Larval mannitol diets increase mortality, prolong development and decrease adult body sizes in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster)

Methods to Assay the Behavior of Drosophila melanogaster for Toxicity Study

Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, has been widely used in biological investigation as an invertebrate alternative to mammals for its various advantages compared to other model organisms, which include short life cycle, easy handling, high prolificacy, and great availability of substantial genetic information. The behavior of Drosophila melanogaster is closely related to its growth, which can reflect the physiological conditions of Drosophila. We have optimized simple and robust behavioral assays for determining the larvae survival, adult climbing ability (mobility assay), reproductive behavior, and lifespan of Drosophila. In this chapter, we present the step-by-step detailed method for studying Drosophila behavior.

Proteomic Study Reveals Major Pathways Regulating the Development of Black Soldier Fly

Nowadays, biodegrading organic waste, as a solution to confront environmental challenges, has attracted wide attention. A dipteran insect, black soldier fly (BSF), exhibits outstanding capability to convert organic waste into proteins and lipid resources, and thus, much interest has been shown in it. However, information of fundamental biology of BSF is still limited besides its recycling efficiency. In this work, we present a complete proteomic database of BSF at all instars (before prepupa). We further formulated the pathways corresponding to BSF development and built a relationship with the current genetic database. To achieve this, we investigated the proteomics of BSF during different periods. We identified 5036 proteins, and among them, 3905 proteins were annotated in the protein function database. illustrated three pathways related to major physiological processes including the insulin signaling pathway for feeding and growth, fatty acid biosynthesis pathway for fatty acid using, and toll/immune deficiency pathway for immune behavior. The proteins in these three pathways were matched with a published genetic database, and this reference library could be used for future BSF genetic engineering. In conclusion, this work provided a comprehensive protein library of BSF and expands the basic knowledge of BSF for future research.

First person – Meghan Barrett and Katherine Fiocca

First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Meghan Barrett and Katherine Fiocca are co-first authors on ‘Larval mannitol diets increase mortality, prolong development, and decrease adult body sizes in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster)’, published in BiO. Meghan is a PhD candidate in the lab of Dr Sean O'Donnell at Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA, investigating the relationships between an organism's behaviour and morphology. Katherine is also a PhD candidate in the lab of Dr Sean O'Donnell, and is investigating how nutrition affects behaviour in social insects.