* 08.10.17 24 | in focus Science It’s won six Nobel prizes – so why the fascination with the fruit fly? They might make a meal of your picnic, but drosophila share 60% of human DNA, making them perfect for genetics research that has led to vital strides in treating cancer, autism, diabetes and many other ills. As scientists in the field win yet another Nobel, science editor Robin McKie salutes the little beasts

Am not I in a vast range of topics. Today, throw up can be traced quite easily block cell deaths. In other words, if flies for about 30 research groups. A fly like thee? scientists believe that about 75% of on a relatively simple organism like levels of IAPs are elevated, apoptosis “The vast majority of these scientists Or art not thou known human disease genes have drosophila. In more complex animals is prevented and cancers spread.” are doing research either on human A man like me? a recognisable match in fruit flies. – like mice or men – these changes are As a result, scientists are now testing conditions or on general biological These include Down’s, Alzheimer’s, much more difficult to trace.” drugs that can inhibit IAPs in humans problems,” said Collier. “Only one ith these lines, autism, diabetes and cancers of all As a result, the fruit fly has played and so allow apoptosis to regain or two are involved on research on from The Fly, Wil- types. “It’s almost as if they were a key role in unravelling biological control of cells. “It is a very promising insects themselves. That shows you liam Blake posed a designed to help scientists,” says processes for the last century. approach,”said Meier. “However, the usefulness of fruit fly research to question of unusual geneticist Steve Jones. “Drosophila is now the best known the behaviour of IAPs in humans is biological research in general and to prescience for a poet As their name suggests, fruit flies organism on the planet because of more complex than it is in fruit flies understanding how the human body writing 200 years like to eat fruit – particularly the this work,” said Professor Andreas and that complicates the hunt for works in particular.” ago. At first glance, there seem to be ripening variety – and appear in Prokop, of Manchester University. drugs. Nevertheless, it is an avenue of Not everyone has been convinced Wfew similarities between Homo sapiens summer to settle on apples, pears and “Due to this knowledge, we can plan cancer treatment that would not have about the value of fruit fly research, of and airborne insects. Yet Blake was not sweet drinks. (Hence Groucho Marx’s an experiment on a fruit fly and have existed today had we not made basic course. In her 2008 election bid to be so sure. He could see connections. And observation that “time flies like an the result in three weeks. In a mouse discoveries using fruit flies.” vice-president of the US, Sarah Palin in recent years, science has found that arrow but fruit flies like a banana”.) that could take a year. Fruit flies Today, fruit flies are a major – in an early policy speech – went out he was probably correct. Fruit flies, it They pose no threat to health but have offer a cheap, fast pipeline to reach undertaking at research centres. of her way to denounce drosophila transpires, have common features with a number of features that make them understanding of complex biological The Cambridge fly facility houses experiments. “They really don’t make humans to a remarkable degree (we ideal laboratory fodder: drosophila questions which can then be 60,000 tubes containing drosophila a whole lot of sense and sometimes share 60% of the same DNA) – a point have a life cycle of two weeks. They eat translated into medical applications.” and provides carefully cross-bred these dollars go to projects that have underlined last week when the Nobel In Prokop’s case, the fruit fly has little or nothing to do with the public committee awarded yet another prize provided a new understanding of good. Things like fruit fly research. I to scientists who have used Drosophila ‘We can plan an extensions of nerve cells known as prize Winners kid you not,” she announced. melanogaster as the basis of ground- axons. These degenerate as people age, Palin urged that more money be breaking research. experiment and but far more sharply if they suffer from Six Nobel prizes in physiology or spent on particular research priorities, In this case, Jeffrey Hall, Michael have a result in three Alzheimer’s or other degenerative medicine’ have been awarded to a total such as autism – remarks that were Rosbash and Michael Young – all disease. “We can grow drosophila of 10 scientists for their groundbreaking seized upon by infuriated scientists based in the US – were awarded weeks. It would take neurones in culture and use them to biological work based on fruit fly research: who pointed out that only a few years the Nobel prize in physiology or study axon development. That helps earlier, scientists had pinpointed a medicine for their work on the a year with a mouse’ us get a new understanding of what 1933 Thomas Hunt Morgan used chemical called neurexin which in molecular mechanisms that control Andreas Prokop, cell biologist causes neurodegenerative disease.” drosophila to uncover the role played by some forms appear to be a genetic circadian rhythms – in other words, Another example is provided chromosomes in heredity risk factor for autism. And there the 24-hour body clock that controls cornmeal, yeast and sugar, and little by work at the Institute of Cancer are no prizes for guessing where lives throughout the animal kingdom. else, and can be housed in tiny tubes. Research. “There is a biological 1946 Hermann Joseph Muller used X-ray neurexins were first identified: in fruit Crucially, this work was done largely “You put a male and female process known as cell death which irradiation to increase mutation rates in flies. As Richard Wolffe, the senior by experimenting on fruit flies. together, and a fortnight later you occurs in all living creatures – from fruit flies White House correspondent for Nor was this a first for drosophila have a new generation of fruit flies worms to humans,” said Professor Newsweek, remarked, this was “the research. At least five other groups to study,” said Simon Collier, head of Pascal Meier, head of the cell death 1995 Edward B Lewis, Christiane Nüsslein- most mindless, ignorant, uninformed have received Nobels for their work Cambridge University’s Fly Facility. and inflammation laboratory in Volhard, and Eric F Wieschaus used comment we have seen from using fruit flies to unpick the secrets “That makes them a very powerful the institute’s breast cancer unit. drosophila to understand genetic control Governor Palin and there’s been a lot of human physiology and biology in tool for studying mutations in genes.” “Essentially, it is a suicide mechanism of embryonic development of competition for that prize”. general. This Nobel love affair with On its own, that would be useful that is fundamental to life, and key Fortunately, others have been drosophila began in the early 20th enough. However, the fruit fly aspects were discovered first in fruit 2004 Richard Axel concentrated on odour more appreciative of the use of fruit century, when US biologist Thomas possesses other key features that flies. When a cell becomes damaged, its receptors and the organisation of the flies in research – including Michael Morgan used fruit flies to confirm that impress scientists. The drosophila death – a process known as apoptosis – olfactory system Rosbash, one of the recipients of last genes are located on chromosomes genome has only four pairs of is triggered and it is killed off, allowing week’s Nobel prize for medicine. He like beads on a string, and that some chromosomes. Humans have 23. That organs to remain healthy.” 2011 Jules A Hoffmann was given the heard he had won the prize when genes are linked – in other words means it is much easier to manipulate In cancers, however, cell deaths are award for his research on the activation of the Nobel committee chair called they are inherited together. In doing and study the function of genes and not triggered, and this aids the process innate immunity him at 5am local time. “When the so, Morgan established genetics as a understand how they interact. “In by which tumours spread. “We landline rings at that hour, normally modern science. addition, fruit fly genes have very now know, from fruit fly research, 2017 Jeffrey C Hall, Michael Rosbash it is because someone died,” Rosbash Ever since, the discipline has relied high mutation rates and that makes that molecules known as inhibitors and Michael W Young won the prize for said last week. Then he got the good – to a startling degree – on fruit fly them very useful to study,” says Jones. of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) are uncovering the molecular mechanisms news. “I am very pleased for the fruit research, leading to breakthroughs “The changes that these mutations involved,” said Meier. “They act to that control circadian rhythms fly,” he replied.

Fruit flies have been key to the modern science of genetics. Getty/iStockphoto