Understanding even the simplest brain is difficult due to the diversity and dense interconnectivity of cells in the nervous system. However, new techniques enable the manipulation of the function of neurons in the brains of living animals. The Flippase Inducible Gal 80 Repression (FINGR) method combines the genetic manageability of Drosophila for an insect with a nervous system rich in many cell types, to generate mosaics within neuronal circuits (e.g., some parts of the circuit can be "turned off" while others are "left on") and measure the effect mosaics have on behavior disruption. To "turn off" parts of the circuit, this mixed-method study employs an Enhancer Trap Flippase (ET-FLP) and a FRT (Flippase Recognition Target)-dependent GALBO. The ET-FLPs, when combined with these FRT dependent Ga 180, randomly remove parts of the circuit. This mosaic circuit can then be examined for two interesting behaviors: wing inflation and courtship. Preliminary results have yielded approximately 37 new enhancer trap lines. These new ET-FLP lines are expected to break the circuit in up to 37 different ways or mosaic patterns.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rudolph Bohm

Department of Biological and Health Sciences