Antagonizing Signaling in a Drosophila Dorsal Closure Model

所有动物的基本生物学过程的高度保守性，加上苍蝇遗传方法的广泛保留，使果蝇成为了解广泛发育过程的独特而强大的系统。本研究采用遗传学方法对果蝇背部闭合所需基因进行了鉴定、克隆和鉴定。果蝇的背部闭合是一个细胞膜完全包裹发育中的果蝇胚胎的发育过程。背部闭合的过程类似于管的形成，上皮片的边缘在背部中线相遇并融合。实际上，驱动背部闭合的细胞形状和位置变化所必需的所有分子都是保守的，它们是所有脊椎动物各种闭合过程所必需的。这些保守的过程包括眼皮和神经管融合，以及伤口愈合。因此，一个人在实验上容易驯化的果蝇身上解剖和描述背部闭合的能力，为阐明一个基本的发育过程提供了一个强大的系统。这里描述的研究重点是最近被发现对背部闭合至关重要的两种果蝇蛋白质：Raw(一种新的蛋白质)和Mummy(一种UDP氨基葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶)。考虑到这些发育途径的保守性，这些蛋白质可能对神经管闭合和背部闭合都很重要。因此，定义Raw和木乃伊在果蝇发育中所扮演的角色有助于确定关键发育事件所需的分子事件。该项目将为来自社区的本科生和高中生提供动手的研究培训机会。过去，这项研究在犹他大学的自然历史博物馆以及其他社区场馆都得到了强调。教学和社区外展仍然是未来的高度优先事项。

The high degree of conservation of fundamental biological processes across all animals, coupled with the broad repertoire of fly genetic approaches makes the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster a uniquely powerful system for understanding a broad range of developmental processes. In this study, genetic methods are employed to identify, clone, and characterize genes required for fruit fly dorsal closure. Dorsal closure is the developmental process by which a cell sheet completely encases a developing fruit fly embryo. The dorsal closure process is analogous to tube formation, with the edges of the epithelial sheet meeting and fusing at the dorsal midline.Virtually all of the molecules essential for the changes in cell shape and position that drive dorsal closure are conserved, and they are required for a variety closure processes in all vertebrates. These conserved processes include eyelid and neural tube fusion, as well as wound healing. One's ability to dissect and characterize dorsal closure in the experimentally tractable fruit fly, therefore, provides a powerful system to elucidate a fundamental development process.The foci of the studies described here are two Drosophila proteins that were recently identified as being critical for dorsal closure: Raw (a novel protein) and Mummy (a UDP]Nacetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase). Given the conservation of these developmental pathways, these proteins are likely important for neural tube closure as well as for dorsal closure. Thus, the definition of the roles that Raw and Mummy play in the developing fruit fly facilitates identification of the molecular events necessary for key developmental events.This project will provide undergraduates and high school students from the community with 'hands-on' research training opportunities. In the past this research has been highlighted at the University of Utah's Museum of Natural History, as well as additional community venues. Teaching and community outreach remains a high priority for the future.