A Genetic Screen for Metabolic Modulators in Drosophila melanogaster

Authors

Victoria Campos, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Logan Kazimer, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Brandon Polimeni, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Katelyn Niswonger, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Matthew Meiselman, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Files

Description

When environments become unfavorable, to preserve energy, animals will attenuate reproduction and limit growth. This evolutionary strategy requires perceiving and assessing a complex environment, a long-standing role of the nervous system. However, the nervous system’s control over endocrine states remains a monumental challenge. Here, we propose to exploit the genetic accessibility and cellular resolution readily found in Drosophila melanogaster, to fully explore how the brain controls metabolic and reproductive states. This project relies on the Meiselman Lab’s established unbiased neural activation screen, which located new neural circuits that participate in metabolic control. The project proposes the use of the split Gal-4 UAS system, which will isolate both the activation domain (AD) and DNA-binding domain (DBD) of two separate genetic lines in Drosophila melanogaster. When two lines are bred, the temperature-sensitive cation channel known as TrpA1 is expressed ectopically only within neurons labeled by both lines. The TrpA1 channel opens when specimens are incubated at a temperature beyond 25 Celsius. The activation of the TrpA1 channel depolarizes neurons and stimulates synaptic release (Karashima 2009). It is expected that following a 48-hour incubation period in which females reach sexual maturity, a reduction of the number of eggs produced inside ovaries will be observed if the activated neurons are responsible for arresting metabolism. To visualize the newly identified, restricted set of neurons, immunohistochemistry was used. Utilizing this methodology, we aim to find new neurons that are responsible for controlling both metabolic and reproductive states.

Publisher Location

Las Vegas (Nev.)

Publication Date

Fall 12-8-2023

Publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Controlled Subject

Genetic screening; Drosophila melanogaster--Genetics; Gene regulatory networks

Disciplines

Genetics

File Format

pdf

File Size

1940 KB

Comments

Faculty Mentor: Matthew Meiselman

Recommended Citation

Campos, Victoria; Kazimer, Logan; Polimeni, Brandon; Niswonger, Katelyn; and Meiselman, Matthew, "A Genetic Screen for Metabolic Modulators in Drosophila melanogaster" (2023). Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters. 195.
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/durep_posters/195

Rights

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