Drosophila

Question 1

Why Drosophila?

Answer 1

Short Generation Time
•Easy to Maintain
•Easily identifiable markers (mutant phenotypes)
•Easy to manipulate gene expression•
70% of all genes linked to human diseases have a fly homologue
•Complex behaviours

Question 2

The similarity between mammals and fly

Answer 2

shares many brain region, gene regulating development of hypothalamus, hormones & neuropeptide such as insulin, NPY and CCK

Question 3

Method to measure feeding behaviour

Answer 3

FlyPad: •It is used to study feeding behaviour.
•Automated and high throughput quantification of feeding behaviour.
•To measure the volume ingested in single sips.
•A feeding burst as three or more consecutive sips separated by inter-burst intervals (IBIs).
DAMS ( Drosophila Activity Monitoring System)
•It is an automated devise —> to monitor precisely the activity of fruit flies.
•Individual flywalks around in glass/or plastic tubes with food at one end, and when it crosses the infrared beam, a recorded for the fly activity takes place.
•This allows for recording of general activity, sleep/wake behaviour and circadian rhythms.

Question 4

How does stating work on fly?

Answer 4

Activity for the Fluvastatin fed group is lower,

lower number of sips (lower aptite) and higher locomotory behaviour.