Using drosophila to discern cell death signaling pathways

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Every day, about 100,000,000 cells in our bodies commit suicide. This process, termed apoptosis, is used to remove old dysfunctional cell, to terminate active immune responses, and to prevent the growth of precancerous cells. Apoptosis is crucial for our health and is therefore very tightly controlled. However, this system is not perfect and too much or too little apoptosis is major factor in neurodegenerative conditions such as ALS and Parkinson's disease and in a wide array of human cancers. Apoptosis is important not only for humans but plays crucial roles in the development of almost all multi-cellular organisms. In fact, the emergence of this intrinsic cellular suicide program in our ancient ancestors was almost certainly a critical evolutionary event that allowed complex multicellular organisms to develop and flourish. Indeed, the mechanisms that regulate apoptosis are very similar in diverse species, including the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Detailed genetic studies that can reveal the mechanisms of apoptosis in Drosophila melanogastercan be done quickly and at low cost. With the NSERC discovery grant funding, we will develop a new program that will combine the power of Drosophila genetics with our established strengths in biochemistry and molecular biology to gain new insights into cell suicide pathways that are conserved from flies to man.