Scientists Discover Fruit Flies Get Kidney Stones

Posted on March 23, 2012

A team of researchers from Mayo Clinic and the University of Glasgow have found that fruit flies also get kidney stones. They recently shared their findings at the Genetics Society of America annual meeting.

Physiologist Michael F. Romero, Ph.D. of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., says, "The kidney tubule of a fruit fly is easy to study because it is transparent and accessible. More important is that fruit flies are not bothered by the presence of kidney stones, so they are ideal subjects to study in order to better understand the condition in human."

The researchers identified a gene that encodes a protein which transports oxalate into the fly kidney. When this gene is genetically modified, flies get fewer stones. The researchers are using this gene as a target as they test gut, renal and crystal dissolving therapies in fruit flies for possible drug development.

Julian Dow, Ph.D., of the University of Glasgow, who teamed with Dr. Romero and others on the study, says, "Our hope is that, by using a relatively inexpensive and flexible disease model like Drosophila, we can help with at least some of these important diseases."

Here is a video of kidney stone formation in fruit flies:

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