1. Drosophila genetic research is strongly based on the analysis of mutants. What is a recessive, dominant, null, hypomorph, neomorph, regulatory, conditional allele of a gene?
recessive: phenotype only when homozygous, in heterozygous mutants the dominant allel is observed -> Example: white eye
dominant: phenotype even in heterozygous mutants -> Ex: curly wing
null allel: loss-of-function mutation where the gene completely loses its function. This can be due to deletions, nonsense mutations, or mutations that severely disrupt the gene's structure
hypomorphic: loss-of-function mutation where the gene product has reduced activity compared to the wild type
neomorphic: gain-of-function mutation where the gene acquires a new function that is not found in the wild type -> Ex: antennapedia
regulatory: affects the expression levels, timing, or location of a gene without altering the gene product itself. Mutation in regulatory regions like promoters, enhancers
conditional allele: displays a phenotype only under certain environmental conditions -> Ex: temperature-sensitive alleles
2. What is a “gain of function” and what a “loss of function” experiment?
GoF: overexpressing, activating or enhancing functions of a specific gene -> Ex: antennapedia
also a transplantation experiment could be seen as a gain of function
LoF: gene knock out or knock down, also conditional knock outs very important
3. Define the properties of a morphogen?
Substances with organizer properties
Form concentration/activity gradients
Directly instruct cell fates
Instruct cell fates in a dose dependent manner [THRESHOLD]
Long Range action
Stability and Diffuseibility
4. How can you experimentally address organizer properties of a gene?
Organizer properties: with a GoF or Lof experiment and observe if organization is disrupted
Gradient / diffusability / long range: use of reporter constructs e.g. GFP linked to the morphogen
Directly instructs cell fate: Induce the morphogens signal at a different position see if the same direct effect happens
Threshold / dose dependent manner: also with reporter constructs, observe the different concentrations and compare the cells fates if the cells at lower conc of the gradients have different fates it is threshold dependent
5. What is the difference of long range distribution and long range function?
Distribution: ability of a signaling molecule, such as a morphogen, to spread out over a considerable distance from its source
Function: ability of a signaling molecule to elicit biological responses in cells located far from its source
6. How can you prove the existence of protein gradients?
translational reporter using e.g. GFP
GFP fused to protein of interest at N- or C-terminal
allows visualization of protein distribution and gradient formation
7. When is a gradient instructive? How can you prove that a gradient is instructive?
a protein/ morphogen gradient is instructive when the protein is able to activate downstream signaling in cells along the gradient even at low concentrations
antibody staining for signaling components that are activated by signaling pathways, epitopes have to be chosen that are exclusively present in active signal transuction (phosphoMad in dpp signaling)
8. What is mosaic genetic analysis
mosaic mutations: not present in all cells, usually arise from somatic mutations
mosaic genetic analysis = clonal screen?
analysis of mutations that are not present in every cell of an organism e.g. only in head. allows analysis of otherwise embryonic lethal mutations and investigation of which tissues mutant cells fail to contribute to.
chimeras, conditional alleles
9. How can you generate clones of cells expressing a protein of interest?
Introducing a Plasmid containing the gene of interest by serveral methaods (transfection, viral transduction, Crispr, Homologous rekombination, electroporation)
Selection of positive cells (AB resistance)
Cloning with cell sorting markers (fluoresence)
Screening for the protein (western blot) and continue culture in selective media
target vector has to contain promoter, protein of interest and selection cassette —> incorporatin into genome as transgene
monoclonal: single cells after transfection to make sure all cells arise from one precursor
10. How can you generate clones of cells mutant for a gene of interest?
Crispr-Cas, Zink Finger Nucleases or TALENS
guide RNA, or recognition sequences (VDR or Zinc Fingers) have to recognize gene of interest, induce double strand break in target gene
—> repair via homologous recombination, introduction of donor vector that carries promoter, mutated poi and selection cassette necessary to have prooer template
—> introduction of genome editing tools via transfection?
11. Clonal analysis depends on stochastic recombinase-mediated events (i.e. Flipase activation). Can you/How can you affect clone position, clone size, clone number in a tissue?
clonal analysis depends on usage of conditional alleles e.g.: Cre and FLP recombinases. The expression of the recombinases can be controlled in a temporal and spatial manner.
clone position —> recombinase driven under tissue-specific promoter
clone size —> control of how long recombinase is expressed e.g. via CreER (duration of tamoxifen treatment) or TetON/TetOFF (duration of dox treatment)
clone number —> mosaic clones, introduction of transgenes into es cells, then microinjection into blastocyst, usage of chimera?
12. What are the functions of the Drosophila genes decapentaplegic, wingless, Notch, snail, ken and barbie, gurken, torpedo, hedgehog, shaven baby (…based on their names)
dpp = anterior-posterior patterning of wing axis, dorso-ventral axis of embryo
wingless = loss of function resulzs in loss of wings
Notch = results in notched wings
hedgehog = trichome formation
snail = mucus production ?
ken and barbie = no external genitalia
…
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