Drosophila melanogaster - UMKC Research Groups Resources

The Atlas of Drosophila Morphology: Wild-type and Classical Mutants is the guide every Drosophila researcher wished they had when first learning genetic markers, and the tool they wish they had now as a handy reference in their lab research. Previously, scientists had only poor-quality images or sketches to work with, and then scattered resources online - but no single visual resource quickly at their fingertips when explaining markers to new members of the lab, or selecting flies to do their genetic crosses, or hybrids. This alphabetized guide to Drosophila genetic markers lays flat in the lab for easy referencing. It contains high-resolution images of flies and the appropriate marker on the left side of each page and helpful information for the marker on the facing page, such as symbol, gene name, synonyms, chromosome location, brief informative description of the morphology, and comments on marker reliability. A companion website with updated information, useful links, and additional data provided by the authors complements this extremely valuable resource.

Motor neuron diseases are the most catastrophic of neurodegenerative disorders. The cognitive function is spared, but the motor neuron degeneration translates into progressive muscle weakness and paralysis that propel the afflicted patient to eventual death. Neurodegenerative disorders constitute one of the major challenges of modern medicine in view of the current lack of effective therapies. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has a distinguished history as an important model organism capable of shaping our fundamental understanding of life. Remarkably, the vast majority of all known human disease genes have a similar fly counterpart and at the molecular and physiological level, the basic principles of neuromuscular function are amazingly conserved between humans and Drosophila. Combine this with the presence of numerous genetic tools developed over the last century allowing genes and the proteins they encode to be manipulated swiftly to decipher their in vivo function and you have a superb genetic animal model organism of disease. This publication singles out the past and recent accomplishments of Drosophila in modelling motor neuron disease including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), hereditary spastic paraplegias, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (Kennedy's disease) and spinal muscular atrophy. The emphasis is on recent developments including the emerging molecular pathways underpinning these disorders. Genetic screens aimed at identifying novel genes that cause motor neuron degeneration or finding modifiers of the phenotype resulting from the disruption of disease-causative genes are also tackled. Importantly, this collection provides an inspiring look at the indispensability of the fruit fly, and of model organisms in general, to neuroscience research.

A single species of fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been the subject of scientific research for more than one hundred years. Why does this tiny insect merit such intense scrutiny? Drosophila's importance as a research organism began with its short life cycle, ability to reproduce in large numbers, and easy-to-see mutant phenotypes. Over time, laboratory investigation revealed surprising similarities between flies and other animals at the level of genes, gene networks, cell interactions, physiology, immunity, and behavior. Like humans, flies learn and remember, fight microbial infection, and slow down as they age. Scientists use Drosophila to investigate complex biological activities in a simple but intact living system. Fly research provides answers to some of the most challenging questions in biology and biomedicine, including how cells transmit signals and form ordered structures, how we can interpret the wealth of human genome data now available, and how we can develop effective treatments for cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Written by a leader in the Drosophila research community, First in Fly celebrates key insights uncovered by investigators using this model organism. Stephanie Elizabeth Mohr draws on these "first in fly" findings to introduce fundamental biological concepts gained over the last century and explore how research in the common fruit fly has expanded our understanding of human health and disease.

Dedicated to the memory of George Lefevre in recognition of his exhaustive cytogenetic analysis of the X chromosome, The Genome of Drosophila melanogaster is the complete compendium of what is known about the genes and chromosomes of this widely used model organism. The volume is an up-to-date revision of Lindsley and Grell's 1968 work, Genetic Variations of Drosophila melanogaster. The new edition contains complete descriptions of normal and mutant genes including phenotypic, cytological, molecular, and bibliographic information. In addition, it describes thousands of recorded chromosome rearrangements used in research on Drosophila. This handbook and its accompanying polytene chromosome maps, are sturdily bound into the book as foldouts and available as a separate set, are essential research tools for the Drosophila community.