Michelle Tram, Tommy Anderson and Kate Putnam

Abstract:

Drosophila fruit flies have been model systems for genetics since the early 1900s and are increasingly becoming the focus of comparative genomic research. We are part of a nationwide research consortium whose aim is to annotate and improve Drosophila genomes using bioinformatic tools (e.g., gene-finding software and genome browsers). The overall project is focused on understanding how the insulin signaling biochemical pathway has evolved across multiple Drosophila species. Our poster will explain how we identify genes in the insulin-signaling pathway in our focal species and compare them to homologous regions in the model species Drosophila melanogaster.