Transcriptomic response of Drosophila melanogaster pupae developed in hypergravity.
Altered gravity can perturb normal development and induce corresponding changes in gene expression. Understanding this relationship between the physical environment and a biological response is important for NASA's space travel goals. We use RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR techniques to profile changes in early Drosophila melanogaster pupae exposed to chronic hypergravity (3g, or three times Earth's gravity). During the pupal stage, D. melanogaster rely upon gravitational cues for proper development. Assessing gene expression changes in the pupae under altered gravity conditions helps highlight gravity-dependent genetic pathways. A robust transcriptional response was observed in hypergravity-treated pupae compared to controls, with 1513 genes showing a significant (q<0.05) difference in gene expression. Five major biological processes were affected: ion transport, redox homeostasis, immune response, proteolysis, and cuticle development. This outlines the underlying molecular and biological changes occurring in Drosophila pupae in response to hypergravity; gravity is important for many biological processes on Earth.
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States. Electronic address: shateley@berkeley.edu.
Shannon
S
Hateley
Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA 94035, United States. Electronic address: ravikumar.hosamani@nasa.gov.
Ravikumar
R
Hosamani
Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA 94035, United States. Electronic address: shilpa.r.shankar@gmail.com.
Shilpa R
SR
Bhardwaj
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States; Departments of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States. Electronic address: lpachter@math.berkeley.edu.
Lior
L
Pachter
Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA 94035, United States. Electronic address: sharmila.bhattacharya@nasa.gov.
Sharmila
S
Bhattacharya
D000818:Animals; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018471:Hypergravity; D011679:Pupa / Q000235:genetics; D059467:Transcriptome
D029721:Drosophila Proteins
Drosophila melanogaster; Hypergravity; Metamorphosis; Pupae; RNA-Seq; Transcriptome