Why
is Drosophila a good model for human?
1.
Of human genes known to
be associated with disease, 70% are conserved in Drosophila [Schneider,
2000].
2.
Relevant to our work,
molecules needed for normal cell proliferation as well as those needed to
respond to damaged DNA are conserved between Drosophila and human. These
include tumor suppressors, checkpoint kinases, and growth factor signaling
pathways and their components including activators and inhibitors.
3.
Conserved genes, such as
p53 and PTEN, as well as IGFR, MAPK, EGFR, and CHK1 appear to retain many of
the functions attributable to their human homologs (e.g. Goberdhan
et al. 1999).
4.
Small molecule
inhibitors found in a Drosophila screen can translate to human with high
efficiency. In a recently published report from the Institute of Chemistry and
Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, of 25 small molecules that inhibited
cytokinesis in Drosophila cultured cells, 65% (16/25) inhibited cytokinesis in
HeLa (human cervical cancer) cells while 52% (13/25) inhibited cytokinesis in
BSC-1 (monkey kidney) cells [Eggert
2004]. Thus Drosophila can be used to screen for potential human
therapeutics.