Expression profiling of Hyperoxia-Tolerant Drosophila melanogaster

One of the critical substances that mammals highly regulate via the respiratory, cardiovascular and neurologic systems is O2. Both low and high O2 levels can induce major morbidities as well as mortality. Indeed, O2 has been often considered as both an elixir and a poison in humans. In current study, we have used an experimental selection approach to generate Drosophila strains that are tolerant to severe hyperoxic environment. Gene expression profiling is then applied to investigate the mechanisms underlying hyperoxia tolerance in the newly generated strains. 27 isogenic D. melanogaster Lines were pooled and following long-term selection over generations with increased oxygen level in the culture environment. The differences in gene expression were compared between adapted flies and generation matched naive controls by microarray.