DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Microevolution of cell size and cell number regulation in Nasonia

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How organisms regulate the size and shape of tissues, and how changes in this regulation lead to the incredible diversity of form and shape in nature, largely remains a mystery. This project explores these questions using a well-defined case of recent divergence in morphology between closely related species in the emerging insect genetic model system, Nasonia. The size of male wings differs dramatically between Nasonia species. In one species male wings are very small and males cannot fly, whereas in another the wings are large and males do fly. The structure of a major gene affecting this sex-specific trait will be determined by positional mapping. Then, the downstream regulatory processes through which this gene changes wing cell size and number will be identified in a genome expression experiment. Finally, the fitness consequences behind wing size reduction will be tested under different conditions.This project will provide new information on the regulation of cell growth and replication, processes that are fundamental to development and that contribute to diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The proposed studies will integrate discovery across biological disciplines, from genetics to development, molecular biology, genomics and adaptation. Training for a graduate student in these cross-disciplinary approaches is provided, including travel to a genome biology center to learn new methods and conduct experiments. This training will be used to develop undergraduate laboratory exercises in computational genetics. Finally, an ongoing undergraduate research mentoring effort, which includes students from underrepresented gender and ethnic groups in science, will be expanded.