The drosophila genome and its oncological implications

The genome of the fruit fly has recently been sequenced, prior to the release of the human genome sequence within the next few years. The fly has some 13 600 genes, compared with the estimated 80 000 genes in the human genome. Some 70% of genes appear to be broadly conserved across eukaryotic species, and some remarkable homologies have been found between 177 genes in the fly and the 289 human genes so far associated with diseases in man. The fruit fly genome is likely to prove an elegant model and a rich source of experimentation for the aetiology and regulation of human cancers.