Investigating Genetic Regulators of Crystal Cell Development in Drosophila melanogaster

Authors

Andrea Feria, CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeFollow
Nyla Walbrook, CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeFollow
Anisa Turaeva, CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeFollow
Rebecca Spokony, CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeFollow

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Spring 4-24-2025

Abstract

Crystal cells, a subset of Drosophila melanogaster hemocytes, are important for melanization, a crucial immune response. While the genetic regulation of crystal cell develop remains incompletely understood, this study investigates the functions of five candidate genes: ACXB, ACXA, Gp210, CG4390, and Cyp4s3; identidied through previous genome-wide association studies. Using the Gal4/UAS system along with RNA interference (RNAi), we exclusively knocked down each gene in third instar larvae and quantified crystal cell populations following heat shock-induced melanization. Our results imply that the knockdown of ACXB and ACXA significantly increased crystal cell counts in both sexes, suggesting these genes either act as negative regulators of hematopoiesis or survival. On the other hand, Gp210 and CG4390 knockdowns showed inconsistent effects, while Cyp4s3 knockdown implied a potential role, though conclusions were limited by small sample sizes. In addition, female larvae consistently showed higher crystal cell counts than males, possible due to their larger body size. Overall, this research contributes to our understanding of genetic regulation of crystal cell development in D. melanogaster, highlighting candidate genes for further functional validation.

Comments

This poster was presented at the Research and Creative Inquiry Expo at Baruch College.