Understanding the Evolutionary Conservation of the Ilp1 gene across Drosophila: Genomics Education Partnership

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Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster is a commonly used model organism in genetics and developmental biology. Research on the insulin signaling pathway in D. melanogaster provides evidence that it is similar to the human pathway and involved in metabolism, growth and lifespan regulation [4]. The Genomic Education Partnership's (GEP) Pathways Project is a network analysis that focuses on insulin signaling in the genus Drosophila through the annotation of genes [1]. The approach of the project is to understand the evolutionary change in genes across species over time in biological pathways and look at the growth and metabolic homeostasis [2]. Insulin, in Drosophila, is produced by secretory cells in the median eminence of the brain called insulin- producing cells (IPC's). IPC's release insulin-like peptides in response to hormones and bind to insulin receptors to regulate metabolism and reproduction. Drosophila insulin-like peptides (llp) promote an abundance of glycogen and lipids inducing glycolysis in cells [4]. Glycolysis is the process of breaking down glucose and converting it into pyruvate and is important for growth and development in the fruit fly. There are eight different Drosophila insulin-like peptides that are responsible in growth conditions and produce a phenocopy of type 1 diabetes in humans [4]. The gene of interest in this study is the llp1 gene which is important for controlling nutrient- dependent growth control during development. We are interested in studying how evolutionarily conserved the llp1 gene is and investigated the llp1 in 15 species across the Drosophila genus.

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