Going for the Kill

On my desk to read today? A paper that describes using in vivo RNAi to sensitize strains, then test potential insecticides for activity that might otherwise be masked by a wild-type organism's ability to detox.

Shah et al. (2011) Insecticide detoxification indicator strains as tools for enhancing chemical discovery screens. Pest Manag Sci. doi: 10.1002/ps.2218. PMID: 21681918.

Breaking Report: Ricin Resistance & Sensitivity

On my desk to read today? A breaking report of an RNAi screen for resistance and sensitivity to the plant toxin ricin.

Pawar et al. (2011) RNAi Screening of Drosophila (Sophophora) melanogaster S2 Cells for Ricin Sensitivity and Resistance. Journal of Biomolecular Screening. DOI: 10.1177/1087057110397890

Poison Control

On my desktop today is a paper from Muniz Ortiz et al. (2009) Investigating Arsenic Susceptibility from a Genetic Perspective in Drosophila Reveals a Key Role for Glutathione Synthetase. Toxilogical Sciences 107(2), 416–426. PubMed ID 18779381.

Among other things, the authors present evidence that RNAi-based knockdown of glutathione synthetase (GS) in S2 cells enhances cell sensitivity to arsenite. Raising the question in my mind, Could other factors in the pathway be revealed in a genome-scale RNAi screen?  

But why do we care? The authors point out that arsenic is a contaminant of drinking water. And different human populations (and the authors show, different Drosophila populations) respond differently to various levels of contamination, suggesting a genetic link to sensitivity. 

Thus, gaining a better understanding of genetic links to arsenite sensitivity may have important implications for water policy decisions and human health.