EXPLORING NOVEL SPLICE VARIANTS OF CHICO IN DROSOPHILA: EXISTENCE AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS**

Authors

Cason T. Roberson*, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA 31907Follow
Brian W. Schwartz, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA 31907Follow

Abstract

The insulin signaling pathway (ISP) is conserved among animals and maintains glucose homeostasis, manages growth at the cellular and organismal levels, controls cognitive development, and regulates learning behavior. The chico gene of Drosophila plays an essential role in the ISP. Specifically, insulin-like protein binding to its cell-surface receptor activates through Chico the AKT and MAPK pathways. Whole-transcriptome analyses suggest that the chico gene undergoes alternative splicing involving exons six and seven in D. mojavensis but not D. melanogaster. This variation in D. mojavensis raises the following questions: 1. Do splice variants occur in other Drosophila species? 2. What paths led to the evolution of novel intron-exon borders in the Drosophila genus? 3. Can targeted RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions) confirm the novel splice variants? Close inspection of the intron-exon borders using a genome browser revealed that six out of 36 Drosophila species exhibit a novel splice site, with three having a different innovation than that of D. mojavensis. Phylogeny-aware multiple sequence alignments by WebPrank will be used to identify the mutations involved in creating novel splice site for the chico gene. Finally, RT-PCR will be used to confirm the presence of the predicted novel splicing isoforms.

Recommended Citation

Roberson*, Cason T. and Schwartz, Brian W. (2024) "EXPLORING NOVEL SPLICE VARIANTS OF CHICO IN DROSOPHILA: EXISTENCE AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS**," Georgia Journal of Science, Vol. 82, No. 1, Article 70.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.gaacademy.org/gjs/vol82/iss1/70