Open AccessScreening assays for heart function mutants in Drosophila
Author(s) -
Robert Wessells,
Rolf Bodmer
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
biotechniques/biotechniques
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.617
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1940-9818
pISSN - 0736-6205
DOI - 10.2144/04371st01
Subject(s) - biology , drosophila (subgenus) , mutant , mutation , genetics , genetic screen , population , function (biology) , cardiac function curve , model organism , drosophila melanogaster , gene , medicine , heart failure , environmental health
The rapid life cycle and genetic tractability of Drosophila make it an ideal organism for large-scale genetic screens. Here we describe a novel assay for pupal heart rate and rhythmicity, as well as techniques to measure adult cardiac stress response. These assays can be powerfully combined to concurrently screen for both mutations affecting cardiac function and mutations affecting the age-dependent decline in adult cardiac stress response. Mutations identified in such screens have the potential to contribute greatly to the understanding of both congenital heart disease and the regulation of age-dependent decline in cardiac function in the human population.