Ferritin, a symmetrical 24-subunit heteropolymer composed of heavy and light chains, is the primary iron-storage molecule in bacteria, plants and animals. We used a genetically engineered strain of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster which expresses a GFP (green fluorescent protein)-tagged ferritin 1 heavy chain homologue from its native chromosomal locus and incorporated it into endogenous functional ferritin, enabling in vivo visualization of the protein and permitting easy assessment of ferritin status following environmental or genetic perturbations. Random mutagenesis was induced, and individual mutagenized chromosomes were recovered by classic crossing schemes involving phenotypical markers and balancer chromosomes. In wild-type larvae, ferritin is predominantly localized in the brain, in regions of the intestine, in wreath cells and in pericardial cells. A pilot genetic screen revealed a mutant fruitfly strain expressing GFP–ferritin in the anal pads, a pair of organs located ventrally in the posterior end of the fruitfly larva, possibly involved in ion absorption and osmoregulation, which are normally devoid of ferritin. Our continuing genetic screen could reveal transcription factors involved in ferritin regulation and novel proteins important in iron metabolism, hopefully with conserved functions in evolution.
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December 2008
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Conference Article|
November 19 2008
Genetic screening for novel Drosophila mutants with discrepancies in iron metabolism
Anuja Mehta;
Anuja Mehta
1
1School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email a.mehta@qmul.ac.uk).
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Abhyuday Deshpande;
Abhyuday Deshpande
1School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, U.K.
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Fanis Missirlis
Fanis Missirlis
1School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, U.K.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
July 08 2008
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2008 Biochemical Society
2008
Biochem Soc Trans (2008) 36 (6): 1313–1316.
Article history
Received:
July 08 2008
Citation
Anuja Mehta, Abhyuday Deshpande, Fanis Missirlis; Genetic screening for novel Drosophila mutants with discrepancies in iron metabolism. Biochem Soc Trans 1 December 2008; 36 (6): 1313–1316. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0361313
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