Essential role of Duox in stabilization of Drosophila wing.

NADPH oxidase produces reactive oxygen species (ROS). Drosophila melanogaster has two homologs of NADPH oxidase, dNox and dDuox, with functions that remain unclear in vivo. To clarify these functions, two independent transgenic fly lines expressing dsRNA targeted for different portions of dDuox mRNA were used.

A Drosophila model for the screening of bioavailable NADPH oxidase inhibitors and antioxidants.

NADPH oxidase is the major source of non-mitochondrial cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and also is reported to be a major cause of various diseases including atherosclerosis and hypertension. In order to screen a new curative reagent that can suppress NADPH oxidase activity, we developed a Drosophila melanogaster fly that would overexpress human Dual oxidase 2 (hDuox2), a member of the NADPH oxidase family, as a screening model. These flies (GMR-GAL4/UAS-hDuox2) had a high generation of ROS in the posterior region of the eye discs along with an easily recognizable rough-eye phenotype, which is an ideal and convenient marker for further screening steps.

Analysis of the eukaryotic community and metabolites found in clay wall material used in the construction of traditional Japanese buildings.

Clay wall (tsuchikabe in Japanese) material for Japanese traditional buildings is manufactured by fermenting a mixture of clay, sand, and rice straw. The aim of this study was to understand the fermentation process in order to gain insight into the ways waste biomass can be used to produce useful materials. In this study, in addition to Clostridium, we suggested that the family Nectriaceae and the Scutellinia sp.