A Screen for Protein Encoding Genes for Air Sac Primordium Invasion of the Wing Imaginal Disc in Drosophila melanogaster

The Air Sac Primordia (ASP) in Drosophila melanogaster develops outside of the Drosophila ’s Wing Imaginal Disc (WID) and grows into and within it, similar to the behavior of metastatic tumors developing into human lungs. Genes involved in Basement Membrane defects have been found to influence tumor metastasis and ASP invasion of the Wing Imaginal Disc. By utilizing protein traps and finding the genes responsible for Basement Membrane degradation in Drosophila , the genes responsible for tumor metastasis can be identified. In this study, several lines of Drosophila were dissected and screened for positive ASP expression in the Wing Imaginal Disc. Out of these, some lines appear to have positive expression in the Wing Imaginal Disc and few appears to have positive ASP expression. This will be followed up by knock down of the gene with positive ASP expression to note the effects on ASP invasion when the gene is not present as well as the screening of several more Drosophila stocks. The genes identified with positive ASP expression could possibly parallel genes found in tumor invasion in humans. This result will provide further reason for this gene to be studied and analyzed in the context of human cancer.