domains and proneural gene expression during early brain development in Drosophila.
2003
In the Drosophila embryo, studies on CNS development have so far mainly focused on the relatively simply structured ventral nerve cord. In the trunk, proneural genes become expressed in small cell clusters at specific positions of the ventral neuroectoderm. A lateral inhibition process mediated by the neurogenic genes ensures that only one cell within each proneural cluster delaminates as a neural stem cell (neuroblast). Thus, a fixed number of neuroblasts is formed, according to a stereotypical spatiotemporal and segmentally repeated pattern, each subsequently generating a specific cell lineage. Owing to higher complexity and hidden segmental organisation, the mechanisms underlying the dev…
The organization, localization and nucleotide sequence of the histone genes of the midge Chironomus thummi.
1991
Several histone gene repeating units containing the genes for histones H1, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 were isolated by screening a genomic DNA library from the midge Chironomus thummi ssp. thummi. The nucleotide sequence of one complete histone gene repeating unit was determined. This repeating unit contains one copy of each of the five histone genes in the order and orientation mean value of H3 H4 mean value of H2A H2B H1 mean value of. The overall length is 6262 bp. The orientation, nucleotide sequence and inferred amino acid sequence as well as the chromosomal arrangement and localization are different from those reported for Drosophila melanogaster. The codon usage also shows marked difference…
Cabut, a C2H2 zinc finger transcription factor, is required during Drosophila dorsal closure downstream of JNK signaling.
2005
AbstractDuring dorsal closure, the lateral epithelia on each side of the embryo migrate dorsally over the amnioserosa and fuse at the dorsal midline. Detailed genetic studies have revealed that many molecules are involved in this epithelial sheet movement, either with a signaling function or as structural or motor components of the process. Here, we report the characterization of cabut (cbt), a new Drosophila gene involved in dorsal closure. cbt is expressed in the yolk sac nuclei and in the lateral epidermis. The Cbt protein contains three C2H2-type zinc fingers and a serine-rich domain, suggesting that it functions as a transcription factor. cbt mutants die as embryos with dorsal closure …
Notch and Numb are required for normal migration of peripheral glia in Drosophila
2006
Abstract A prominent feature of glial cells is their ability to migrate along axons to finally wrap and insulate them. In the embryonic Drosophila PNS, most glial cells are born in the CNS and have to migrate to reach their final destinations. To understand how migration of the peripheral glia is regulated, we have conducted a genetic screen looking for mutants that disrupt the normal glial pattern. Here we present an analysis of two of these mutants: Notch and numb. Complete loss of Notch function leads to an increase in the number of glial cells. Embryos hemizygous for the weak NotchB-8X allele display an irregular migration phenotype and mutant glial cells show an increased formation of …
Immunological detection of phenylalanine hydroxylase protein in Drosophila melanogaster.
1992
A monoclonal antibody raised against monkey liver phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) has been used to detect this protein in Drosophila melanogaster. A cross-reacting material (CRM) band of apparent molecular mass 50-52 kDa, equivalent to that deduced for the Drosophila melanogaster PAH protein based on the pah gene cDNA sequence, has been detected. This CRM was analysed throughout development and showed an equivalent pattern to that reported for PAH activity in this insect, with maxima at pupariation and at pharate adult formation. Distribution of this CRM in larval tissues, the haemolymph and the adult body is mainly restricted to the larval fat body and the adult head. Demonstration of this…
Patterns of Puffing Activity in the Polytene Chromosomes of Drosophila Subobscura
1982
The puffs and Balbiani rings are the visible expression of sites of genetic activity (Beerman, 1952). Since Beermann’s original hypothesis, puffing patterns for several species of Diptera have been described. Thus for the genus Drosophila, Ashburner (1967, 1969a and 1969b) has reported the puffing pattern of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans, Beredens (1965) of Drosophila hydei, and Moriwaki and Ito (1969) of Drosophila ananassae. In a previous paper Frutos and Latorre (1981) have determined puffing patterns of the J and U chromosomes of Drosophila subobscura. This species shows a rich chromosomal polymorphism and the puffing pattern of several chromosomal rearrangements of th…
Drosophila adult and larval pheromones modulate larval food choice
2014
Insects use chemosensory cues to feed and mate. In Drosophila , the effect of pheromones has been extensively investigated in adults, but rarely in larvae. The colonization of natural food sources by Drosophila buzzatii and Drosophila simulans species may depend on species-specific chemical cues left in the food by larvae and adults. We identified such chemicals in both species and measured their influence on larval food preference and puparation behaviour. We also tested compounds that varied between these species: (i) two larval volatile compounds: hydroxy-3-butanone-2 and phenol (predominant in D. simulans and D. buzzatii , respectively), and (ii) adult cuticular hydrocarbons (CHs). Dro…
Molecular mechanisms in developmental biology.
1996
Some general molecular mechanisms underlying development are described. Namely: those involved in the differentiation of the R7 receptor in Drosophila embryonic retina; those involved in the determination of embryonic axes and in polar cell differentiation, in Drosophila; those involved in the determination of the AB and P cell lineage and in vulva differentiation in Caenorhabditis embryos.
A Protein Nuclear Extract fromD. melanogasterLarval Tissues
2008
Preparation of protein nuclear extracts is often the first step to study in vitro biological processes occurring in the nucleus of the eukaryotic cell. Nuclear extracts have been extensively used in different model organisms to identify and study protein function in nuclei. Drosophila embryos can be collected in large quantities and have been the source of choice for the production of protein nuclear extracts. However, most of Drosophila in vivo studies on protein function are conducted in larval tissues. Here we report a new method to produce highly stable large-scale protein nuclear extracts from whole Drosophila larvae that are suited for a variety of biochemical analyses.
Dysfunction of Torr causes a Harlequin-type ichthyosis-like phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster
2019
AbstractPrevention of desiccation is a constant challenge for terrestrial organisms. Land insects have an extracellular coat, the cuticle, that plays a major role in protection against exaggerated water loss. Here, we report that the ABC transporter Torr - a human ABCA12 paralog - contributes to the waterproof barrier function of the cuticle in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We show that the reduction or elimination of Torr function provokes rapid desiccation. Torr is also involved in defining the inward barrier against xenobiotics penetration. Consistently, the amounts of cuticular hydrocarbons that are involved in cuticle impermeability decrease markedly when Torr activity is redu…