Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster (Black-bellied Dew-lover) a dipteran (two-winged) insect, is the species of fruit fly that is commonly used in genetic experiments; it is among the most important model organisms. In modern biological literature, it is often simply called Drosophila or (common) fruit fly. Students also nickname it Drozzy.

The Drosophila genome

The genome of Drosophila contains 4 pairs of chromosomes: an X/Y pair, and three autosomes labeled 2, 3, and 4. The fourth chromosome is so tiny that it is often ignored. The genome contains about 165 million bases and approximately 14,000 genes. The genome has been sequenced and has been annotated.

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Similarity to humans

Genetically speaking, people and fruit flies are very similar. About 61% of known human disease genes have a recognizable match in the genetic code of fruit flies, and 50% of fly protein sequences have mammalian analogues. Drosophila is being used as a genetic model for several human diseases including Parkinson's and Huntington's.

Related Topics:
Parkinson's - Huntington's

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Genetic nomenclature

Genes named after recessive alleles begin with a lowercase letter, while dominant alleles begin with a uppercase letter. Genes named after a protein product begin with an uppercase letter. Genes are typically written in italics.

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The convention for writing out genotypes is X/Y; 2nd/2nd; 3rd/3rd.2

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In the molecular biology community, Drosophila geneticists are known for their relatively whimsical naming of discovered gene mutations. Compared to the stodgy (but perhaps more practical) "cdc4", "cdk4", etc. names in the yeast genome, Drosophila sports such favorites as "cheap date" (a mutation leading to increased sensitivity to ethanol intoxication) and "snafu" (a mutation leading to grotesque anatomical abnormalities).

Related Topics:
Molecular biology - Yeast - Ethanol

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