Presenter(s)

Ava Kelly, Madeline Ranly

Comments

10:45-12:00, Kennedy Union Ballroom

Download Available for download on Tuesday, April 22, 2025

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Description

Loss Of Function (LOF) and Gain Of Function (GOF) experiments are among the most successful approaches for uncovering the role of genes in animal development, physiology, behavior, and evolution. The former approach removes a gene’s function to reveal its necessity, while the latter adds a gene’s function to reveal its sufficiency. These experiments have been utilized for hundreds to thousands of genes in limited model organism species, such as the fruit fly species Drosophila melanogaster. However, model organisms do not possess the complete diversity of traits and phenotypes that are compelling to study. Thus, the full potential of genetic inquiry requires the ability to perform LOF and GOF experiments in what can be considered non-model organisms. Here, we will present our progress in creating and characterizing genetic tools for LOF and GOF experiments in non-model fruit fly species. Success here will create opportunities to investigate how evolutionarily conserved genes have shaped the gain, loss, and modification of traits among fruit flies. These tools may be useful to scientists studying gene function in other animal genres, classes, and perhaps even phyla.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Independent Research

Primary Advisor

Tom M. Williams

Primary Advisor's Department

Biology

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Scholarship; Practical Wisdom; Vocation

Creating and characterizing the transgenic tools to explore the function of genes in non-model organism species

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