Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes

The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes

In most organisms, sex is determined by the ratio of X and Y chromosomes. However, in some organisms, such as Drosophila and C.elegans, sex is determined by the ratio of the number of X chromosomes to the number of sets of autosomes. The Y chromosome in Drosophila is active but does not determine sex. It contains genes responsible for the production of sperms in adult flies.
Normal male Drosophila has a ratio of one X chromosome to two sets of autosomes. In contrast, normal female...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Short lifespan under dietary cholesterol depletion is associated with gut dysfunction in Drosophila melanogaster females.

npj aging·2026

Same author

Identifying the proximate mechanisms that generate plasticity in fecundity for nutrition in Drosophila melanogaster.

Journal of evolutionary biology·2026

Same author

Insulin-like peptides play distinct roles in nutrient-dependent plasticity in Drosophila.

G3 (Bethesda, Md.)·2025

Same author

Assessing the effect of experimental evolution under combined thermal-nutritional stress on larval thermotolerance and thermal plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2025

Same author

Dietary Zinc Limitation Dictates Lifespan and Reproduction Trade-Offs of Drosophila Mothers.

Aging cell·2025

Same author

Untangling plastic responses to combined thermal and dietary stress in insects.

Current opinion in insect science·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2025

Protocols for Visualizing Steroidogenic Organs and Their Interactive Organs with Immunostaining in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster

Protocols for Visualizing Steroidogenic Organs and Their Interactive Organs with Immunostaining in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: April 14, 2017

Timing Drosophila development through steroid hormone action.

Hannah Morrow¹, Christen K Mirth¹

¹School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3000, Australia.

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development

|January 25, 2024

Summary

Insect development relies on precise pulses of the moulting hormone ecdysone (Ecd). This review explores how ecdysone signaling achieves temporal and tissue-specific gene regulation for developmental milestones in Drosophila.

More Related Videos

Methods to Test Endocrine Disruption in Drosophila melanogaster

Methods to Test Endocrine Disruption in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: July 3, 2019

Dissection and Staining of Drosophila Larval Ovaries

Dissection and Staining of Drosophila Larval Ovaries

Published on: May 13, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 5, 2025

Protocols for Visualizing Steroidogenic Organs and Their Interactive Organs with Immunostaining in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster

Protocols for Visualizing Steroidogenic Organs and Their Interactive Organs with Immunostaining in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: April 14, 2017

Methods to Test Endocrine Disruption in Drosophila melanogaster

Methods to Test Endocrine Disruption in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: July 3, 2019

Dissection and Staining of Drosophila Larval Ovaries

Dissection and Staining of Drosophila Larval Ovaries

Published on: May 13, 2011

Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Genetics
Molecular Biology

Background:

Insect development is critically regulated by the moulting hormone ecdysone.
Ecdysone orchestrates key developmental events like moulting, pupation, and metamorphosis.
Ecdysone signaling controls cell identity acquisition (cell patterning) and tissue-specific growth.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the regulatory mechanisms underlying stage-appropriate ecdysone responses.
To understand how ecdysone signaling achieves temporal and tissue-specific gene expression.
To explore the layers of gene regulation in Drosophila fruit flies.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on ecdysone signaling pathways.
Analysis of gene regulation in response to ecdysone.
Focus on Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism.

Main Results:

Ecdysone pulses are essential for developmental progression.
Ecdysone receptor heterodimer (EcR/USP) represses target genes in low ecdysone conditions.
Ecdysone signaling mediates both gene repression and activation in a context-dependent manner.

Conclusions:

Specific timing and levels of ecdysone are crucial for insect development.
Complex gene regulatory networks ensure precise ecdysone responses.
Understanding these mechanisms in Drosophila provides insights into broader insect developmental biology.