Abstract:
Given the strong genomic similarity with humans, fast reproduction rate and ease in maintenance, Drosophila melanogaster is often considered as an ideal organism for modelling human diseases and investigating therapeutic measures. In this regard, lines/strains of D. melanogaster are often made in different laboratories with varying genetic backgrounds that represent various morphological and behavioural traits. In this study, different lines of D. melanogaster are developed by strict and continuous breeding for over 15 generations by either directed breeding strategies and/or crossing different standard strains like Oregon-R and w1118 with indigenous wildtype strains. The crosses have yielded flies with different reproductive potential as reflected by egg to adult viability and pupariation span. Additionally, these flies showed variations in the phototactic and learning behaviour. To further dissect these variations, histological examination of the fly brain was conducted, which showed variations in the microanatomy of the brain of different lines that potentially underpins the observed variability in the neuro muscular activities of the flies. Finally, Fourier Transformation Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) of the hemolymph also showed noticeable variations in the level of different metabolites in the flies. Taken together, we present the metabolic and neuroanatomic variations in the indigenously developed strains of D. melanogaster which could be tagged correspondingly with the differences observed in the innate behaviours. Finally, these lines could then be exploited for developing models for various human neurological disorders based on candidate gene orthology.
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DOI:
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Published:
Journal: Abstract Book on 9th Annual Neuroscience Conference (ANC-23) August 12-13, 2023 , Volume: 0, Issue: 0, Year: 2023