In a new project led by the UK Medical Research Council-funded FlyBase members, FlyBase is providing 'Gene Snapshots' within the D. melanogaster gene reports. These are designed to provide a quick overview of the function of each gene's products. We solicited draft summaries from members of the Drosophila community that have published on each gene, and FlyBase curators then revised them for consistency. We are very grateful to all those who responded to our requests, listed here. This is the first release of the summaries, and many are still in progress. Gene Snapshots appear at the top of each gene report, and will shortly be downloadable in bulk to use as an aid in genome-wide analyses and screens.

If there is currently no snapshot of your favorite gene, please feel free to send us your contribution. All we need from you is a couple of sentences for each gene describing 1) how the protein functions, 2) what pathway it is in (if relevant), and 3) its main biological roles, preferably using terms suitable for a general, non-Drosophilist audience. Please upload your contribution here. We also welcome suggestions on how to improve current gene snapshots, and general feedback.