Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNA) are widely expressed; however, their overall functions are not yet fully known. Circular RNAs are formed by a method of alternate splicing, known as back-splicing. This mechanism of back-splicing and circRNA formation competes with linear mRNA splicing within the spliceosome. This thesis aims to characterize a variety of Drosophila mutant lines that have a specific circRNA of interest knocked down, and thus understand the phenotypes that are observed. Because circRNAs are abundant within the brain, neurodegenerative disease are especially of interest. Circular RNAs are very stable and accumulate with time. By observing the progression of neurodegenerative disease, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia through the context of circRNA, these diseases can be better characterized. By using behavioral assays, the functions of circRNAs can be characterized through Drosophila behavior and phenotypic characterization. Multiple phenotypic traits within the Drosophila disease models have been quantified and qualified. The overall functions of circular RNAs has remained elusive; however, through this thesis, some are better characterized within the Drosophila model.