AbstractsBiology & Animal Science

Mapping regulatory DNA that governs Drosophila eggshell patterning

by Nicole Pope




Institution: Rutgers University
Department: Biology
Degree: MS
Year: 2013
Keywords: Drosophila – Morphogenesis – Molecular aspects; Genetic markers; DNA
Record ID: 1994532
Full text PDF: http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.1/rucore10005600001.ETD.000068608


Abstract

Organogenesis relies on extensive tissue patterning by regulating the expression of genes in a spatiotemporal manner. During oogenesis, the follicle cells, a monolayer of epithelial cells surrounding the developing oocyte, are patterned to drive the formation of the Drosophila eggshell; an organ that shelters the developing embryo. While follicle cells’ patterning has been vastly documented, the regulatory domains that govern tissue patterning are mostly unknown. To find regulatory domains, we cross-listed 81 genes known to be expressed during oogenesis with the large collection of the Gerald M. Rubin (GMR) lines containing noncoding DNA fragments, and we found 19 common genes. These genes are represented by 223 GMR lines. Of great advantage, all GMR lines are driving the expression of a GAL4 thus providing an opportunity to screen these lines by crossing them to a GFP reporter gene. Of the tested GMR lines, 55 lines, (25%), express GFP during oogenesis, and 18 lines (33%), recapitulate the partial or full endogenous pattern of their corresponding genes. We found that regulatory information is enriched in certain positions of the genes’ locus. We also demonstrated the use of the new driver lines to disrupt morphologies of the eggshell and other tissues. Our comprehensive screen identified multiple regulatory DNA fragments that govern eggshell patterning.