CAREER: Steroid Regulation of Development in Drosophila

在高等生物中，类固醇激素控制着广泛的发育过程，与受体蛋白一起调节靶基因的阶段和组织特异性转录。对于这些对基因表达的影响是如何导致果蝇中类固醇功能相关的戏剧性发育变化的，人们知之甚少。这项研究的目的是回答一个问题，即一个单一的激素信号是如何在发育的不同时期引起不同的反应的。提出的研究将检查在果蝇变态发病期间由20-羟基蜕皮激素（蜕皮激素）触发的调控等级。先前分离的以及新分离的突变体中功能丧失突变，BFTZ-F1将重点分析唾液腺组织溶解，蛹角质层形成和头部外翻。突变也将在分子水平上被表征。在分子水平上对生物过程的理解使我们对生物过程背后的机制的理解取得了迅速的重大进展，这种理解对日常生活产生了重大影响。因此，对于学生来说，获得对分子生物学的扎实理解是至关重要的，无论他们是希望成为科学家，还是希望成为有能力处理个人和社会决策的知情公民，这些决策都与科学知识的使用有关。在这项研究中，本科生将参与分析类固醇激素在果蝇（Drosophila melanogaster）的发育过程中的作用机制。将分子生物学纳入课程是生物学科学原理教学的有效途径。＊＊＊

9722205 Woodard Technical section steroid hormones control a wide range of developmental processes in higher organisms, acting in conjunction with receptor proteins to regulate the stage- and tissue-specific transcription of target genes. Little is understood about how these effects on gene expression result in the dramatic developmental changes associated with steroid function in the fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The goal of the proposed research is to answer the question of how a single hormonal signal can elicit different responses at different times during development. The proposed study will examine the regulatory hierarchies triggered by 20-hydroxyecdysone (ecdysone)during the onset of Drosophila metamorphosis. Previously isolated as well as newly isolated loss-of-function mutations in a mutant, BFTZ-F1 will be analyzed with a focus on salivary gland histolysis, pupal cuticle formation, and head eversion. The mutations will also be characterized at the molecular level. Non-technical Understanding biological processes at the molecular level has led to rapid, major advances in our understanding of mechanisms underlying biological processes and that understanding has had a major impact in the everyday world. Thus it is critical for students to gain a solid understanding of molecular biology, whether they wish to become scientists, or informed citizens who are well-equipped to deal with personal and societal decisions regarding use of scientific knowledge. In this study, undergraduate students will be involved in the analysis of the mechanism(s) involved in the function of the steroid hormone in triggering developmental processes in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The plan to integrate molecular biology into the curriculum is an effective way of teaching scientific principles of biology. ***