A study of human homologs of selected Drosophila genes in human mammary ductal carcinoma, asymmetric cell division of human neural stem cells and a multiplex microsphere bead assay for comparative RNA expression analysis

This dissertation presents three distinct studies of human translational research characterizing the role of human homologs of well-characterized Drosophila genes. Discussed first is a study of three candidate tumor suppressor genes in human mammary ductal carcinoma whose loss of function in Drosophila gives an overgrowth phenotype. Second, the localization and distribution of human homologs of key Drosophila proteins involved in asymmetric cell division of Drosophila neuroblasts are characterized in primary cell cultures of post-natal, post-mortem human neural stem cells. Finally, a novel technology is presented which may prove valuable in future translational research. This technology attempts to comparatively characterize levels of mRNA expression in different disease and normal states. The example presented compares expression of select genes in normal and cancerous breast.