Gene expression profiling of dMyc null Drosophila larvae

Myc oncoproteins are essential regulators of the growth and proliferation of mammalian cells. In Drosophila the single ortholog of Myc (dMyc), encoded by the dm gene, influences organismal size and the growth of both mitotic and endoreplicating cells. A null mutation in dm (dm4) results in attenuated endoreplication and growth arrest early in larval development. Gene expression analysis indicates that loss of dMyc leads to decreased expression of genes required for ribosome biogenesis and protein synthesis. Keywords: cDNA expression microarray, mutant analysis Drosophila larvae were collected 24 hours after egg deposition. Sample comparisons were performed using 3 biological independent experimental replicates of dm4 that were each compared to a common reference (wild type larvae of the same genetic background as dm4). For each comparison, a dye-swapped technical replicate was also performed and the paired results were averaged and used as a single observation.