<p> <i>myo</i>-Inositoloxygenase (MIOX) catalyzes the first step in <i>myo</i>-inositol catabolism. MIOX has not been annotated in <i> Drosophila melanogaster</i>, but the protein encoded by the <i> CG6910</i> gene is similar to the mouse MIOX protein. <i>CG6910 </i> "knocked-down" expression was explored using RNAi. "Knock-down" flies did not survive on inositol defined media, indicating that <i> CG6910</i> encodes MIOX. Survival of these flies on sucrose defined media suggest that MIOX is not essential for development. Biochemical assays demonstrated that <i>D. melanogaster</i> has MIOX activity. Computational analyses revealed potential miRNA sites, and that a number of essential components are conserved. <i>MIOX</i> genes found in other drosopholids are highly similar to <i>D. melanogaster MIOX</i>, and analyses of the syntenic regions concur with established evolution. Western blot analyses showed differential expression amongst <i>D. melanogaster</i> from different geographic locations and between species. These studies may contribute to understanding the role of inositol catabolism in fruit fly development and diabetes.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1527384 |
| Date | 08 April 2014 |
| Creators | Jones, Melissa Kaye |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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