Drosophila Sex Hierarchy Regulated Gene Expression in 48 hour APF Pupae

Drosophila melanogaster undergoes a complete metamorphosis, during which time the larval male and female forms transition into sexually dimorphic, reproductive adult forms. To understand this complex morphogenetic process at a molecular-genetic level, we performed whole genome microarray analyses. In somatic tissues at 48 hour After Puparium Formation (APF), 173 sex-biased transcripts that likely function downstream of the doublesex (dsx) branch of the sex determination hierarchy were identified. The mode of regulation of the sex-specific isoforms of DSX (DSX-F and DSX-M) was examined. It was determined that for most downstream targets, DSX-F and DSX-M regulate gene expression in the same manner, but that one isoform acts as a more potent regulator. Keywords: wild type; genetic modification All microarrays were dual channel with direct comparisons of male versus female or wild type versus mutant. All samples consist of whole body pupae collected at 48 hour After Puparium Formation (APF). For each experiment, four biological replicates were analyzed in a dye-swap design.