NASA scientists and their academic colleagues are
providing valuable insights into how DNA encodes instructions
for control of basic biological functions. Their research may
change the understanding of human diseases.
Scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field,
Calif., worked in collaboration with scientists from Yale
University, Columbia University, and the University of
Amsterdam. They discovered genes that change during the
development of a living organism at every major stage of its
life cycle.
The scientists produced a unique map of gene expression for
the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), an organism
widely used by researchers to study diseases. NASA uses the
fruit fly to study the effects of microgravity and radiation
on biological organisms.
“Acquiring knowledge about the fruit fly is an important tool
for understanding and dissecting human illness and biological
processes,” said Dr. Viktor Stolc, director of the Genome
Research Facility at Ames.
Using advanced technology, researchers were able to attach to
specially patterned glass slides short pieces of DNA that
recognize sequences in genes throughout the fruit fly’s own
DNA blueprint, called the genome. The slide arrays were used
to measure levels of ribonucleic acid (RNA), biochemical
copies of the DNA produced when genes are activated to make
proteins. The study results, published today in the journal
Science, provide an expression map for the entire non-
repetitive genome, that reveals a much more extensive and
diverse set of expressed RNA sequences than had been
previously predicted or observed.
The Science manuscript generated a complete record of all fly
gene activities, which has never been done before. This
information is the essential first-step in developing
comprehensive understanding of gene responses to space
flight. Better understanding of microgravity impact on human
health and development will help NASA to ensure astronauts’
wellbeing during long duration space flights exploring the
moon and Mars.
RNA levels were measured for every gene at each major stage
of the fly’s development, from egg to adult, in both males
and females. The results provide a detailed picture of gene
activity, including new information about currently
uncharacterized parts of the fruit fly genome, according to
Stolc.
“As a result of this research, we now have a more
comprehensive view of gene activity in the fly during
development, which will impact future analyses of the
complete set of genetic material in the cells of living
organisms,” he added.
For more information about the research on the Internet,
visit:
http://phenomorph.arc.nasa.gov/
For more information about NASA space research on the
Internet, visit:
