Analysis of Wing Vein Specification in Drosophila

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Ethan BierIOS 0744662: Analysis of wing vein specification in DrosophilaDr. Bier and colleagues will analyze the genetic mechanisms required for forming sharp boundaries in developing wings of the fruit fly where fluid carrying veins form. They will compare the mechanisms for defining these borders for two veins with the goal of extracting general principles for how such linear structures form during development. They will also ask whether similar mechanisms are likely to be used in a distantly related insect, the mosquito. These evolutionary studies should shed light on whether this process of boundary formation has changed or remained fixed during evolution. Since formation of boundaries is a general feature of development and includes processes such as induction of mesodermal (e.g., muscle) tissue and the formation of digits in vertebrate embryos, the researchers expect that many of the principles they uncover will be broadly relevant. In terms of Broader Impacts, the project includes an educational component and undergraduate students will actively participate in this research. In addition, Dr. Bier has used wing vein development as an example illustrating the principles of boundary formation in his textbook, "The Coiled Spring: How Life Begins", which is used by Dr. Bier in a course taught at the University of California-San Diego.