A novel in vivo overexpression screen for cell cycle and growth regulating genes in Drosophila

• Applicant: Claus Schertel, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: General Genetics and Functional Genome Biology
• Term: from 2008 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 80156399

To identify genes that regulate cell growth, cell cycle progression and proliferation in vivo, I intend to perform a novel overexpression screen in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. I will create a library of about 650 fly lines, each line containing one open reading frame (ORF) inserted into a specific locus of the Drosophila genome. The selected ORFs were identified in an RNAi based loss-of-function screen in Drosophila S2 cells to function in cell cycle and cell size regulation, as well as a variety of related mechanisms. However, the in vivo role of these genes in the context of a multicellular organism remains unclear. I will screen the fly lines for a variety of growth related phenotypes. A number of assays using new, as well as already established techniques will identify genes involved in organ size, cell cycle progression and cellular growth. This work represents a comprehensive and systematic analysis of a large set of genes that may play a role in size regulation and growth control. Furthermore, it is part of a larger project aimed at the establishment of a genome-wide overexpression library. Experiences from the pilot-library will be essential to this project.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Switzerland
• Host: Professor Dr. Konrad Basler