title: Drosophila melanogaster: a fly through its history and current use.
abstract: Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, has been used as a model organism in both medical and scientific research for over a century. Work by Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945) and his students at Columbia University at the beginning of the twentieth century led to great discoveries such as sex-linked inheritance and that ionising radiation causes mutations in genes. However, the use of Drosophila was not limited to genetic research. Experimentation with this model organism has also led to discoveries in neuroscience and neurodevelopment, including the basis of circadian rhythms. Its complex nervous system, conserved neurological function, and human disease-related loci allow Drosophila to be an ideal model organism for the study of neurodegenerative disease, for which it is used today, aiding research into diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, which are becoming more prevalent in today's ageing population.
authors.affiliation: Hull York Medical School, University of York, UK. hy7ras@hyms.ac.uk
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stephenson
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000266:history*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D036281:Genetic Research / Q000266:history*; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D023421:Models, Animal; D009420:Nervous System; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000266:history*; D009488:Neurosciences / Q000266:history*
keywords: Alfred Henry Sturtevant; Drosophila melanogaster; Hermann Joseph Muller; Notch pathway; Thomas Hunt Morgan; neurodegenerative disease