dissection-and-mounting-of-drosophila-pupal-eye-discs

Dissection and Mounting of <em>Drosophila</em> Pupal Eye Discs

The Drosophila melanogaster eye disc is a powerful system that can be used to study many different biological processes.  It contains approximately 800 ...

University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)

Discovery-based science education: functional genomic dissection in Drosophila by undergraduate researchers.

We conducted a screen for glossy-eye flies that fail to incorporate BrdU in the third larval instar eye disc but exhibit normal neuronal differentiation and isolated 23 complementation groups of mutants. These same phenotypes were previously seen in mutants for cytochrome c oxidase subunit Va. We have molecularly characterized six complementation groups and, surprisingly, each encodes a mitochondrial protein. Therefore, we believe our screen to be an efficient method for identifying genes with mitochondrial function.

An efficient genetic screen in Drosophila to identify nuclear-encoded genes with mitochondrial function.

Using a large consortium of undergraduate students in an organized program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), we have undertaken a functional genomic screen in the Drosophila eye. In addition to the educational value of discovery-based learning, this article presents the first comprehensive genomewide analysis of essential genes involved in eye development. The data reveal the surprising result that the X chromosome has almost twice the frequency of essential genes involved in eye development as that found on the autosomes.

Genomewide clonal analysis of lethal mutations in the Drosophila melanogaster eye: comparison of the X chromosome and autosomes.

We combined Gal4-UAS and the FLP recombinase-FRT and fluorescent reporters to generate cell clones that provide spatial, temporal and genetic information about the origins of individual cells in Drosophila melanogaster. We named this combination the Gal4 technique for real-time and clonal expression (G-TRACE). The approach should allow for screening and the identification of real-time and lineage-traced expression patterns on a genomic scale.

G-TRACE: rapid Gal4-based cell lineage analysis in Drosophila.

It is increasingly evident that patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are more likely to die from heart disease than kidney failure. This study evaluated whether pre- dialysis CKD is an independent risk factor for coronary artery calcium (CAC).

Mild and moderate pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease is associated with increased coronary artery calcium.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. We evaluated whether multidetector computed tomographic angiography (MDCTA) revealed a link between pre-dialysis CKD and coronary artery atherosclerosis. We retrospectively analyzed 549 patients who underwent MDCTA. Patients were divided into 3 groups: normal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (GFR>90 mL/min/1.73 m2 body surface area), mild CKD (>60GFR≤90 mL/min/1.73 m2), and moderate CKD (>30GFR≤60 mL/min/1.73 m2). Normality testing was performed to determine if continuous variables were modeled in Gaussian distribution before analysis of variance was applied. The χ2 test was used to compare GFR subgroups. Multiple linear regression was used to detect associations of total plaque score (TPS), segment involvement score (SIS), and segment stenosis score (SSS) with GFR. A model adjusted for covariates was applied. Patients with mild CKD had a mean TPS 2.3 points higher than those with a normal GFR (P=0.002); patients with moderate CKD had a mean TPS 5.9 points higher than the referent (P<0.001). Patients with mild CKD had a mean SIS 1.1 points higher than those with a normal GFR (P=0.002); patients with moderate CKD had a mean SIS 2.4 points higher than the referent (P<0.001). Patients with mild CKD had a mean SSS 1.4 points higher than those with a normal GFR (P=0.004); patients with moderate CKD had a mean SSS 4.2 points higher than the referent (P<0.001). The use of MDCTA showed that mild and moderate pre-dialysis CKD are independent risk factors for coronary artery atherosclerosis.

Article	Year
Discovery-based science education: functional genomic dissection in Drosophila by undergraduate researchers. PLoS biology\| PubMed ID: 15719063	2005
An efficient genetic screen in Drosophila to identify nuclear-encoded genes with mitochondrial function. Genetics\| PubMed ID: 16849596	2006
Genomewide clonal analysis of lethal mutations in the Drosophila melanogaster eye: comparison of the X chromosome and autosomes. Genetics\| PubMed ID: 17720911	2007
G-TRACE: rapid Gal4-based cell lineage analysis in Drosophila. Nature methods\| PubMed ID: 19633663	2009
Mild and moderate pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease is associated with increased coronary artery calcium. Vascular health and risk management\| PubMed ID: 22174582	2011
Chronic kidney disease is associated with increased coronary artery atherosclerosis as revealed by multidetector computed tomographic angiography. Texas Heart Institute journal / from the Texas Heart Institute of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital\| PubMed ID: 23304018	2012

Albert Cespedes

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