Presenter(s)

Santosh Kumar

Comments

3:00-4:15, Kennedy Union Ballroom

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Description

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is a conserved pathway in both vertebrates and invertebrates, playing a crucial role in growth and differentiation. In the eye imaginal disc of Drosophila, Hh is expressed posterior to the developing morphogenetic furrow (MF) and in the dorsal anterior region within the developing ocellar field. While the role of Hh in MF progression is well understood, its function in the dorsal anterior region remains unclear. To investigate this, we overexpressed Hh in the Defective proventriculus (Dve) domain and interestingly observed enlargement of the ventral eye field. This finding suggests a potential interaction between Hh signaling and region-specific dorsal and ventral pathways, which may shed light on the molecular mechanisms governing eye versus head fate determination in Drosophila. Furthermore, we found that Hh signaling sustains ventral eye field expansion and photoreceptor differentiation by inducing decapentaplegic (dpp) expression in the ventral region through the transcription factor Cubitus interruptus (Cirep). Based on our preliminary data, we propose that increased dpp levels may elevate teashirt (tsh) expression. While tsh is expressed in both dorsal and ventral regions, it specifically promotes ventral eye development by inhibiting the homothorax (hth)-wingless (wg) positive feedback loop. This regulatory interaction may be restricted to the ventral region due to differences in molecular context, as the dorsal region may rely on Pannier (pnr) and Dve to sustain wg expression. To test this hypothesis, we will use immunohistochemistry and qRTPCR based approach to determine the level of diferent dorsal and ventral factors involved in dorsal and ventral eye-head specification in the context of gain of function and loss of function of Hh and Dpp.We strongly anticipate that this study will enhance our understanding of the molecular interplay governing dorsal and ventral eye versus head specification in Drosophila melanogaster. Keywords: Hedgehog, Dpp, Eye specification, Drosophila

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

Role of Hedgehog in eye-head specification of Drosophila Melanogaster

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