Functional Studies of Drosophila Genes with Enriched Expression in the Wing Discovered by Microarray Analyis

Ohio State University Research Foundation -Do Not Use, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

0212637 Simcox The Drosophila wing is an important model for analyzing how signaling pathways are coordinated to organize development of a cell field and link patterning with growth. Discovering all the players will be key to a full understanding of the processes involved. Additional genes with wing-enriched expression patterns have been discovered by microarray analysis, here a functional-genomics approach will be taken to probe the roles of these genes in wing development. Oligonucleotide microarrays were used to identify thirty transcripts with four-fold or greater enrichment in the wing versus the body wall. These include genes known to be specifically expressed in the wing (for example, nubbin, Distal-less, knot, and bifid). Here it is proposed to test whether uncharacterized transcripts with similar enrichment have functional roles in wing development and to analyze how they are regulated by major signaling pathways. The first three objectives relate to this goal. In the first, the functional roles of the wing-enriched genes will be investigated by examining phenotypes resulting from ectopic expression and following gene silencing. In the second, the role of the morphogens, Wingless, Hedgehog and Decapentaplegic, in controlling the expression of these novel genes will be assayed. In the third, targets of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signaling will be identified by comparing EGFR mutant wings with wild type wings in microarray experiments. The function of novel targets will be investigated. In the fourth objective, a workshop will be offered for high school students to investigate the expression pattern of genes that have the potential to encode posterior-specific transcripts.