Genderblind, also known as CG6070, is a gene that was discovered in Drosophila melanogaster by University of Illinois at Chicago researcher David Featherstone.[1] The gene encodes a member of the cystine/glutamate transporter family of proteins.
| Genderblind | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | |||||||
| Organism | |||||||
| Symbol | gb | ||||||
| UniProt | Q9VB75 | ||||||
| |||||||
Genderblind protein is expressed in glial cells where it secretes the neurotransmitter glutamate and regulates the organization of glutamate receptors.[2]
A mutation in Genderblind alters the sexual behavior of Drosophila, turning the flies bisexual.[1] Drosophila given drugs to alter synapse strength, independent of the Genderblind mutation, allowed researchers to "turn fly homosexuality on and off, within hours".[1] The researchers believe this effect is due to the flies' altered response to pheromones.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Homosexuality Turned On and Off in Fruit Flies", LiveScience, 9 December 2007, accessed 10 December 2007
- ^ Augustin H, Grosjean Y, Chen K, Sheng Q, Featherstone DE (2007). "Nonvesicular release of glutamate by glial xCT transporters suppresses glutamate receptor clustering in vivo". J. Neurosci. 27 (1): 111–23. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4770-06.2007. PMC 2193629. PMID 17202478.
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