A Genetic Screen For Wnt Signaling Factors That Regulate Drosophila Melanogaster Nociception

Nociception is the process by which sensory neurons in the periphery detect noxious stimuli and cause behavioral responses. The mechanisms behind the transduction of noxious sensory stimuli and the resulting behavior are still not fully known. In order to determine Wnt-signaling molecules’ roles in the regulation of nociceptor neuron function, we have compiled a list of candidate Wnt signaling genes based on literature and gene ontology. To ensure that RNAi knock down occurs specifically in nociceptor neurons, we will cross the RNAi transgenic fly lines with fly lines that carry the ppk-GAL4 transgene, a driver line that causes expression of UAS transgenes specifically in nociceptor neurons. We will test the larval progeny of these crosses with a well-established thermal nociception assay. We expect to find knocking down specific genes of interest will produce 1) hypersensitivity to noxious stimuli; 2) insensitivity to noxious stimuli; or 3) no change in responses to noxious stimuli. Once we have identified candidate genes that suggest the regulation of nociceptive function based on their behavioral responses, we can complete further analysis to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms of how these genes control nociceptor function.