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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Tgf-Beta Receptors And Alcohol Sensitivity In Drosophila, Kristyn Sennett
Tgf-Beta Receptors And Alcohol Sensitivity In Drosophila, Kristyn Sennett
Theses and Dissertations
Clic proteins influence ethanol-related behavior in flies and other species and also mediate TGF-β signaling. These findings suggest that Clics and the TGF-β signaling pathway might work together to modulate behavioral responses to ethanol. I used the Drosophila model to address the hypothesis that TGF-β signaling is important for ethanol sensitivity. Ethanol sensitivity was blunted by multiple transposon insertions in the TGF-β receptor gene thickveins. Collectively, however, I found no consistent correlation between expression of thickveins and altered ethanol sensitivity in flies harboring transposons. I therefore also assessed ethanol sensitivity in flies with loss of function point mutations in thickveins. …
Mechanisms Associated With Aging And Age-Related Disease In Drosophila, Melanie Jones
Mechanisms Associated With Aging And Age-Related Disease In Drosophila, Melanie Jones
Theses and Dissertations
Aging is an intrinsic process that is independent of obvious disease. In contrast to normal aging, age-related diseases are conditions that typically manifest at advanced ages, are associated with explicit pathology and cause disability and premature death. We used Drosophila as a model to investigate the molecular-genetic mechanisms associated with aging and age-related disease. Age-related locomotor impairment (ARLI) is a serious condition for the elderly and greatly impacts their quality of life. Toward identifying genes and mechanisms that influence ARLI, we performed a forward genetic screen using Drosophila mutants. This screen identified a loss of function mutant in PDK1, a …