V-Type ATPase's Role in Drosophila Melanogaster Air Sac Primordium Development

Overview

Nearly 2 million cases of cancer are diagnosed annually in the US resulting in approximately 600,000 deaths. Most of these deaths are the result of the metastasis of tumors, a complex process in which cancerous cells separate from the primary tumor and travel through the body, producing secondary tumors. Members of the Drosophila (fruit fly) genus contain an organ known as the Air Sac Primordium (ASP), the development of which mimics that of tumor metastasis. V-type ATPase, a membrane-embedded proton pump, plays a role in this process, potentially through pH regulation or more direct regulation of cellular migration mechanisms. Downregulation of V-type ATPase has been shown to affect both tumor metastasis and ASP development (Powers and Srivastava, 2018). The aim of this study is to further investigate V-type ATPase's effect on ASP development and the cell junctions of the ASP. Using the GAL4/UAS system, RNAi can be triggered to disrupt the expression of V-type ATPase. In this study, a cross was conducted between a Drosophila melanogaster stock carrying green fluorescent proteins (GFP) in the ASP and a second stock carrying RNAi. The offspring resulting from this cross had downregulated V-type ATPase, the effects of which were observable under a microscope due to the GFP contained in the ASP. These were analyzed and compared to wild type ASP in order to further investigate the effects of V-type ATPase downregulation on ASP development and cell-cell contacts.

Competition history

• AJAS 2025 Category not listed

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