Matthew 18:11
11 For the Son of man is
come to save that
which was lost.
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
Breeding Drosophila
Timothy G. Standish, Ph. D.
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
Why Drosophila melanogaster?
Drosophila melanogaster is a kind of fruit fly
Why fruit flies?
– Short generation time (≈ 2 weeks)
– Survives and breeds well in the lab
– Very large chromosomes in some cells
– Many aspects of phenotype are genetically
controlled
– Commercial strains are available
– Small size
– Easily sexed
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
Drosophila Nomenclature
+ = Wild type, phenotype in nature (i.e., red
eyes and round wings)
Mutants are alternatives to the wild type
Fruit fly genes are named after the mutant
Dominant mutations are capitalized (i.e.,
Hairless or H and Bar or B)
Recessive mutants are named using lower
case letters (i.e., black or b and white or w)
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
Antennapedia
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
Bar
Female
Male
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
Dumpy
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
More Drosophila Mutations
Wild Type ++
ebony body ee
white eyes ww
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
Sex Determination
Sexing of Drosophila is relatively easy
Males have:
– Different genitals
– Small black sex combs on their front legs
– Darker colored hind end
Females:
– Distinctive genitals
– No sex combs
– Lighter colored hind end
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
©2000 Timothy G. Standish
©2000 Timothy G. Standish