Novel imaging experiments suggest that fruit flies modify their neural circuitry for walking at slow, medium and fast speeds, and that proprioception is not essential for coordinated walking.
A protein complex that enables cells to transport substances across their membranes, and that typically consists of four subunits, can also function as two hemicomplexes, each with two subunits.
Secretory cells in the fruit fly reproductive tract produce secretions that control ovulation through a conserved mechanism that could provide insights into ovarian cancer.
The ability of Manduca moths to recognize changes in the profile of volatile compounds released by plants being attacked by Manduca caterpillars allows them to lay their eggs on plants that are less likely to be attacked by insects and other predators, and to avoid competing against other caterpillars of the same species for resources.
A small RNA molecule called miR-124 controls pheromone production and sexual behaviour in Drosophila by regulating sex-specific gene expression in males.
C. elegans equalizes the expression of X-chromosome genes between the sexes by reducing the recruitment of RNA polymerase II to promoters of X-linked genes in hermaphrodites, using a chromosome-restructuring complex called condensin.
A DNA transposon, or ‘jumping gene’, controls its amplification within a genome through a competition between the enzyme multimers that are responsible for its mobility.
The intestine contains distinct subregions specialized for digestion along its anterior-posterior axis, and the stem cells that constantly renew these subregions are not interchangeable.
