Folic Acid, Growth & Development
in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

__Folic acid deficiency is the most common vitamin deficiency and is linked with cancer, cardiovascular disease, nervous system defects, anemia, and psychiatric illnesses. The metabolically active forms of folic acid, folates, function as cofactors for various reactions that involve single-carbon unit transfers. These reactions are involved in nucleotide synthesis, certain amino acid conversions, DNA methylation (a form of epigenetic regulation), and DNA repair.

__Although the functions of the vitamin are well understood, how and why these diseases develop due to folate is unknown. Very little work in this area has been done in the extensively studied fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, which has yielded a wealth of biomedically-relevant information on other topics. Thus, I am examining the effects of folic acid (or folate) availability on growth and development in fruit flies. Specifically, I look at the effects of the vitamin on reproductive output, viability, DNA and other metabolites, and tissue specific responses.