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Drosophila has long been a favorite model system for geneticists and developmental biologists studying embroygenesis. The small size, short generation time, and large brood size makes it ideal for genetic studies. Transparent embryos facilitate developmental studies. Drosophila melanogaster was introduced into the field of genetic experiments by Thomas Hunt Morgan in 1909. A model organism is one that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. ...
Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ...
Development has meaning in several contexts: Science and Engineering Biological development of embryos in the context of developmental biology Child development or post-natal human development (pediatrics, etc) Software engineering, the methodology and process of development of computer software Technology development in industry, as in Software development New product development...
Binomial name Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, 1830 dorsal view Drosophila melanogaster (Black-bellied Dew-lover) a dipteran (two-winged) insect, is the species of fruit fly that is commonly used in genetic experiments; it is among the most important model organisms. ...
Thomas Hunt Morgan Thomas Hunt Morgan (September 25, 1866 â December 4, 1945) was an American geneticist. ...
1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...
Life cycle Drosophila are species of molting insects, meaning that they have two distinct stages of their life cycle with radically different body plans: larva and adults. During embryogenesis, the larva develops and then hatches from the egg. Cells that will produce adult structures are put aside in imaginal disks. During the pupal stage, the larval body breaks down as the imaginal disks grow and produce the adult body. This process is called complete metamorphosis. Embryogenesis is the process by which the embryo is formed and develops. ...
Metamorphosis in biology is physical development of the individual after birth or hatching involving significant change in form as well as growth and differentiation. ...
The mother fly produces oocytes that already have anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes defined by maternal activities. An oocyte or ovocyte is a female gametocyte that divides twice by mitosis and meiosis into two other oocytes or into two ootids. ...
Embroygenesis in Drosophila is unique among model organisms in that cleavage occurs in a syncytium. About 5,000 nuclei accumulate in the unseparated cytoplasm of the oocyte before they migrate to the surface and are encompassed by plasma membranes to form cells surrounding the yolk sac. Early on, the germ line segregates from the somatic cells through the formation of pole cells at the posterior end of the embryo. Germline is a word used in biology and genetics. ...
Like other metazoa, gastrulation leads to the formation of three germ layers; the endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm. The mesoderm invaginates from the ventral furrow, as do the ectoderm that will give rise to the midgut. The pole cells are internalized by a different route. Phyla Radiata Cnidaria Ctenophora - Comb jellies Bilateria Protostomia Acoelomorpha Platyhelminthes - Flatworms Nemertina - Ribbon worms Gastrotricha Gnathostomulida - Jawed worms Micrognathozoa Rotifera - Rotifers Acanthocephala Priapulida Kinorhyncha Loricifera Entoprocta Nematoda - Roundworms Nematomorpha - Horsehair worms Cycliophora Mollusca - Mollusks Sipuncula - Peanut worms Annelida - Segmented worms Tardigrada - Water bears Onychophora - Velvet worms Arthropoda - Insects, etc. ...
1 - blastula, 2 - gastrula; orange - ectoderm, red - entoderm. ...
The endoderm, sometimes refered to as entoderm, is one of the three germ layers of the developing embryo, the other two being the ectoderm and the mesoderm. ...
The mesoderm is one of the three germ layers in the early developing embryo, the other two layers being the ectoderm and the endoderm. ...
The ectoderm is outermost of the three germ layers of the developing embryo, the other two being the mesoderm and the endoderm. ...
Germ band elongation involves many rearrangements of cells, and the appearance of distinct differences in the cells of the three germ bands and various regions of the embryo. The posterior region (including the hindgut) expands and extends towards the anterior pole along the dorsal side of the embryo. The earliest signs of segmentation appear during this phase with the formation of parasegmental furrows. This is also when the tracheal pits form, the first signs of structures for breathing. Germ band retraction returns the hindgut to the dorsal side of the posterior pole and coincides with overt segmentation. The remaining stages involve the internalization of the nervous system (ectoderm) and the formation of internal organs (mainly mesoderm). Morphogenesis (from the Greek morphê shape and genesis creation) is one of three fundamental aspects of developmental biology along with the control of cell growth and cellular differentiation. ...
Tools Mutagenesis allow scientists to disrupt the function of genes in the fly. This is usuful for studying embryogenosis. This article is about mutation in biology, for other meanings see: mutation (disambiguation). ...
It is fairly easy for an experienced scientist to make transgenic flies. This is a very useful tool and opens up many possibilities. It allows the study of the role of the gene in embryogenosis. A genetically modified organism is an organism whose genetic material has been deliberately altered. ...
It is possible to tag a fly protein with a fluorescent protein such as green fluorescent protein (GFP). This means that you can watch the dynamics of the localisation of that protein. It is even possible to do so in living organisms. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a protein from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria that fluoresces green when exposed to blue light. ...
The fly genome has been published and is an extremely useful resource. It can be used to look for the homolog of genes from other organisms, that are involved in embryogenosis. Once such a gene has been identified in fly it will make the study of its function possible and increase the understanding of the role of the gene product. The term homologue or homolog has several meanings: In biology, homologues are structures that are alike because of shared ancestry. ...
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