Project description:This RNAseq study has been performed in the framework of a project using experimental evolution to understand the consequences of genetically-based adaptation to juvenile undernutrition for adult gene metabolism. Six "Selected" populations of Drosophila melanogaster had been maintained on a very poor larval diet (3.2 g yeast / liter w/v) for 14 years (about 250 generations). Six "Control" populations of the same origin had been maintained in parallel on the standard diet (12.5 g yeast/liter). In a factorial design, we performed RNAseq on flies from Selected and Control populations raised both standard and poor diet. This design separates the effects of the evolutionary differentiation between the two sets of populations, and the effect of the larval diet experienced by the focal individuals. Adults of all populations were transferred to standard diet within 24 h or emergence and maintained on it for 3 days before being collected for RNAseq. RNAseq was performed on carcasses of adult mated females (10 carcasses per sample), consisting mainly of the fat body and the abdominal body wall.
Project description:Our two main aims were 1) to isolate age-related changes in gene expression in females of the solitary insect, Drosophila melanogaster; and 2) to determine whether experimentally changing the shape of the fecundity-longevity relationship (by changing larvae diet) caused changes in age-related gene expression in these females. To address these aims we extracted RNA from three key tissues (fat body, head and ovary) from females at two time points (10% and 60% mortality phases). Each of these females had experienced one of two treatments: medium-quality larval diet (M) treatment (resulting in a positive fecundity-longevity relationship) and high-quality larval diet (H) treatment (resulting in a negative fecundity-longevity relationship).
Project description:We used RNA-seq to examine coding and non-coding gene expression variation in the larval fat body of an ancestral African and a derived European Drosophila melanogaster population across three developmental stages spanning ten hours of larval development.
Project description:We used RNA-seq in a derived European Drosophila melanogaster population from Germany (MU) to examine coding gene expression variation in the larval fat body during the late wandering third instar stage.
Project description:We compared four transcription factor knockdowns using transgenic RNAi expressed in the larval fat body. FOXO, Tfb1, p53, and Stat92E-dependent gene expression in the Drosophila fat body was quantified on control and high-sugar diets in order to generate expression profiles via RNA-seq. These expression data were used to build a gene regulatory network to predict novel roles for these and other genes during caloric overload.
Project description:Activation of innate immune responses in the Drosophila larval fat body affects the physiological host responses. In order to characterize the effect of the activated immune responses in the fat body on the Drosophila, we used whole-genome microarray analysis and found that activation of the immune deficieny pathway (Imd) in the fat body alters the transcriptional profiles of Drosophila larvae. As we expected many of genes involved in regulation of antimicrobial peptides were upregulated in the larvae with elevated Imd activity in the fat body. Notably, we found activatioan of Imd in the fat body negatively affects expression of genes involved in glycolysis, energy production and insulin signaling pathway. Overall, our analysis showed that activation of innate immune signaling in the larval fat body significantly affects cellular pathways that regulate metabolism.
