Investigating arsenic susceptibility from a genetic perspective in Drosophila reveals a key role for glutathione synthetase.

ABSTRACT: Chronic exposure to arsenic-contaminated drinking water can lead to a variety of serious pathological outcomes. However, differential responsiveness within human populations suggests that interindividual genetic variation plays an important role. We are using Drosophila to study toxic metal response pathways because of unrivalled access to varied genetic approaches and significant demonstrable overlap with many aspects of mammalian physiology and disease phenotypes. Genetic analysis (via chromosomal segregation and microsatellite marker-based recombination) of various wild-type strains exhibiting relative susceptibility or tolerance to the lethal toxic effects of arsenite identified a limited X-chromosomal region (16D-F) able to confer a differential response phenotype. Using an FRT-based

SUBMITTER: Ortiz JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2639754 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature