A Cell Biology Laboratory Exercise to Study Sub- Cellular Organelles in Drosophila

Abstract

The fast changing scenario of undergraduate education puts emphasis on introducing students to hands-on techniques as part of their laboratory courses. In order to cater to large numbers of students and the time constraints involved with undergraduate level laboratory courses, there is a need for development of experiments that are cost effective and can be completed in a defined time frame. We have devised a laboratory exercise for teaching cell biology using the Drosophila melanogaster model. Drosophila can be reared in a short period of time in a cost effective manner. We used Drosophila tissue to study the sub-cellular organization of eukaryotic cells using fluorescent markers. The idea of this lab exercise is to: (a) familiarize students with the underlying principles of cell structure and function and its application to diverse areas of research, (b) allow students to sharpen their observation and quantitative microscopy skills, and (c) minimize the preparation time for the instructor.