Presenter(s)

    Devon Matthew Seibert, Ashley Violet Williams

    Comments

    Presentation: 10:45-12:00, Kennedy Union Ballroom

    Download

    Download Project (4.4 MB)

    Description

    The coordinated expressions of trait building, realizator, genes in the appropriate cell types and developmental stages are two impressive outcomes of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of morphological evolution. For each realizator gene, its pattern of expression is anticipated to result from the interaction of a combination of transcription factors to binding sites within one or more cis-regulatory element (CRE). A question that remains murky is to what extent these similar patterns of realizator expression require their CREs to be bound by similar combinations of transcription factors. One model trait that may shed light on this question is the sexually dimorphic pattern abdomen pigmentation that evolved in the lineage of Drosophila (D.) melanogaster fruit flies. This male-specific pattern of melanic pigmentation on the posterior abdomen results from the spatial-, temporal-, and sex-specific deployment of a pathway of metabolic genes. While the CREs for several of these pathway genes have been well-studied, the biochemically first acting gene, known as pale, has received little attention. Here, we will share insights from studies on the regulation of the D. melanogaster pale gene and how this regulation and pale expression evolved during the origin and diversification of this pigmentation trait.

    Publication Date

    4-17-2024

    Project Designation

    Independent Research

    Primary Advisor

    Tom M. Williams

    Primary Advisor's Department

    Biology

    Keywords

    Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

    Institutional Learning Goals

    Scholarship; Practical Wisdom; Vocation

    The regulation of the Drosophila melanogaster pale gene and its evolution during the origin of a dimorphic pigmentation trait

    Share

    COinS