Studies in experimental behavior genetics: V. Negative geotaxis and further chromosome analyses in Drosophila melanogaster.

1969 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry Hirsch ◽  
George Ksander
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ved Chauhan ◽  
Abha Chauhan

Abstract Traumatic injury (TI) during pregnancy increases the risk for developing neurological disorders in the infants. These disorders are a major concern for the well-being of children born after TI during pregnancy. TI during pregnancy may result in preterm labor and delivery, abruptio placentae, and/or fetomaternal hemorrhage. Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) is a widely used model to study brain and behavioral disorders in humans. In this study, we analyzed the effects of TI to female fruit flies on the development timing of larvae, social interaction and the behavior of offspring flies. TI to the female flies was found to affect the development of larvae and the behavior of offspring flies. There was a significant increase in the length of larvae delivered by traumatically injured maternal flies as compared to larvae from control maternal flies (without TI). The pupae formation from larvae, and the metamorphosis of pupae to the first generation of flies were faster in the TI group than the control group. Negative geotaxis and distance of the fly to its nearest neighbor are parameters of behavioral assessment in fruit flies. Negative geotaxis significantly decreased in the first generation of both male (p = 0.0021) and female (p = 0.0426) flies. The distance between the first generation of flies to its nearest neighbor was shorter in both male and female offspring flies in the TI group as compared to control group flies. These results indicate that TI to the female flies affected the development of larvae and resulted in early delivery, impaired social interaction and behavioral alterations in the offspring.


Author(s):  
Chinonye A. Maduagwuna ◽  
Simeon Omale ◽  
Monday A. Etuh ◽  
Steven S. Gyang

Aims: To investigate the effect of the methanolic extracts of Caryota no (CN) seeds negative geotaxis, fecundity and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) using Drosophila melanogaster (DM).                                                                                                      Study Design: Experimental design. Place and Duration: Sample: African Centre of Excellence for Phytomedicine Research and Development, University of Jos, Jos Plateau State Nigeria between June 2018 and February 2019                                                                                                  Methodology: 50 flies were exposed in each vial to the following concentrations: 300 mg, 350 mg, 400 mg, 500 mg and 600 mg of methanolic extracts in 5 replicates for 7 days with daily recording of mortality. Total protein assays were carried out by Randox method from the supernatant from homogenized whole flies. In vivo antioxidant activity study was conducted by measuring level of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme activity from supernatants of whole fly homogenates using a spectrophotometer at specific wavelengths over a 2 minute duration. The values were derived as part of the total protein value. Negative geotaxis was done by the climbing assay and fecundity was examined by rate of emergence of larva after exposure of the flies to treatment. The statistical difference among test groups was presumed at P < .05. Results: The methanolic extract of CN caused nonsignificant (P = .33) decrease in total protein levels compared to the control. There were also nonsignificant decreases in AChE (P = .30) activity, negative geotactic (P = .80) behaviour and nonsignificant increase in fecundity (P = .17) in the methanolic extract-treated flies compared to the controls. Conclusion: It can therefore be concluded that the methanolic extract of Caryota no nonsignificantly improved fertitity and reduced negative geotaxis and AChE activity in DM.


1968 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 673-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. Walton

The use of a behavioral character, the geotactic response of Drosophila melanogaster, permitted selection in large replicated populations. Each population was derived from the same base population but after the initial selection, it was maintained independently and treated identically. Diallel cross analysis revealed differences between the additive genetic variances of the strains treated in this way. These differences were largest after about eight generations of selection and decreased by the 16th generation.The analysis of diallel tables also showed that the geotactic response in D. melanogaster was controlled by polygenic factors. On the average, the genes that increase the expression of positive geotaxis were partially dominant while factors for negative geotaxis were recessive. Dominance was not, however, always unidirectional.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e41907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica A. Linderman ◽  
Moria C. Chambers ◽  
Avni S. Gupta ◽  
David S. Schneider

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago C. Moulin ◽  
Federico Ferro ◽  
Angela Hoyer ◽  
Pierre Cheung ◽  
Michael J. Williams ◽  
...  

More than 320 million people live with depression in the world, a disorder that severely limits psychosocial functioning and diminishes quality of life. The prevalence of major depression is almost two times higher in women than in men. However, the molecular mechanisms of its sex-specific pathophysiology are still poorly understood. Drosophila melanogaster is an established model for neurobiological research of depression-like states, as well as for the study of molecular and genetic sex differences in the brain. Here, we investigated sex-specific effects on forced-climbing locomotion (negative geotaxis) and gene expression of a fly model of depression-like phenotypes induced by levodopa administration, which was previously shown to impair normal food intake, mating frequency, and serotonin concentration. We observed that both males and females show deficits in the forced-climbing paradigm; however, modulated by distinct gene expression patterns after levodopa administration. Our results suggest that Drosophila models can be a valuable tool for identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying the difference of depressive disorder prevalence between men and women.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (44) ◽  
pp. 703-712
Author(s):  
Crisley Cheuczuk Dilliane ◽  
Freitas Suelen ◽  
Vaz Jaqueline ◽  
Luciano Braguini Welligton

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