
Unveiling the role of Hippo Interactors in Glioma Progression using Drosophila models.
Presenter(s)
Satya Burugupalli, Maria El Biri, Grace Leitzel, Arushi Rai
Files
Description
Chronic inflammation has the potential to impact tumorigenesis including gliomagensis. Yorkie (YAP/TAZ in human), downstream effector of Hippo pathway by interacting with its regulatory pathway such as JNK, might play critical roles in promoting glioma progression. We use Drosophila as an in-vivo model to study glioma and immune regulation. Presence of diverse evolutionarily conserved cellular pathways and gene homology in Drosophila makes it an ideal and relevant model comparable to higher vertebrates for glioma studies. The preliminary data from transcriptomics, scRNA-seq in primary and recurrent GBM, and the immune landscape of GBM associated microglia suggest that activation of NFkB and YAP leads to activation of several transcription factors that together cause cellular and signalling alterations that promote GBM growth. In Drosophila, we intend to study the interactions of Yorkie (YAP/TAZ in human) with other pathways and the innate immune system. We will use two well-established glioma models, by constitutively activating EGFR and PI3K in one, and by knocking down PTEN with oncogenic Ras overexpression in another using the Gal4-UAS system in Drosophila CNS. Here we present our progress on changes in expression of cellular markers in the established glioma models. We also investigated for inflammatory markers in GBM and immune invasion in glioma. We will present the data on role of Yorkie interactors and inflammation using immunostainings, qPCR analyses, and western blot of larval brains of both wild-type and glioma models.
Publication Date
4-23-2025
Project Designation
Graduate Research
Primary Advisor
Madhuri Kango-Singh, Amit Singh
Primary Advisor's Department
Biology
Keywords
Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences
Institutional Learning Goals
Practical Wisdom; Scholarship
Recommended Citation
"Unveiling the role of Hippo Interactors in Glioma Progression using Drosophila models." (2025). Stander Symposium Projects. 3916.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/3916

Comments
10:20-10:40, Kennedy Union 222