The present invention relates to a degenerative disease model Drosophila. More particularly, a technique is disclosed for alleviating the phenotypes of a degenerative disorder symptom of Drosophila. Using this technique, illumination with low dose radiation on a degenerative disease model Drosophila alleviates symptoms of the degenerative disease.

Compositions and methods for detecting nucleic acid-protein interactions, or more generally interactions between a nucleic acid and another molecule. A Cas protein (e.g., a catalytically dead Cas13) is fused to a proximity tagging enzyme (e.g., a Pup ligase) and thus brings the proximity tagging enzyme to the proximity of a protein that binds to a nucleic acid, when the Cas protein recognizes the nucleic acid, e.g., through a guide RNA. The proximity tagging enzyme then tags the protein enabling it to be identified as a protein that interacts with the nucleic acid.

The present invention relates to a method for generating sterile Zeugodacus scutellata males by emitting an electron beam at a dose of 150 Gy (inclusive) to 250 Gy (exclusive) to pupae of Zeugodacus scutellata and a method for controlling Zeugodacus scutellata by releasing the generated sterile males and normal males at a ratio of 9:1. In the present invention, electron beams are used instead of radioactive beams and suitable doses of electron beams are determined to generate sterile males of domestic native Zeugodacus scutellata. The generated sterile Zeugodacus scutellata males and normal males are released at a ratio of 9:1 to effectively control Zeugodacus scutellata through a sterile insect release technique (SIT).

The present invention relates to a method for screening an anticancer agent by causing drosophila having the characteristics of a) expression of mutant Ras85D, b) deletion or suppressed expression of a p53 gene, c) overexpression of a cyclin E gene, and d) deletion or suppressed expression of a Med gene to ingest a test substance and comparing the survival rate thereof with the survival rate of drosophila that did not ingest the test substance. The present invention also relates to a combination drug of at least two kinase inhibitors for treatment of pancreatic cancer and to kinase inhibitors for use in said combination drug.

An engineered genetic incompatibility (EGI) strain of a wild-type organism is designed to include a haplosufficient lethal allele and a haploinsufficient resistance allele. In another aspect, a biocontainment system generally includes a polynucleotide that encodes a coding region whose expression causes infertility or death, a transcription regulatory region operably linked upstream of the coding region and containing a silent mutation, and a polynucleotide that encodes a programmable transcription activator. The programmable transcription activator is engineered to bind to the transcription regulatory region in the absence of the silent mutation, thereby expressing the coding region in the absence of the silent mutation, but does not initiate expression of the coding region when the transcription regulatory region comprises the silent mutation.

A system for batch production of the heterogametic sex of a biological species generally includes a first strain of a biological species genetically engineered to include a conditional Y-linked (or Z-linked) genetic lethal circuit and a second strain of the biological species genetically engineered to include a conditional X-linked (or W-linked) genetic lethal circuit.

One variation of a method includes: during an initial period, modifying a population of insects to produce a target compound responsive to application of a stressor; during a growth period succeeding the initial period, cultivating the population of insects according to a set of growth conditions; and, during a treatment period succeeding the growth period, applying a dosage of the stressor to the population of insects to trigger production of the target compound. The method further includes, during a harvest period succeeding the treatment period: harvesting the population of insects; homogenizing the population of insects to form a blend including a set of secondary components and an amount of the target compound; extracting the amount of the target compound from the blend; and mixing the first amount of the first target compound with a set of stabilizing agents configured to stabilize the target compound.

Provided is a gene expression system, suitable for expression in an insect, comprising an insect muscle actin promoter operably linked to a marker gene, which overcomes or ameliorates one or more of: cost of rearing; amount of handling; errors in identification due to human error or loss of marker by the insect; and health concerns related to the effects of marker powders on workers in mass rearing facilities.

The present invention pertains to a silkworm-type biotinylated CTLD14 or sRAGE and a method for manufacturing the same. One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing biotinylated proteins, wherein the method includes A) a step for inserting a nucleic acid molecule for coding biotin ligase and protein in a coexpressable manner into a silkworm or a living organism that imparts sugar chains that are the same as the sugar chains of the silkworm, B) a step for causing the biotin ligase and protein to be expressed by disposing the silkworm or the living organism that imparts sugar chains that are the same as the sugar chains of the silkworm to conditions with which the nucleic acid molecule will carry out expression, and C) a step for administering biotin to the living organism and obtaining the biotinylated protein.

Disclosed are methods, compositions, and systems for transforming silkworms to produce spider silk and analogs of spider silk. In certain embodiments, the method may include inserting a DNA sequence coding for at least a portion of a spider silk fibroin polypeptide, or an analog of a spider silk fibroin polypeptide, positioned between at least a portion of the 5′ and 3′ ends of a silkworm fibroin gene to generate a fusion gene construct having a sequence that encodes for a polypeptide comprising both spider silk fibroin and silkworm silk fibroin sequences. In certain embodiments, the fused gene is able to replace a native gene present in the silkworm such that the transformed silkworm expresses a polypeptide comprising a spider silk fibroin polypeptide, or an analog thereof, and expresses significantly less of the native silkworm silk.