Sample Essay using Embedded APA formatting
Drosophila larvae deficient in mid-life crisis (micr) function exhibit a decrease in size, in addition
to lethality, a locomotory deficit and an aberrant response to light (Scantlebury, 2007). The decrease in
size of micr mutants may result from decreased feeding (Scantlebury, 2007) that may in turn be caused
by i) neural or ii) muscle defects. A defect in muscle tissue could render the larvae unable to perform the
muscle contractions necessary for larval feeding. Conversely, the atypical feeding behavior could be the
result of a defect in a neural pathway that innervates the muscle (Hartenstein et al, 1994). Alternatively,
an aberration in one of the neural pathways that is responsible for Drosophila appetite could result in
decreased larval feeding (Zinke et al., 1999). To investigate whether poor food intake in micr mutants is
linked to their size deficit, I performed a series of feeding experiments. Here, I show that micr
expression is required in the nervous system for proper feeding and, in turn larval size, to be achieved.
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