Search results for "MELANOGASTER"
showing 10 items of 452 documents
Interactions between the sexual identity of the nervous system and the social environment mediate lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster
2018
Sex differences in lifespan are ubiquitous, but the underlying causal factors remain poorly understood. Inter- and intrasexual social interactions are well known to influence lifespan in many taxa, but it has proved challenging to separate the role of sex-specific behaviours from wider physiological differences between the sexes. To address this problem, we genetically manipulated the sexual identity of the nervous system—and hence sexual behaviour—in Drosophila melanogaster, and measured lifespan under varying social conditions. Consistent with previous studies, masculinization of the nervous system in females induced male-specific courtship behaviour and aggression, while nervous system f…
An improvement of ComiR algorithm for microRNA target prediction by exploiting coding region sequences of mRNAs
2020
AbstractMicroRNA are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate the expression levels of messenger RNAs. MicroRNA regulation activity depends on the recognition of binding sites located on mRNA molecules. ComiR is a web tool realized to predict the targets of a set of microRNAs, starting from their expression profile. ComiR was trained with the information regarding binding sites in the 3’utr region, by using a reliable dataset containing the targets of endogenously expressed microRNA in D. melanogaster S2 cells. This dataset was obtained by comparing the results from two different experimental approaches, i.e., inhibition, and immunoprecipitation of the AGO1 protein--a comp…
Augļu mušas Drosophila melanogaster tēviņu agresīvās uzvedības saistība ar rauga daudzumu barībā
2022
Agresija ir svarīgs evolūcijas virzītājspēks. Dzīvnieki, kuri būs spējīgāki uzvarēt konfliktus varēs ar lielāku varbūtību nodot savus gēnus nākošajām paaudzēm. Tomēr kādi faktori ietekmē dzīvnieka varbūtību uzvarēt nav līdz galam noskaidrots. Teorētiskie modeļi un esošie pētījumi sniedz tikai virspusēju skatījumu. Dzīvnieki savas dzīves laikā būs pakļauti dažādiem vides faktoriem ar variējošu pakāpi, tomēr, ne visi būs vienlīdz nozīmīgi agresīvas uzvedības mainībā. Uzturs dzīvniekiem mainās dzīves laikā un attīstības sākumā optimālā barības vielu attiecība būs svarīga indivīda nākotnes izdzīvošanā un ģenētiskajā fitnesā, jo fiziskais fenotips visam mūžam veidojas tieši individuālās attīstīb…
Genome-wide characterization of chromatin binding and nucleosome spacing activity of the nucleosome remodelling ATPase ISWI.
2010
The evolutionarily conserved ATP-dependent nucleosome remodelling factor ISWI can space nucleosomes affecting a variety of nuclear processes. In Drosophila, loss of ISWI leads to global transcriptional defects and to dramatic alterations in higher-order chromatin structure, especially on the male X chromosome. In order to understand if chromatin condensation and gene expression defects, observed in ISWI mutants, are directly correlated with ISWI nucleosome spacing activity, we conducted a genome-wide survey of ISWI binding and nucleosome positioning in wild-type and ISWI mutant chromatin. Our analysis revealed that ISWI binds both genic and intergenic regions. Remarkably, we found that ISWI…
NOseq: amplicon sequencing evaluation method for RNA m6A sites after chemical deamination
2020
Abstract Methods for the detection of m6A by RNA-Seq technologies are increasingly sought after. We here present NOseq, a method to detect m6A residues in defined amplicons by virtue of their resistance to chemical deamination, effected by nitrous acid. Partial deamination in NOseq affects all exocyclic amino groups present in nucleobases and thus also changes sequence information. The method uses a mapping algorithm specifically adapted to the sequence degeneration caused by deamination events. Thus, m6A sites with partial modification levels of ∼50% were detected in defined amplicons, and this threshold can be lowered to ∼10% by combination with m6A immunoprecipitation. NOseq faithfully d…
Calorie Restriction in Mammals and Simple Model Organisms
2014
Calorie restriction (CR), which usually refers to a 20–40% reduction in calorie intake, can effectively prolong lifespan preventing most age-associated diseases in several species. However, recent data from both human and nonhumans point to the ratio of macronutrients rather than the caloric intake as a major regulator of both lifespan and health-span. In addition, specific components of the diet have recently been identified as regulators of some age-associated intracellular signaling pathways in simple model systems. The comprehension of the mechanisms underpinning these findings is crucial since it may increase the beneficial effects of calorie restriction making it accessible to a broad…
The transmembrane receptor Uncoordinated5 (Unc5) is essential for heart lumen formation in Drosophila melanogaster
2011
AbstractTransport of liquids or gases in biological tubes is fundamental for many physiological processes. Our knowledge on how tubular organs are formed during organogenesis and tissue remodeling has increased dramatically during the last decade. Studies on different animal systems have helped to unravel some of the molecular mechanisms underlying tubulogenesis. Tube architecture varies dramatically in different organs and different species, ranging from tubes formed by several cells constituting the cross section, tubes formed by single cells wrapping an internal luminal space or tubes that are formed within a cell. Some tubes display branching whereas others remain linear without interse…
Contribution of sponge genes to unravel the genome of the hypothetical ancestor of Metazoa (Urmetazoa)
2001
Recently the term Urmetazoa, as the hypothetical metazoan ancestor, was introduced to highlight the finding that all metazoan phyla including the Porifera (sponges) are derived from one common ancestor. Sponges as the evolutionarily oldest, still extant phylum, are provided with a complex network of structural and functional molecules. Analyses of sponge genomes from Demospongiae (Suberites domuncula and Geodia cydonium), Calcarea (Sycon raphanus) and Hexactinellida (Aphrocallistes vastus) have contributed also to the reconstruction of the evolutionary position of Metazoa with respect to Fungi. Furthermore, these analyses have provided evidence that the characteristic evolutionary novelties…
A spiking network for body size learning inspired by the fruit fly
2013
The concept of peripersonal space is an interesting research topics for psychologists, neurobiologists and for robotic applications. A living being can learn the representation of its own body to take the correct behavioral decision when interacting with the world. To transfer these important learning mechanisms on bio-robots, simple and efficient solutions can be found in the insect world. In this paper a neural-based model for body-size learning is proposed taking into account the results obtained in experiments with fruit flies. Simulations and experimental results on a roving platform are reported and compared with the biological counterpart.
Causative role of oxidative stress in a Drosophila model of Friedreich ataxia
2006
Friedreich ataxia (FA), the most common form of hereditary ataxia, is caused by a deficit in the mitochondrial protein frataxin. While several hypotheses have been suggested, frataxin function is not well understood. Oxidative stress has been suggested to play a role in the pathophysiology of FA, but this view has been recently questioned, and its link to frataxin is unclear. Here, we report the use of RNA interference (RNAi) to suppress the Drosophila frataxin gene (fh) expression. This model system parallels the situation in FA patients, namely a moderate systemic reduction of frataxin levels compatible with normal embryonic development. Under these conditions, fh-RNAi flies showed a shor…