Features and Advantages of the Drosophila Model

Drosophila has a similar genomic structure to humans, and more than 60% of genes of Drosophila have homology with human disease genes, making them an ideal model for studying human diseases. Secondly, Drosophila reproduce quickly, have a short life cycle, and are low-cost, allowing scientists to conduct large-scale genetic screening in a short period. Through genetic manipulation and precise gene editing technology, Protheragen easily knocks out or regulates specific obesity genes to observe their effects on energy metabolism and fat storage.

Fig.1 The tissues of Drosophila and humans have similar functions. (Gáliková & Klepsatel, 2018)

Obesity Gene Discovery: Systematic Insights through Drosophila Screening!

As a classic model organism, Drosophila has played an important role in genetics and biomedical research. Our Drosophila system functional screening service combines advanced genomic technology to help clients efficiently and accurately identify genes that play a key role in obesity phenotypes through screening, editing, and verification processes. Our service process is as follows:

Drosophila Candidate Obesity Gene Screening

Whole-exome sequencing technology is used to identify candidate genes that may be associated with obesity in gene coding regions. Through carefully designed screening strategies, these genes are further studied to determine their potential roles in the obesity phenotype. The initial screening may involve comparing the phenotypic differences of different fruit fly strains under high-sugar or high-fat diet conditions, supplemented by data analysis using bioinformatics tools, and ultimately determining a series of candidate genes with research value.

Drosophila Candidate Obesity Gene Editing

After locking in the candidate gene, precise gene manipulation is performed in Drosophila through gene editing technology, such as knocking out, knocking down, or overexpressing the target gene. The purpose of this step is to clarify the specific role of each candidate gene in the Drosophila obesity phenotype. Adjusting the gene expression level and observing the direct phenotypic response caused by the gene change provides an important basis for understanding the causal relationship between gene function and obesity.

Metabolic Analysis and Phenotypic Measurements

A series of comprehensive assessments is performed on gene-edited Drosophila, such as monitoring of fly body weight, determination of fat deposition, and analysis of metabolic rates (such as oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production). Determine which genetic changes significantly affect the obesity of Drosophila and the specific roles of these genes in energy metabolism. Analyze metabolites in Drosophila by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or mass spectrometry (MS) to deepen the understanding of obesity.

Workflow

Applications

• Obesity gene screening using Drosophila to identify novel obesity-related genes and reveal the genetic basis and related biological mechanisms of obesity.
• The Drosophila functional screening system is used to quickly identify gene targets related to obesity, providing possible intervention targets and efficacy verification models for the development of new drugs.
• The Drosophila functional screening system is used to study the interaction between diet and genes, helping to understand the molecular mechanism of obesity under different dietary patterns.

Advantages

• High-throughput screening technology is used to process many samples in a short time to quickly identify candidate genes related to obesity.
• Precise gene editing technology is used to achieve knockout and knockdown of Drosophila genes, etc., to ensure the accuracy of screening and verification results.
• In addition to gene function evaluation, we also ensure comprehensive functional analysis through detailed measurements of body weight, metabolic rate, and fat content.
• Flexible experimental design allows scientific research teams to customize gene screening and functional verification according to research needs.

Publication Data

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why choose Drosophila as a model organism for obesity gene screening?

   Drosophila is a fast-breeding model organism whose genome is highly conserved with humans, especially in genes related to metabolism and obesity. In addition, the genome of Drosophila is moderately sized, making it easy to perform efficient gene editing and functional analysis.

2. What are the commonly used phenotypic analyses in Drosophila obesity gene screening?

   Commonly used phenotypic analyses include Drosophila weight measurement, adipose tissue staining and quantification, determination of metabolic rate, and analysis of metabolites (such as glucose and lipid levels).

At Protheragen, our innovative experimental workflow and Drosophila functional screening system provide researchers with an efficient and reliable tool for exploring obesity-related genes. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.

• Bioinformatics-based Obesity Gene Screening Service
• Transcriptome Sequencing-based Obesity Gene Screening Service