RUI: The evolutionary and developmental origins of imaginal cells in a basal holometabolous insect

许多生物体的幼仔都具有非凡的再生能力，直到成体特异性干细胞开始发育。本研究的目的是探讨昆虫足再生的机制以及成体特异性干细胞开始发育的过程。使用面粉甲虫作为模型系统，将通过使用称为RNA干扰的分子技术去除各种蛋白质的表达来研究这些成人特异性干细胞如何在青少年中发育。此外，腿再生过程中表达的基因将被检查和表征，以确定参与这一过程的因素。成体特异性干细胞的进化起源对理解一个主要的有争议的问题，昆虫变态的起源具有重要意义。鉴定整个动物王国保守的再生机制将提供深入了解肢体再生的基本和必要机制。这项研究将在韦尔斯利学院进行，这是一所为来自各种社会经济背景的妇女开设的本科院校，并将积极让来自各种背景的本科生参与，为他们提供跨学科的研究经验和现代分子技术方面的培训。生物学多学科方法的经验对未来的科学家至关重要，这项研究将为学生提供这样的机会。拟议的研究也将被带到课堂上，让更多的学生接触研究。将鼓励学生发表他们的发现，并在科学会议上介绍他们的工作。

Juveniles of many organisms have a remarkable ability to regenerate their body parts until the adult-specific stem cells begin to develop. The goal of this research is to investigate the mechanism of leg regeneration in insects and how the adult-specific stem cells begin to develop. Using the flour beetle as a model system, how these adult-specific stem cells develop in juveniles will be investigated by removing the expression of various proteins using a molecular technique called RNA interference. Furthermore, genes expressed during leg regeneration will be examined and characterized to identify factors involved in this process. The evolutionary origin of adult-specific stem cells has important implications in understanding a major contentious issue, the origin of insect metamorphosis. Identification of regeneration mechanisms conserved across the animal kingdom will provide insights into the fundamental and essential mechanisms underlying limb regeneration. The study will be conducted at Wellesley College, an undergraduate institution for women from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, and will actively involve undergraduate students from various backgrounds to provide them with an interdisciplinary research experience and training in modern molecular technology. Experience in multidisciplinary approaches to biology is critical for future scientists, and this study will provide students with such an opportunity. The proposed research will also be brought into the classroom to expose more students to research. The students will be encouraged to both publish their findings and present their work at scientific meetings.