Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Genetic Code Expansion: Applications in Fruit Fly Models

In course

CH-412: Frontiers in chemical biology

Chemical biology is a key discipline in biomedical research for drug discovery, synthetic biology and protein functional annotation. We will give a broad perspective of the field ranging from seminal classical experiments to state-of-the-art approaches to ...

Description

This lecture covers the genetic code expansion method, focusing on site-specific incorporation of non-native amino acids in living systems using fruit fly models. It explains the amber suppression method, biocompatible click chemistry, and the power of GAL4/UAS system for targeted gene expression. The lecture also discusses the significance of animal models in research, with a spotlight on Drosophila melanogaster. Various advanced concepts such as proteome labeling, protein identification, and tissue-specific proteome labeling in fruit flies are explored.

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Biology

Genetics: Molecular genetics

Related concepts (32)

Model organism

A model organism (often shortened to model) is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Model organisms are widely used to research human disease when human experimentation would be unfeasible or unethical. This strategy is made possible by the common descent of all living organisms, and the conservation of metabolic and developmental pathways and genetic material over the course of evolution.

Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly" or "pomace fly". Starting with Charles W. Woodworth's 1901 proposal of the use of this species as a model organism, D. melanogaster continues to be widely used for biological research in genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis, and life history evolution.

Drosophila

Drosophila (drəˈsɒfᵻlə,_drɒ-,_droʊ-) is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit. They should not be confused with the Tephritidae, a related family, which are also called fruit flies (sometimes referred to as "true fruit flies"); tephritids feed primarily on unripe or ripe fruit, with many species being regarded as destructive agricultural pests, especially the Mediterranean fruit fly.

Proteomics

Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, with many functions such as the formation of structural fibers of muscle tissue, enzymatic digestion of food, or synthesis and replication of DNA. In addition, other kinds of proteins include antibodies that protect an organism from infection, and hormones that send important signals throughout the body. The proteome is the entire set of proteins produced or modified by an organism or system.

Genetic programming

In artificial intelligence, genetic programming (GP) is a technique of evolving programs, starting from a population of unfit (usually random) programs, fit for a particular task by applying operations analogous to natural genetic processes to the population of programs. The operations are: selection of the fittest programs for reproduction (crossover), replication and/or mutation according to a predefined fitness measure, usually proficiency at the desired task.

Related lectures (33)

Proteins: Central Dogma and Translation

Explains protein synthesis, translation, and the central dogma of molecular biology.

Tools for Translatome Analysis

Explores tools for studying the translatome, including mRNA translation and genetic code expansion.

Genetic Code Expansion & Applications in Fruit Fly

Covers Genetic Code Expansion and its applications in fruit fly models, focusing on encoding non-native amino acids with temporal control.

Molecules of Life: Understanding Translation and Protein Synthesis

Provides an overview of translation and protein synthesis, covering the genetic code, tRNA, and the steps involved in protein formation.

Translation: Amino Acids and Peptide Bonds