Virtually all eukaryotes, including Drosophila and the other 'exceptions' mentioned above, have complex repeats near the chromosome terminus called telomere-associated sequences (TASs) or subtelomeric repeat sequences (STRs) (see [ 21] for review).
Which species of Drosophila are closely associated with humans?
Several Drosophila species, including D. melanogaster, D. immigrans, and D. simulans, are closely associated with humans, and are often referred to as domestic species.
Is Drosophila the same as fruit fly?
The terms "fruit fly" and " Drosophila " are often used synonymously with D. melanogaster in modern biological literature. The entire genus, however, contains more than 1,500 species and is very diverse in appearance, behavior, and breeding habitat.
Why is Drosophila a good model organism for genetic research?
Drosophila is considered one of the most impeccable genetic model organisms - they have furthered genetic research unlike any other model organisms. Both adults and embryos are experimental models. Drosophila is a prime candidate for genetic research because the relationship between human and fruit fly genes is very close.
What is Drosophila melanogaster used for?
One species of Drosophila in particular, D. melanogaster, has been heavily used in research in genetics and is a common model organism in developmental biology. The terms "fruit fly" and " Drosophila " are often used synonymously with D. melanogaster in modern biological literature.
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Is Drosophila prokaryotic or eukaryotic?
eukaryoticDrosophila melanogaster - an eukaryotic model for assessing the effects of transposon-mediated lateral transfer of bacterial quorum sensing genes.
What kind of organism is a Drosophila?
A particularly useful model organism is Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster), a type of fruit fly. This fly has become the main invertebrate model used to study developmental genetics. It has now been used for over a century.
What kingdom does fruit fly belong to?
AnimalCommon fruit fly / KingdomAnimals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and ... Wikipedia
What is Drosophila in biology?
Drosophila melanogaster, known colloquially as the fruit fly, remains one of the most commonly used model organisms for biomedical science. For more than one hundred years, the low cost, rapid generation time, and excellent genetic tools have made the fly indispensable for basic research.
Why is Drosophila called fruit fly?
Drosophila derived from the Greek word drósos means dew loving. They belong to the Droso–philidae family; and are most frequently known as fruit flies or often called vinegar, wine or pomace flies. Their main distinguishing character is to stay on fruits, which are ripped or rotten.
Why is Drosophila used as a model organism in genetics?
Drosophila have 'polytene' chromosomes, which means that they are oversized and have barcode-like banding patterns of light and dark. During early Drosophila research scientists could therefore easily identify chromosomal? rearrangements and deletions under the microscope.
How would you describe Drosophila?
It has a rounded head with large, red, compound eyes; three smaller simple eyes, and short antennae. Its mouth has developed for sopping up liquids (Patterson and Stone 1952). The female is slightly larger than the male (Patterson, et al 1943).
Who is the Drosophila of plant kingdom?
Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thaliana is known as Drosophila of the Plant kingdom. It is a small angiosperm, a dicot weed. Due to its small size, less number of chromosomes, faster growth and self-fertilization, it is used as a model organism for research in plant biology, genetics and molecular biology.
Why is Drosophila called Cinderella of genetics?
Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) are called as Cinderella of genetics. The reason for this name is because of their short lifespan of only 12 days, easy to culture and multiple progenies are generated in a single reproduction.
What are fruit flies called?
Drosophila (/drəˈsɒfɪlə, drɒ-, droʊ-/) is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit.
How many types of Drosophila are there?
The genus Drosophila contains >2000 described species (Markow and O'Grady 2005, 2006), as well as several hundred taxa that await description. Most of these taxa belong to one of two major subgenera: Sophophora and Drosophila.
Is Drosophila an insect?
Drosophila melanogaster is a holometabolous insect, so it undergoes a full metamorphosis. Their life cycle is broken down into 4 stages: embryo, larva, pupa, adult.
What is Drosophila culture?
Drosophila cultures ought to be kept in room temperature where the temperature does not range below 20oC or above 25oC. They are bred on fermenting medium which contains corn, dextrose, sugar and yeast extract. Their breeding ratio is 1:3 (male:female). The common culture contaminants include fungi, mites and bacteria.
How many eggs do drosophila melanogasters lay?
Females lay some 400 eggs (embryos), about five at a time, into rotting fruit or other suitable material such as decaying mushrooms and sap fluxes. Drosophila melanogaster is a holometabolous insect, so it undergoes a full metamorphosis. Their life cycle is broken down into 4 stages: embryo, larva, pupa, adult.
How many Nobel Prizes have been awarded for Drosophila?
As of 2017, six Nobel prizes had been awarded for research using Drosophila. D. melanogaster is typically used in research owing to its rapid life cycle, relatively simple genetics with only four pairs of chromosomes, and large number of offspring per generation.
What is a fruit fly?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Drosophila melanogaster is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly, though its common name is more accurately the vinegar fly. Starting with Charles W. Woodworth 's proposal of the use of this species as a model organism, D.
What is the species of D. melanogaster?
Species: D. melanogaster. Binomial name. Drosophila melanogaster. Meigen, 1830. Drosophila melanogaster is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly, though its common name is more accurately the vinegar fly.
What is D. melanogaster used for?
D. melanogaster is often used for life extension studies, such as to identify genes purported to increase lifespan when mutated. D. melanogaster is also used in studies of aging. Werner syndrome is a condition in humans characterized by accelerated aging.
How long does it take for a D. melanogaster to develop?
The developmental period for D. melanogaster varies with temperature, as with many ectothermic species. The shortest development time (egg to adult), 7 days, is achieved at 28 °C (82 °F). Development times increase at higher temperatures (11 days at 30 °C or 86 °F) due to heat stress.
What are the colors of fruit flies?
Wild type fruit flies are yellow-brown, with brick-red eyes and transverse black rings across the abdomen. The brick-red color of the eyes of the wild type fly are due to two pigments: xanthommatin, which is brown and is derived from tryptophan, and drosopterins, which are red and are derived from guanosine triphosphate. They exhibit sexual dimorphism; females are about 2.5 mm (0.10 in) long; males are slightly smaller with darker backs. Males are easily distinguished from females based on colour differences, with a distinct black patch at the abdomen, less noticeable in recently emerged flies, and the sexcombs (a row of dark bristles on the tarsus of the first leg). Furthermore, males have a cluster of spiky hairs (claspers) surrounding the reproducing parts used to attach to the female during mating. Extensive images are found at FlyBase. Drosophila melanogaster flies can sense air currents with the hairs on their backs. Their eyes are sensitive to slight differences in light intensity and will instinctively fly away when a shadow or other movement is detected.
What percentage of the human genome is repetitive?
At least 44 percent of human genome is repetitive which is derived from transposable elements, including retroviruslike elements (8%), retroposons (33 %), and several families of elements that transpose by a cut-and-paste mechanism (3 %)
Do laboratory flies have P elements?
Laboratory flies do not have P element. In such cross of M (female) ×P (male), the F1 progeny show a range of surprising phenotypes characters in germ line including sterility, a high mutation rate, and a high frequency of chromosomal aberration and nondisjunction.
Why are prokaryotic cells important?
Because of their comparative simplicity, prokaryotic cells(bacteria) are ideal models for studying many fundamental aspects of biochemistry and molecular biology. The most thoroughly studied species of bacteria is E. coli, which has long been the favored organism for investigation of the basic mechanisms of molecular genetics. Most of our present concepts of molecular biology—including our understanding of DNAreplication, the genetic code, geneexpression, and protein synthesis—derive from studies of this humble bacterium.
What is the function of dictyosteliumthus?
An additional interesting feature of Dictyosteliumis the ability of single cells to aggregate into multicellular structures. If an adequate supply of food is not available, the cells associate to form wormlike structures called slugs, each consisting of up to 100,000 cells that function as a unit. Dictyosteliumthus appears to straddle the border between unicellular and multicellular organisms, providing an important model for studies of cell signaling and cell-cell interactions.
Why is E. coli important?
colihas been especially useful to molecular biologists because of both its relative simplicity and the ease with which it can be propagated and studied in the laboratory. The genome of E. coli, for example, consists of approximately 4.6 million base pairs and encodes about 4000 different proteins. The human genome is nearly a thousand times more complex (approximately 3 billion base pairs) and encodes about 100,000 different proteins (see Table 1.2). The small size of the E. coligenome provides obvious advantages for genetic analysis, and the sequence of the entire E. coligenome has been determined.
What are the nutrients that E. coli can produce?
The nutrient mixtures in which E. colidivide most rapidly include glucose, salts, and various organic compounds, such as amino acids, vitamins, and nucleic acid precursors. However, E. colican also grow in much simpler media consisting only of salts, a source of nitrogen (such as ammonia), and a source of carbon and energy (such as glucose). In such a medium, the bacteria grow a little more slowly (with a division time of about 40 minutes) because they must synthesize all their own amino acids, nucleotides, and other organic compounds. The ability of E. colito carry out these biosynthetic reactions in simple defined media has made them extremely useful in elucidating the biochemical pathways involved. Thus, the rapid growth and simple nutritional requirements of E. colihave greatly facilitated fundamental experiments in both molecular biology and biochemistry.
How many genes are in C. elegans?
Its complete sequence has been determined, revealing that the genome of C. eleganscontains approximately 19,000 genes—about three times the number of genes in yeast, and one-fifth the number of genes predicted in humans. Biologically, C. elegansis also a relatively simple multicellular organism: Adult worms consist of only 959 somatic cells, plus 1000 to 2000 germ cells. In addition, C. eleganscan be easily grown and subjected to genetic manipulations in the laboratory.
How many genes are in yeast?
The genome of the most frequently studied yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae,consists of 12 million base pairs of DNAand contains about 6000 genes. Although the yeast genome is approximately three times larger than that of E. coli, it is far more manageable than the genomes of more complex eukaryotes, such as humans. Yet even in its simplicity, the yeast cell exhibits the typical features of eukaryotic cells(Figure 1.15): It contains a distinct nucleussurrounded by a nuclear membrane, its genomic DNA is organized as 16 linear chromosomes, and its cytoplasm contains a cytoskeletonand subcellular organelles.
Which animal is the most suitable for genetic analysis?
Among mammals, the mouse is the most suitable for genetic analysis. Although the technical difficulties in studying mouse genetics (compared, for example, to the genetics of yeastsor Drosophila) are formidable, several mutations affecting mouse development have been identified. Most important, recent advances in molecular biology have enabled the production of transgenic mice, in which specific mutant genes have been introduced into the mouse germ line, so that their effects on development or other aspects of cell function can be studied in the context of the whole animal. The suitability of the mouse as a model for human development is illustrated by the fact that mutations in homologous genes result in similar developmental defects in both species; piebaldism is a striking example (Figure 1.22).
Where are genes located in eukaryotes?
Genes are located on different chromosomes. mRNA splicing must occur to remove introns. Transcription occurs in the nucleus, whereas translation occurs in the cytoplasm. Select the terms that represent a mode of regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes.
Which gene prevents binding of transcription factors on the SER3 promoter?
Transcription machinery on the SRG1 gene prevents binding of transcription factors on the SER3 promoter, blocking SER3 transcription.
What gene is repressed in yeast?
Growth in nutrient-rich medium represses expression of the yeast serine biosynthesis gene SER3. Martens et al. repressed SER3 expression and found a highly transcribed region of DNA upstream of the SER3 gene. This upstream region contains a non-protein-coding gene called SRG1. An RNA polymerase binds the SRG1 promoter and transcribes the SRG1 gene through the adjacent SER3 promoter, which leads to the repression of SER3. Mutations in the SRG1 promoter remove the repression of SER3. Which of the following statements explains how SRG1 transcription represses SER3 transcription?
Where are genes located?
Genes are located on one chromosome. Genes are located on different chromosomes. Some genes are organized into operons, and mRNA transcripts often specify more than one protein. Transcription and translation occur in the cytoplasm. Transcription occurs in the nucleus, whereas translation occurs in the cytoplasm.
Overview
Biology
Drosophila species are found all around the world, with more species in the tropical regions. Drosophila made their way to the Hawaiian Islands and radiated into over 800 species. They can be found in deserts, tropical rainforest, cities, swamps, and alpine zones. Some northern species hibernate. The northern species D. montana is the best cold-adapted, and is primarily found at high altit…
Etymology
The term "Drosophila", meaning "dew-loving", is a modern scientific Latin adaptation from Greek words δρόσος, drósos, "dew", and φίλος, phílos, "loving" with the Latin feminine suffix -a.
Morphology
Drosophila species are small flies, typically pale yellow to reddish brown to black, with red eyes. When the eyes (essentially a film of lenses) are removed, the brain is revealed. Drosophila brain structure and function develop and age significantly from larval to adult stage. Developing brain structures make these flies a prime candidate for neuro-genetic research. Many species, including the noted Hawaiian picture-wings, have distinct black patterns on the wings. The plumose (feath…
Evolution
Environmental challenge by natural toxins helped to prepare Drosophilae to detox DDT, by shaping the glutathione S-transferase mechanism that metabolizes both.
The Drosophila genome is subject to a high degree of selection, especially unusually widespread negative selection compared to other taxa. A majority of the genome is under selection of some sort, and a supermajority of this is occurring in non-coding DNA.
Systematics
The genus Drosophila as currently defined is paraphyletic (see below) and contains 1,450 described species, while the total number of species is estimated at thousands. The majority of the species are members of two subgenera: Drosophila (about 1,100 species) and Sophophora (including D. (S.) melanogaster; around 330 species).
Genetics
Drosophila species are extensively used as model organisms in genetics (including population genetics), cell biology, biochemistry, and especially developmental biology. Therefore, extensive efforts are made to sequence drosphilid genomes. The genomes of these species have been fully sequenced:
• Drosophila (Sophophora) melanogaster
See also
• Drosophila hybrid sterility
• Laboratory experiments of speciation
• List of Drosophila species
• Caenorhabditis 'Drosophilae' species supergroup, a group of species generally found on rotten fruits and transported by Drosophila flies
Overview
Drosophila melanogaster is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly" or "pomace fly". Starting with Charles W. Woodworth's 1901 proposal of the use of this species as a model organism, D. melanogaster continues to be widely used for biological research in genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis, and life history evolution. As of 2017, five Nobel …
Model organism in genetics
D. melanogaster remains one of the most studied organisms in biological research, particularly in genetics and developmental biology. It is also employed in studies of environmental mutagenesis.
D. melanogaster was among the first organisms used for genetic analysis, and today it is one of the most widely used and genetically best-known of all eukary…
Physical appearance
Wild type fruit flies are yellow-brown, with brick-red eyes and transverse black rings across the abdomen. The brick-red color of the eyes of the wild type fly are due to two pigments: xanthommatin, which is brown and is derived from tryptophan, and drosopterins, which are red and are derived from guanosine triphosphate. They exhibit sexual dimorphism; females are about 2.5 mm (0.10 in) long; males are slightly smaller with darker backs. Males are easily distinguish…
Lifecycle and reproduction
Under optimal growth conditions at 25 °C (77 °F), the D. melanogaster lifespan is about 50 days from egg to death. The developmental period for D. melanogaster varies with temperature, as with many ectothermic species. The shortest development time (egg to adult), 7 days, is achieved at 28 °C (82 °F). Development times decrease at higher temperatures (11 days at 30 °C or 86 °…
Genome
The genome of D. melanogaster (sequenced in 2000, and curated at the FlyBase database ) contains four pairs of chromosomes – an X/Y pair, and three autosomes labeled 2, 3, and 4. The fourth chromosome is relatively very small and therefore often ignored, aside from its important eyeless gene. The D. melanogaster sequenced genome of 139.5 million base pairs has been annotated and contains around 15,682 genes according to Ensemble release 73. More than 60…
Connectome
Drosophila is one of the few animals (C. elegans being another) where detailed neural circuits (a connectome) are available.
A high-level connectome, at the level of brain compartments and interconnecting tracts of neurons, exists for the full fly brain. A version of this is available online.
Detailed circuit-level connectomes exist for the lamina and a medulla column, both in the visual sy…
Development
The life cycle of this insect has four stages: fertilized egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Embryogenesis in Drosophila has been extensively studied, as its small size, short generation time, and large brood size makes it ideal for genetic studies. It is also unique among model organisms in that cleavage occurs in a syncytium.
During oogenesis, cytoplasmic bridges called "ring canals" connect the forming oocyte to nurse …
Sex determination
Drosophila flies have both X and Y chromosomes, as well as autosomes. Unlike humans, the Y chromosome does not confer maleness; rather, it encodes genes necessary for making sperm. Sex is instead determined by the ratio of X chromosomes to autosomes. Furthermore, each cell "decides" whether to be male or female independently of the rest of the organism, resulting in the occasional occurrence of gynandromorphs.