Drosophila: A Versatile Model in Biology and Medicine—2nd Edition
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 49
Special Issue Editors
Interests: drosophila melanogaster; drosophila model; oncoprotein; cytokinesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: chromatin structure and function; heterochromatin; drosophila melanogaster; mitosis and male meiosis; cytokinesis; DNA repair; cancer epigenetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Since the year 1901, thanks to the pioneering work of the entomologist Charles W. Woodworth, Drosophila melanogaster has been pointed out as a highly suitable model organism to study processes that are conserved in all eukaryotic cells. Since then, the fruit fly has been used to study cell proliferation and metabolism, genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis, and life history evolution. Indeed, studies on the fruit fly have, to date, been awarded five Nobel Prizes for “Physiology or Medicine” collectively: in 1933, for discovering the role played by chromosomes in heredity (Morgan); in 1946, for the production of mutations by means of X-ray irradiation (Muller); in 1995, for the study of the genetic control of early embryonic development (Lewis, Nüsslein-Volhard, and Wieschaus); in 2011, for understanding how receptors detect microorganisms and activate innate immunity (Hoffmann); and in 2017, for unveiling the molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm (Hall, Rosbash, and Young). It is currently estimated that about 75% of known human disease genes have a recognizable, functional homologue in fruit flies, including the genes involved in important human pathologies such as Down’s syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, diabetes, and most—if not all—types of cancer. Drosophila is also a very valuable tool in the study of rare human diseases, where developing vertebrate disease models poses fundamental challenges. In addition, in recent years, Drosophila has also been effectively used for low- to high-throughput drug screens and target discovery in the context of therapeutic tests for central nervous system disorders, inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. According to PubMed, in 2022, almost 1,800 papers had been published reporting the keywords “Drosophila melanogaster”, showing that this model system is still enormously useful, even after more than 120 years of history.
The aim of this Special Issue is to collect the most up-to-date research showing the use of the fruit fly to study human conditions. We welcome the submission of original research and review articles in this field and all contributions which provide novel insights into how Drosophila models have contributed remarkably to our understanding of human pathologies.
Dr. Maria Grazia Giansanti
Dr. Roberto Piergentili
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- model organism
- human disease
- inherited disease
- cancer
- neurodegeneration
- rare disease
- genetics
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
