Location
University of Nevada Las Vegas, Science and Education Building
Start Date
9-8-2011 10:15 AM
End Date
9-8-2011 12:00 PM
Description
Drosophila melanogaster are holometabolous insects that have several distinct life stages including larvae and a winged adult. The larval stage is mainly a time of feeding and growth, while the adult stage is optimized for sexual reproduction and dissemination. The larval stage can itself be divided into three time periods, or instars: 1st (L1), 2nd (L2), and 3rd (L3) (Figure 1). Larval growth – both between instars and beyond – depends on specific signaling pathways controlled by a cholesterol derived steroid, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Although 20E is a systemic developmental signal, little is known about the molecular details of how different tissues respond to the hormone. We have been studying one gene induced by 20E in some target tissues [1]. This gene, E23, encodes an ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter protein that may function to limit hormone exposure in tissues where it is expressed.
Keywords
Drosophila melanogaster; Fruit-flies; Genes; Hormones; Steroids
Disciplines
Animal Sciences | Biochemistry | Molecular Biology
Language
English
The Role of an ABC transporter as a steroid antagonist in Drosophila
University of Nevada Las Vegas, Science and Education Building
Drosophila melanogaster are holometabolous insects that have several distinct life stages including larvae and a winged adult. The larval stage is mainly a time of feeding and growth, while the adult stage is optimized for sexual reproduction and dissemination. The larval stage can itself be divided into three time periods, or instars: 1st (L1), 2nd (L2), and 3rd (L3) (Figure 1). Larval growth – both between instars and beyond – depends on specific signaling pathways controlled by a cholesterol derived steroid, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Although 20E is a systemic developmental signal, little is known about the molecular details of how different tissues respond to the hormone. We have been studying one gene induced by 20E in some target tissues [1]. This gene, E23, encodes an ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter protein that may function to limit hormone exposure in tissues where it is expressed.