Isolation of Gut, Imaginal Disc, Fat Body, Ovary and Testes in Various Developmental Stages of Drosophila

Drosophila melanogaster shares a remarkable resemblance in terms of its organ anatomy and function with that of mammals. Various organs of the fly are used as a model to study its pathologies and metabolic and therapeutic purposes. Gut, the largest organ of the fly body, shares similarity with mammalian intestine in terms of metabolic pathways, physiology and signalling. The fat body of the fly resembles the liver of mammals and helps in fat storage and nutrient sensing. Imaginal disc composed of 20–40 cells are used to check defect in early time point of development. The testes and ovary are used to study the reproductive defect. This chapter describes the dissection of the gut, fat body, ovary, testes, and imaginal discs from larvae and adult tissue.