Drosophila phenotypes

Shaker-channels, eag (ether- -go-go)-channels, slo (slow-poke)-channels were cloned from behavioral Drosophila melanogaster mutants. The channels were named according to the Drosophila mutant phenotype, Shaker, ether-go-go, slow-poke. Subsequently, eag-cDNA was used to clone related voltage-gated potassium channel subunits erg (eag-related) and elk (eag-like). The human erg ortholog (HERG) mediates cardiac DCS. 

U. K. Laemmli. Specific gain- and loss-of-function phenotypes induced by satellite-specific DNA-binding dmgs fed to Drosophila melanogaster. Mol. Cell 2000, 6, 1013-1024. 

The most dramatic illustration of the evolutionary conservation of homeobox genes comes from experiments that swap Drosophila and mammalian cognates and test for functional equivalence. McGinnis and co-workers have reported remarkable phenotypic similarities in flies that misexpress Drosophila homeobox genes or their mammalian counterparts. Indeed, this ectopic expression assay in Drosophila indicates that the Drosophila and cognate mammalian homeobox proteins are essentially functionally identical. 

While the molecular identity of the capacitative Ca2+ entry channel is not known, a candidate is a homolog of the Drosophila mutant trp. This photoreceptor mutant is incapable of maintaining a sustained photoreceptor potential. This phenotype could be mimicked by the calcium entry blocker lanthanum, and it was suggested that the related defect is a failure of Ca2+ entry. 

Wang, V. Y., Hassan, B. A., Bellen, H. J. and Zoghbi, H. Y. Drosophila atonal fully rescues the phenotype of Mathl null mice new functions evolve in new cellular contexts. Curr. Biol. 12 1611-1616, 2002. 

Ye, Y., Lukinova, N., Fortini, M.E. (199) Neurogenic phenotypes and altered Notch processing in Drosophila presenilin mutants. Nature, 398, 525-529. 

The genetic tools in Drosophila described above and selective crosses of the resulting genetically engineered flies allow the generation of flies that show cancer-related phenotypes and, at the same time, permit to modulate the function of a presumed oncology cancer... 

Rorth P (1996) A modular misexpression screen in Drosophila detecting tissue-specific phenotypes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 93 12418-12422... 

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