BIOL324: The Effects of Knocking Out ATP7 Gene in Drosophila S2 Cells

Our presentation looks into ATP7B, a human gene that is an important factor for copper transportation throughout the body. This gene is related to a rare recessive disorder called Wilson disease, that can lead to copper to build up in the brain, liver, kidney, and cornea. In Drosophila cells, or fruit fly cells, the gene is named ATP7; therefore, we decided to knock out the gene from the fruit fly cell. The purpose of this study was to see the effects on Drosophila S2 cells by knocking out the ATP7 gene.