10th Oct - FLY-MAPK Flashcards
What is a genotype?
The status of the genome of an organism
What is a phenotype?
Biological traits which we can observe, asses or detect
What are the main cellular processes activated by the MAPK cascade?
Growth Proliferation Differentiation Migration Apoptosis
Name the main cancer associated lesions in the ERK pathway?
EGFR OE - Most carcinomas
ERBB2 OE - Breast cancer
RAS mutation - Pancreatic cancer, Lung adenocarcinoma, Seminoma, Melanoma, Liver, Kidney and AML
BRAF mutation - Melanoma, colorectal
What are the main model systems?
Drosophila
C. elegans
Budding Yeast
Fission Yeast
Outline the process of drosophila compound eye development
- R8 differentiates itself from the periphery cell mass
- R8 affects the other cells
- R8 induces R7
How was the drosophila compound eye mechanism elucidated?
Isolated the mutants that can’t produce R7
Clone responsible genes
Look at genetic epistasis between them
How were sevenless mutants activated?
- Isolate mutants that are blind
- Isolate mutants that can’t produce R7
- Clone responsible genes
- Look at genetic epistasis between them
Outline the screening process for blind flies
Had a tube of flies, flies flew towards the light, blind flies didn’t.
Shifted tube.
Separated segments of fly tubes, and repeated for 15 cycles
The blind flies will be in the middle tubes as the option for them to go up or down is about 50:50
Why analyse these mutations on the X chromosomes?
Loss of function mutations tend to be recessive, however we need to be able to see them in screening therefore analysis of the X chromosome allows the phenotype to be displayed.
Therefore use attached X chromosome female
What does the sev gene encode?
A receptor protein tyrosine kinase
What did mosaic analyses show?
That Boss needs to be expressed in R8 to induce R7 differentiation but can be missing in R7
What is the function of a mosaic analyses?
Examines cell autonomous function of the protein
