Project description:Global analysis of transcriptional changes in adult flies genetically modified to express an artificial linker that brings the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum together. Whole flies were analysed in this study. RNA was prepared from 3-day-old and thirty-day-old flies.
Project description:An experiment to explore the alterations in mRNA levels caused by the RNAi-mediated suppression of mitofusin. Mitofusin is a mitochondrial profusion factor.
Project description:Skeletal muscle senescence influences whole organism aging, yet little is known on the relay of pro-longevity signals from muscles to other tissues. We performed an RNAi screen in Drosophila for muscle-released cytokines ('myokines') regulating lifespan and identified Myoglianin, the homolog of human Myostatin. Myoglianin is induced in skeletal muscles by the transcription factor Mnt and together they constitute an inter-organ signaling module that regulates lifespan, age-related muscle dysfunction, and protein synthesis across aging tissues. Both Mnt and Myoglianin activate already in young age the protective decline in protein synthesis that is typical of old age, while knock-down of Myoglianin impairs this process. Mechanistically, Mnt decreases the expression of nucleolar components in muscles while also decreasing nucleolar size in distant tissues via Myostatin/p38 MAPK signaling. Our results highlight a myokine-dependent inter-organ longevity pathway that coordinates nucleolar function and protein synthesis across aging tissues. Affymetrix microarrays were used to evaluate genome-wide expression in skeletal muscles of flies with muscle-specific overexpression of FOXO or Mnt (Affymetrix Drosophila Genome 2.0 Array). This design allowed us to identify genes and pathways induced by overexpression of FOXO and/or Mnt, and enabled us to address the degree to which FOXO-induced pathways were independent of those induced by Mnt. Three independent biological replicates from each of three groups (control, UAS-Foxo and UAS-Mnt)
Project description:I hypothesized that social interactions, such as those involved in reproductive behaviors, would lead to immediate and assayable changes in gene expression that may have important effects on individual reproductive success and fitness through alterations in physiology or via short-term or long-term changes in nervous system function. Experiment Overall Design: Four-day males were exposed or mock-exposed to a virgin female fly for 5 min. Exposed males that courted as well as mock-exposed males were collected for RNA extraction. Three samples for each treatment were hybridized to Affymetrix Drosophila Genome arrays for a total of 6 arrays.
Project description:We hypothesized that social interactions, such as those involved in reproductive behaviors, would lead to immediate and assayable changes in gene expression that may have important effects on individual reproductive success and fitness through alterations in physiology or via short-term or long-term changes in nervous system function. Five-day-old males were exposed or mock-exposed to a virgin female fly for 20 min. Exposed males that courted, as well as mock-exposed males, were collected for RNA extraction of head tissue. Five samples for each treatment were hybridized to Affymetrix Drosophila Genome arrays for a total of 15 arrays. Data were analyzed using dChip PM, dChip PM-MM, MAS5.0, R/Bioconductor GC-RMA, and GeneSpring GC-RMA.
Project description:Alphaviruses establish a persistent infection in arthropod vectors, which is essential for effective transmission of the virus to vertebrate hosts. The development of persistence in insects is not well understood, although it is thought to involve the innate immune response. Using a transgenic fly system (SINrep) expressing a self-replicating viral genome, we have previously demonstrated the antiviral response of the Drosophila Imd (Immune Deficiency) and Jak-STAT innate immunity pathways. In the current study, microarray analysis of SINrep flies in comparison to control GFP flies aims to detect genes that are sensitive to Sindbis viral RNA replication. Both SINrep and GFP adult flies were harvested 3 days post eclosion for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. We look for genes significantly altered in the presence of viral RNA replication.
Project description:gene expression profiles in fly brains between wildtype and miR-34 null flies gene expression profiles in fly brains, wild type (3d, 20d) and miR-34 null flies (3d, 20d)