A Queen’s University study of fruit flies that may revolutionize
the way birth defects are studied has identified the genes
affected by a widely prescribed drug known to cause birth
defects. Methotrexate (MTX), a popular cancer-fighting drug also
used to treat psoriasis, ectopic pregnancies, rheumatoid
arthritis, and lupus, lasts a long time in the body and causes
birth defects in children from women who have it in their
systems. The study of the drug’s effect on fruit flies has
allowed Queen’s researchers including graduate student Joslynn
Affleck to identify the genes on which the drug acts. “We hope
that through this model system we can provide insight into
mammalian birth defects, which may be expected to increase in
frequency in the future, due to the recent elevated use of MTX,”
says Affleck. Many of the genes found to be affected by MTX are
involved in cell cycle regulation, signal transduction,
transport, defense response, transcription, or various aspects
of metabolism. “This study shows that MTX tre