RNAi knockdown of NMD in D Melanogaster. Drosophila melanogaster

Two core factors of the NMD machinery in D. melanogaster, Upf1 and Upf2, were knocked down using RNAi, as described in Rehwinkel et al. (2005) RNA, PMID: 16199763. Each of the two knockdowns were compared to mock RNAi knockdowns as described in Blanchette et al. (2005) Genes Dev, PMID: 15937219 in a dual channel experiment, using a custom splice-junction microarray design, see Blanchette et al. (2005), PMID: 15937219. The aim of the experiment was to identify which isoforms of alternatively spliced genes were affected by NMD knockdown and thereby gain insight into the NMD mechanism in Drosophila. The samples were hybridized in a dual channel setup, to custom designed Splice-Junction arrays manufactured by Agilent. Overall design: A total of 6 independent knockdowns (3 Upf1 and 3 Upf2) were generated and hybridized to 6 different arrays. On each array a control sample was hybridized as well. The control sample is a pool of 3 independent mock RNAi knockdowns.