Drosophila

Typical methods of neurodegeneration mutant discovery in Drosophila. Forward genetic screens (red), reverse genetic approaches (blue), and serendipity (green) constitute the main avenues of discovering this class of mutants. For each avenue, representative examples are provided. Forward genetic screens fall into three general classes based upon the method of primary screening (i.e., lifespan, behavior, or histopathology). Reverse genetic approaches are grouped by the human disease they model.