drosophila

Fruit Flies, Drosophila melanogaster, are easily the best understood multicellular organism on the planet. Why do we know so much about Drosophila? Who decided to start studying this fly? And why do we keep investing time and money to fruit fly studies?

Drosophila and humans share over 60% of our DNA, and about 75% of known human disease genes have a match in the DNA of fruit flies. Meaning, most human diseases can be studied using fruit flies. Drosophila is currently being used as a genetic model for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's disease, aging, oxidative stress, immunity, diabetes, and cancer, as well as drug abuse. Yes, we study all that (and a lot more) in this tiny (under 3 millimeter long) fruit fly. 

To look at why biologists started studying Drosophila we have to go back over 100 years ago to the Fly Room at Columbia University, and the experiments of Thomas Hunt Morgan. To see how we study Fruit Flies, you just need to look at all the Nobel Prizes awarded to scientists who made it their life's work to study with this fly. 

You probably studied fruit flies in biology at some point in your life, but most likely are not sure why biologists make such a big deal out of this tiny little insect. Listen now to find out why we know so much about Drosophila and why we keep studying the fruit fly. 

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Raul Andino joins Vincent and Amy to talk about the finding that a cricket paralysis virus protein restricts RNA-based immunity in insects by regulating the activity and stability of the Argonaute protein.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Amy Rosenfeld

Guest: Raul Andino

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Links for this episode

• TWiV 138: RISCy business with Raul Andino
• TWiV 33: Live in Philly
• Viral protein restricts insect immunity (Cell Host Micr)
• Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks

Amy - Insectropolis
Vincent- Genome-edited baby

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

The TWiVsters review isolation of a naturally occurring DNA virus from fruit flies, and the cell-type specific function of a small transmembrane protein encoded in an open reading frame upstream of the enterovirus polyprotein.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

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Links for this episode

• Genome-edited babies (Nature)
• Second CRISPR pregnancy? (MIT Tech Rev)
• Naturally occurring DNA virus of Drosophila (PLoS Path)
• Upstream protein coding region in enterovirus genome
• We missed it in 1988! (J Virol)
• Letters read on TWiV 522
• Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - $40 internationally standard cup of tea
Rich- Mars InSight Mission
Dickson- New York Botanical Garden Train Show
Kathy- Comedy wildlife photo awards finalists
Vincent - Senator Gillibrand calls for funding AFM research and our Crowdsourcing of EV-D68 research

Listener Pick

Fernando - Pathfinders by Felipe Fernández-Armesto; Erebus by Michael Palin

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Sleep-related problems like insomnia are very common among adults, and yet little is understood about the basic mechanisms that govern sleep. Psychiatrist and sleep expert Dr. Matt Kayser is pushing the frontier of research on the brain processes that promote and disrupt sleep, and how effective insomnia treatments work. 

This interview podcast features Maya Gosztyla, an undergraduate researcher at THE Ohio State University. Maya researches the genetics of axon guidance, or brain wiring in fruit flies, and runs her own Alzheimer's Disease learning blog called AlzScience. We discuss her research, how she balances work with free time, and how she worked her way into her first research lab without hands-on experience.

Here's a great post by Maya on AlzScience describing Alzheimer's Disease 

Here are her latest posts.  Highly recommend for those looking to learn more about Alzheimer's Disease!

@AlzScience Facebook

@AlzScience Twitter

Stay tuned for a special Alzheimer's Disease roundtable podcast with Maya and Connor, releasing later this week!  We'll discuss the idea that Amyloid Beta may not be simply a villain...

Any other questions?  Let us know!  We appreciate your feedback.

You can now support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/sfspodcast.  Many thanks to our past and present supporters! 

Thanks to Plant Warrior for their support.  Use discount code SFS10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase of plant-based protein.

The TWiVodrome explains how a gag-like protein from a retrotransposon forms virus-like particles that carry mRNA  within vesicles across the synapse.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

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Links for this episode

• ASV 2018: asv.org, asv2018.umd.edu
• Arc virus-like particles transport RNA across the synapse (mammalian, Drosophila)
• Chemical synapse (Wikipedia)
• 2 minute video on the neuron
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiV 477

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

On this (50th!) episode of Brain Matters, Anthony talks to Dr. Fred Wolf (Assistant Professor, UC Merced). Dr. Wolf is interested in how alcohol and other drugs of abuse change our genes when we take them. Using the fruit fly as a model organism, he is able to use powerful techniques to delve into the complex relationship between drugs, genes, and behavior.

Dr. Wolf helps run his own biology podcast, RadioBio, with graduate students at UC Merced. Check it out at radiobio.net

The music on today's podcast was by koleżanka. Go check out and buy their music at kolezanka.bandcamp.com

Sour rot is a disease complex composed of various yeast, fungi, and bacteria that ferment grape juice released from wounded berries. Megan Hall has demonstrated that the symptoms of sour rot will only develop when fruit flies (Drosophila spp.) are present. Spraying antimicrobial materials with an insecticide weekly from 15° Brix until harvest has shown success at stopping the advance of sour rot.

References:

• Megan Hall’s Cornell University Page
• Summer Bunch Rot (Sour Rot) Pest Management UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines

Listen to the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources.

Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org.

Broken chromosomes stay on the safe side in mitosis

Unrepaired DNA double strand breaks can generate chromosome fragments that lack centromeres but, surprisingly, these acentric chromosomes can nevertheless segregate to spindle poles during mitosis. Karg et al. reveal that, in Drosophila melanogaster neuroblasts, acentric chromosomes segregate along interpolar microtubules at the spindle periphery that are organized by the chromokinesin motor protein Klp3a. This biosights episode presents the paper by Karg et al. from the June 5th, 2017, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with the paper's senior author, William Sullivan (University of California, Santa Cruz). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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During Drosophila oogenesis, the collective migration of egg chamber follicle cells drives the chambers' rotation and elongation. Squarr et al. reveal that the atypical cadherin Fat2 recruits the WAVE regulatory complex to tricellular junctions to induce the formation of whip-like actin protrusions that control collective migration and tissue rotation. This biosights episode presents the paper by Squarr et al. from the February 29th, 2016, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with the paper's senior author, Sven Bogdan (University of Münster, Münster, Germany). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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View biosights archive

The Rockefeller University Press
biosights@rockefeller.edu

A brain parasite may make chimpanzees less cautious and fearful of leopards. Maybe.

For over 60 years, fruit flies have been trapped in the dark in one of the longest ongoing scientific experiments. 1,500 generations later, some evolutionary effects are being revealed.

A new technique of using modified cancer cells to fight cancer is showing some impressive results in mice, but it’s early days yet.

The Australian town of Wangaratta is being swamped by tumbleweeds. And it’s all one person’s fault.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Nitin Phadnis

Nitin joins Nels and Vincent to explain how he identified a gene that is responsible for male inviability in hybrids from a cross between two species of fruit flies.

Links for this episode

• Cell cycle regulation gene causes hybrid inviability in fruit fly (Science)
• Phadnis laboratory
• Phadnis laboratory on Facebook
• Gene for new species discovered (UNews)
• Tardigrade HGT disputed (bioRxiv)
• Photo credit: Lee J. Siegel, University of Utah

Science Picks

Nels - Watercolor of Darwin and crew
Vincent - SpaceX rocket landing (Verge and ArsTechnica)
Nitin - 120th anniversary of Roentgen's first X-ray

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Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Rich Condit

Vincent and Rich discuss fruit fly viruses, one year without polio in Nigeria, and a permissive Marek's disease viral vaccine that allows transmission of virulent viruses.

Links for this episode

• Virology tenure-track position at NCI (pdf)
• ASM Agar Art Contest
• Nigeria on brink of polio eradication (Nature)
• Dengue in Africa (Tyler Sharp)
• Permissive vaccines and virulence (PLoS Biol)
• Marek's disease vaccines and virulence (Ed Yong)
• Image credit
• Letters read on TWiV 348

This episode is sponsored by ASM GAP

Weekly Science Picks

Rich - Swan-Ganz catheter (Wiki, video)
Vincent - Mobile DNA III

Listener Pick of the Week

Kevin - Synthetic prions

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Elio Schaechter and Michele Swanson. 

The TWiMers discuss how aroma helps disperse yeast cells on insect vectors, and evidence that MRSA is transmitted within households.

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iTunes, via RSS feed, by email or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode

• Aroma promotes yeast dispersal on flies (Cell Rep)
• MRSA is transmitted within households (mBio)
• FAQ: The threat of MRSA (AAM)
• Image credit
• Letters read
   on TWiM 101

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twim@twiv.tv, or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twim.

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guests: Carla Saleh and Curtis Suttle

At the International Congress of Virology in Montreal, Vincent speaks with Carla and Curtis about their work on RNA interference and antiviral defense in fruit flies, and viruses in the sea, the greatest biodiversity on Earth.

Links for this episode

• Greatest biodiversity on Earth (Genome)
• Cafeteria roenbergensis virus (PNAS)
• Marine viruses (Nat Rev Micro)
• RNAi and reverse transcription is antiviral in flies (Nat Imm)
• Friendly persistent infections (Curr Op Micro)
• RNAi and antiviral defense in Drosophila (Dev Comp Imm)
• Video of this episode - view at YouTube

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

Phosphoinositides get cells in shape

Early Drosophila embryos undergo 13 rounds of rapid nuclear division before enclosing each nucleus into an individual, membrane-bound cell. Reversi et al. describe how the phosphoinositides PI(4,5)P2 and PI(3,4,5)P3 control the resulting cell shapes by coordinating actomyosin contractility with plasma membrane expansion. This biosights episode presents the paper by Reversi et al. from the May 12, 2014, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with senior author Stefano De Renzis (EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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The Rockefeller University Press
biosights@rockefeller.edu

Shroom takes embryos to new dimensions

During development, the planar polarized distribution of Rho kinase and Myosin II helps Drosophila germ-band cells intercalate so that the embryo extends along its anterior-posterior axis. Simões et al. reveal how Rho GTPase and the actin-binding protein Shroom combine to regulate the localization of Rho kinase and actomyosin contractility during axis elongation. This biosights episode presents the paper by Simões et al. from the February 17, 2014, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with first author Sérgio de Matos Simões (formerly at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York and currently at the University of Toronto). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

Subscribe to biosights via iTunes or RSS
View biosights archive

The Rockefeller University Press
biosights@rockefeller.edu

Vincent, Elio, Michael, and Michele review how microbial virulence can be increased as a consequence of community surveillance and adaptation to macrophages.