This four-year, $1.16 million project grant from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) will support the development of functional genomics tools in cactophilic Drosophila at the University of Arizona. Principal Investigator Luis Matzkin and colleagues will build a transgenic toolkit for three cactus-breeding fly species - Drosophila mojavensis, D. arizonae, and D. buzzatii - leveraging recently generated genome assemblies. The toolkit will include attP integration sites using CRISPR, incorporation of the C31 integrase in the X chromosome of each species, tissue-specific Gal4 driver lines and UAS reporters, and UAS-RNAi constructs. Products will be disseminated through the National Drosophila Species Stock Center, an online repository (CactusFlyBase), and workshops. The aim is to enhance understanding of genotype-phenotype relationships in an ecological and comparative context for this model system.
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