Dr. Karen Weiler, in the Department of Biology, is looking for Honors students for lab work on a new research project. This project will involve Drosophila melanogaster genomics. A full description provided by Dr. Weiler is offered below. Please read on . . . .

“I am currently looking to attract one or two undergraduate students for
the project described below. This research work could be undertaken in
the form of BIOL 386 (independent study) and/or BIOL 486 (Honors
thesis), over the course of three or more semesters. I look forward to speaking with you.”

Functional Analysis of the Drosophila Genome
The genome sequence of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, was published in 2000. Bioinformatic analyses of these DNA data indicated there to be ~13,000 genes within the Drosophila genome, only a fraction of which have been studied to date. One of the advantages to working with a model organism such as the fruit fly is the suite of powerful molecular and genetic tools that can be used for determining gene function; model organisms are crucial for identifying the functions of human genes. We have been studying the predicted gene referred to as CG17360, with the aim of determining its cellular function. Both null alleles and transgenic flies that can overexpress the gene have been generated. This project involves the phenotypic analyses of CG17360 mutants. A student working on this project will gain experience in molecular techniques, such as PCR, perform crosses to create flies of particular genotypes, carry out genetic tests with the flies, and learn how to use the Drosophila DNA database, Flybase. For more information, please contact Karen Weiler at Karen.Weiler@mail.wvu.edu.