UM Scientists Create Fruit Fly Model to Help Unravel Genetics of Human Diabetes
As rates of obesity, diabetes, and related disorders have reached epidemic proportions in the US in recent years, scientists are working from many angles to pinpoint the causes and contributing factors involved in this public health crisis. view more (2009-11-03)
Circadian surprise: A heat sensor for body-clock synchronization
New research on the fruit-fly brain points to a possible mechanism by which temperature influences the body clock, according to scientists from Queen Mary, University of London. view more (2009-10-30)
A solution to Darwin's 'mystery of the mysteries' emerges from the dark matter of the genome
Biological species are often defined on the basis of reproductive isolation. Ever since Darwin pointed out his difficulty in explaining why crosses between two species often yield sterile or inviable progeny (for instance, mules emerging from a cross between a horse and a donkey), biologists have struggled with this question. view more (2009-10-27)
Fruit fly pest identified in wine grapes
A newly recognized pest in Oregon continues to concern fruit growers and researchers with the recent discovery of a Spotted Wing Drosophila fly in a sample of Willamette Valley wine grapes. view more (2009-10-16)
A balancing act in Parkinson's disease: Phosphorylation of alpha-synuclein
Both genetic and pathologic data indicate a role for the neuronal protein alpha-synuclein in Parkinson disease. view more (2009-10-13)
Pesky fruit flies learn from experienced females: Study
A common household nuisance, the fruit fly, is capable of intricate social learning much like that used by humans, according to new research from McMaster University. view more (2009-09-17)
New Insights Into Cardiac Aging
Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have found that the conserved protein d4eBP modulates cardiac aging in Drosophila (fruit flies). view more (2009-09-15)
Using insects to test for drug safety
Insects, such as some moths and fruit flies, react to microbial infection in the same way as mammals and so can be used to test the efficiency of new drugs, thereby reducing the need for animal testing. view more (2009-09-08)
Parasites ready to jump
Transposons are mobile genetic elements found in the hereditary material of humans and other organisms. They can replicate and the new copies can insert at novel sites in the genome. view more (2009-08-03)
Larvae shun the light
Drosophila larvae avoid light during the foraging stage of their development. Research published in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience shows that both 5-HT (serotonergic) and corazonergic neurons have a role in regulating this behavior. view more (2009-06-23)
New tool isolates RNA within specific cells
A team of University of Oregon biologists, using fruit flies, has created a way to isolate RNA from specific cells, opening a new window on how gene expression drives normal development and disease-causing breakdowns. view more (2009-05-18)
The story of X -- evolution of a sex chromosome
In the first evolutionary study of the chromosome associated with being female, University of California, Berkeley, biologist Doris Bachtrog and her colleagues show that the history of the X chromosome is every bit as interesting as the much-studied, male-determining Y chromosome, and offers important clues to the origins and benefits of sexual... view more... (2009-04-17)
New potential therapeutic target discovered for genetic disorder -- Barth syndrome
Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center may have discovered a new targeted intervention for Barth Syndrome (BTHS). BTHS, a sometimes fatal disease, is a serious genetic disorder occurring predominantly in males that leads to infection or heart failure in childhood. view more (2009-03-03)
'Birth control' for centrioles
Like DNA, centrioles need to duplicate only once per cell cycle. Rogers et al. uncover a long-sought mechanism that limits centriole copying, showing that it depends on the timely demolition of a protein that spurs the organelles' replication. view more (2009-01-26)
Fruit fly research may lead to better understanding of human heart disease
Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have shown in both fruit flies and humans that genes involved in embryonic heart development are also integral to adult heart function. The study, led by Rolf Bodmer, Ph.D., was published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. view more (2008-12-02)
Rutgers-Camden Scholar Identifies Genetic Patterning in Fruit Fly Development
No matter the species, from flies to humans, we all start the same: a single-cell fertilized egg that embarks on an incredible journey. The specifics of this journey are being uncovered at Rutgers University-Camden, where a biologist is researching how from one cell a jumble of many are able to organize and communicate, allowing life to spring... view more... (2008-12-02)
Researchers identify genetic switch critical for cell survival in hypoxia
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a critical metabolic "switch" in fruit flies that helps oxygen-deprived cells survive. view more (2008-10-17)
Obesity genes revealed
A study of 228 women has revealed genetic variants responsible for body shape. Based on work in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, research published today in the open access journal BMC Genetics identifies natural variation in the human LAMA5 gene as a key determinant of weight. view more (2008-08-11)
Discovery of a mechanism that regulates cell movement
A study performed by researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), in collaboration with researchers at the Instituto de Biología Molecular of the CSIC, reveal a mechanism that controls the movement of cells in a tissue by regulating cell adhesion. view more (2008-07-21)
Researchers reveal types of genes necessary for brain development
Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brandeis University have successfully completed a full-genome RNAi screen in neurons, showing what types of genes are necessary for brain development. Details of the screen and its novel methodology are published July 4th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. view more (2008-07-08)
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