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Date Time CRISPR improves method for studying gene functions Since the genetics revolution, biologists have been working to understand the roles that individual genes play, often with the help of advanced techniques. One such method, mosaic analysis, has led to many discoveries of the functions of genes. Although mosaic analysis has been widely used in Drosophila, a popular model organism, it is much harder to implement in other organisms. A new paper describes a technique called Mosaic Analysis by gRNA-induced Crossing-over (MAGIC), which uses CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology to make mosaic analysis much simpler. Though the proof-of-principle experiment was done in fruit flies (Drosophila), it can theoretically work in any organism where CRISPR methods apply. ....
December 23, 2020 Scientists have known that females of many species eat more to meet the demands of reproduction, and that females undergo widespread physiological and behavioral changes after mating. The mechanisms of these changes, however, are not well understood. A new study of the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) has identified a protein in the male’s seminal fluid that triggers the female’s midgut to expand after mating. This widening and lengthening of the gut likely prepares the female for eating more to meet the increased energy and nutrient demands required for reproduction. “We show that this male protein is what causes the female’s gut to grow,” said Mariana Wolfner ’74, professor of molecular biology and genetics and a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences. Melissa White, a graduate student in Wolfner’s lab, is the paper’s first author. ....