brain development – mycolab.ai

Functional analysis of enhancer elements regulating the expression of the Drosophila homeodomain transcription factor DRx by gene targeting

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Scientists studied how a specific gene called DRx is controlled during fruit fly brain development. They identified the DNA regions called enhancers that turn on this gene at different times and in different parts of the developing brain. By removing these enhancers one at a time, they showed which brain structures depend on each enhancer, revealing that DRx plays important roles in multiple aspects of brain formation.

Age-related mushroom body expansion in male sweat bees and bumble bees

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Researchers studied how male bee brains change as they mature using microscopy to measure brain structures. They found that mushroom bodies, regions associated with learning and memory, expanded significantly in maturing males of two bee species even when kept in isolation without normal experiences. This suggests that brains naturally prepare for mating behaviors through development rather than requiring experience, and shows that male insects undergo similar brain changes as females.

Research Keyword: brain development

Functional analysis of enhancer elements regulating the expression of the Drosophila homeodomain transcription factor DRx by gene targeting

Age-related mushroom body expansion in male sweat bees and bumble bees