Investigating the function of MACPF proteins in development and growth using Drosophila melanogaster

This thesis examines the developmental roles of perforin-like proteins, which are more commonly known for their role in immunity. This thesis also identifies two neuropeptide receptors as novel regulators of growth in Drosophila. Overall, this thesis demonstrates the diverse developmental roles of perforin-like proteins and highlights the effectiveness of using Drosophila as a model system to investigate gene function. This will deepen our understanding of an important protein family implicated in human development and disease.