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First published online January 16, 2009
Journal of Experimental Biology 212, 435-445 (2009)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2009
doi: 10.1242/jeb.024224

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Review

Insights into the Malpighian tubule from functional genomics

Julian A. T. Dow

Integrative and Systems Biology, Faculty of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G11 6NU, UK

e-mail: j.a.t.dow{at}bio.gla.ac.uk

Accepted 20 October 2008

Classical physiological study of the Malpighian tubule has led to a detailed understanding of fluid transport and its control across several species. With the sequencing of the Drosophila genome, and the concurrent development of post-genomic technologies such as microarrays, proteomics, metabolomics and systems biology, completely unexpected roles for the insect Malpighian tubule have emerged. As the insect body plan is simpler than that of mammals, tasks analogous to those performed by multiple mammalian organ systems must be shared out among insect tissues. As well as the classical roles in osmoregulation, the Malpighian tubule is highly specialized for organic solute transport, and for metabolism and detoxification. In Drosophila, the adult Malpighian tubule is the key tissue for defence against insecticides such as DDT; and it can also detect and mount an autonomous defence against bacterial invasion. While it is vital to continue to set insights obtained in Drosophila into the context of work in other species, the combination of post-genomic technologies and physiological validation can provide insights that might not otherwise have been apparent for many years.

Key words: Drosophila melanogaster, Malpighian tubule, ion transport, cell signalling, detoxification, FlyAtlas

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