SAN DIEGO, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. biologists say disruptions in genes they call Tweedles make fruit flies short and stout like Tweedledee and Tweedledum in Alice in Wonderland.
The University of California-San Diego researchers discovered 27 different Tweedle genes in fruit flies, in different parts of their tough, outer shell. A single defective Tweedle protein in the outer coat of fly larvae, they found, makes them appear compressed.
"It's not a trivial matter to put a shell on from the inside," explained Steven Wasserman, a professor of biology who headed the research team. "An insect needs to build up the flexibility, strength and shape of each part before sealing the outside. If you've ever peeled a golf ball, you realize there isn't just one thing holding it all together. Each part contributes."
Although the exact function of the Tweedles is not known, the researchers say Tweedles may be good targets for novel insecticides because the gene family appears to be unique to insects.
Brooke Middlebrooks and Sherry Alexander also contributed to the study that appears in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
