X-ray diffraction of indirect flight muscle from Drosohila in vivo

The indirect flight muscle (IFM) of the fruit fly, Drosophila, represents a powerful model system for integrated structure and function studies because of the ease of genetically manipulating this organism. Recent advances in synchrotron technology have allowed collection of high quality two dimensional x-ray fiber diffraction patterns from the IFM of living fruit flies both at rest and during tethered flight. Based on many decades of x-ray and electron microscopic studies of vertebrate muscle and IFM from the waterbug, Lethocerus, there now exists a framework for interpreting changes in the x-ray diffraction patterns in terms of structural changes at the myofilament level. These developments allow testing of hypotheses concerning muscle function in a truly in vivo system.