Abstract:
Drosophila melanogaster is also dubbed as “Model of the Models”. This profoundly important reputation of D. melanogaster as a model organism is by virtue of noticeable similarities with human genome. It is estimated that nearly 75% of the human disease gene have direct orthologues present in the fruit fly. In this talk I will be presenting the case of D. melanogaster brain, that how this tiny little humble fly brain is genetically, anatomically and physiologically comparable to the human brain. To empirically demonstrate this link, I will be showcasing some of the findings of my lab from the last few years where we have successfully investigated effects of various industrially used chemicals on the neuroanatomy and the ensuing behavior of the flies. We have also investigated that successive inbreeding (in human terms, consanguineous mating) also leads to noticeable aberrations in the neuroanatomy and many of the innate behaviors of the larvae and adult flies. Finally, I will highlight ontological similarities between D. melanogaster and humans’ genes known for their importance in the neurogenesis and behavioral physiology.
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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