Annual Report 2009 - Department of Zoology - University of ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Developmental Biology Our developmental biology focuses on Drosophila and Xenopus. The Drosophila work is carried out in the main Department, where five research groups cooperate and share recently refurbished facilities. The Xenopus work is based in the Wellcome/CR UK Gurdon Institute. a) Neural Development We seek to understand the development, genetic specification, evolution and function of neural circuits and their ele- ments using Drosophila as a model. Pat Simpson’s group investigates how evolution of gene cis-regulatory sequences can drive phenotypic change with a focus on the achaete-scute genes, and their transcriptional regulators. Irene Miguel Aliaga’s group studies the development of visceral neurons and how they regulate the functions of internal organs such as the digestive tract. The groups of Matthias Landgraf and Michael Bate work on the embryonic development and specification of motor circuitry with a special emphasis on the formation of synaptic connections and the patterning of axonal and dendritic processes. Louise Brochet-Couton: Identification and study of locomotor circuitry neurons Barbara Chwalla: Regulation of dendritic growth, branching and targeting Paola Cognigni: Formation and function of visceral neurons in Drosophila embryonic development Marta Costa: Evolution of a redundant mechanism for bristle patterning in Calliphora Sarah Crisp: Embryonic origins of coordinated movement Soeren Diegelmann: Molecular and cellular analysis of cholinergic interneurons and their role in motor circuitry Jan-Felix Evers: Live imaging and experimental analysis of synaptogenesis and dendritic growth Emma Hatton-Ellis: Evolution of the function of the wingless gene in the development of sensory bristles and tendons Zhihua Jin: Generation of an anti-Pannier antibody in Drosophila Feng Li: Development and diversification of the larval neuromuscular system Alex Mauss: Dendritic targeting and specificity of 17 connections in the locomotor system Carol McKimmie: Achaete-scute regulation and bristle patterning in Megaselia Annemarie North: Genetic specification of central neuron dendrites Lucia Prieto: Embryonic development and function of larval olfactory circuitry Stefan Pulver: Functional analysis of larval motor circuitry and behaviour Valia Stamataki: Evolution of an enhancer of achaetescute in drosophilids Marco Tripodi: Development and homeostatic regulation of dendrites in the central nervous system Jean-Valery Turatsinze: functional evolution of the SOPenhancer in asense orthologs and in SOP cell specific genes Richard Wallbank: Structure and evolution of the cisregulatory sequences of the pannier gene in drosophilids Mingyao Yang: Evolution of the cis-regulatory sequences of the pannier gene in Megaselia and Calliphora Temur Yunusov: Identification and study of locomotor circuitry neurons b) Polarity and Patterning The interests of our group concern the molecular mechanisms that underlie the origin of cell diversity and animal patterning. In particular we are interested in how patterns are established within and between cells, using Drosophila as a model system. Three groups (Peter Lawrence, Isabel Palacios, Helen Skaer) aim to understand subcellular organization in terms of the differential distribution of molecules in oocytes (Palacios) and in tissues (planar polarity; Lawrence, apicobasal polarity, Skaer) and the consequences of cell diversity and patterning in terms of tissue morphogenesis and animal development.
Tulay Atamert: Fly stocks maintenance Paul Avery: RNA stability in Drosophila Marcus Bischoff: Morphogenesis and pattern formation of the abdomen of Drosophila Jose Casal: Planar polarity in Drosophila Bhavna Chanana: The function of tumour suppressor pathways in early development Barry Denholm: Cell patterning and morphogenesis in renal tissues Nan Hu: Cell specification in renal tubules Joanna Krzemień: Development of adult muscles in the abdomen of Drosophila Philippe Loiseau: Intracellular transport cargo recognition by conventional kinesin 18 Isabel Peset-Martin: The function of motors in establishing cell polarities Pedro Saavedra: Planar polarity in Drosophila Ada Repiso: Molecular analysis of planar polarity molecules Aditya Saxena: Regulation of tubule morphogenesis Catherine Scahill: Cell specification and tissue morphogenesis Susan Wan: Intercellular signaling and branching morphogenesis Lucy Williams: The function of Kinesin-1 Helen Weavers: Cell interactions underlying tissue pathfinding c) Xenopus Development The research group of John Gurdon concentrates on mechanisms of nuclear reprogramming as a route towards personspecific cell replacement. This group is analyzes the molecular mechanisms by which eggs and oocytes re-set the gene expression pattern of the somatic cell nucleus to that of an embryo cell, including the transcriptional activation of pluripotency genes. Methods include nuclear transplantation to eggs and oocytes, mutant mouse cell lines, as well as imaging and FRAP analyses. Carolina Astrand: Histone mobility Nigel Garrett: Genetic manipulation Richard Halley-Stott: Chromatin decondensation Jerome Jullien: Linker histone exchange Vincent Pasque: X-chromosomal inactivation Ilenia Simeoni: Gene transcription in oocytes Four-jointed can modify the activity of both Dachsous and Fat in vivo Jose Casal These images provide evidence that a Golgi protein kinase, Fourjointed, interacts with both Dachsous and Fat — these are large cadherin molecules. Fat and Dachsous link together as heterodimers, with Fat in one cell contacting Dachsous in a neighbouring cell. We believe that the asymmetric distribution of these heterodimers within a cell is read out as the planar polarity of that cell. What we see here are clones of cells that lack all endogenous Fat and Dachsous, but have one of these proteins added back. If the clone contains only Dachsous, then Fat is drawn to the apposing membranes of the adjacent wildtype cells and, consequently those cells are repolarised (posterior to the clone). If the clone contains only Fat, then Dachsous is drawn to the apposing membranes of the adjacent wildtype cells and this also causes repolarisation (but now anterior to the clone). Repolarisation can propagate beyond the neighbouring wildtype cells because, if Dachsous is drawn to one side of a cell it becomes depleted from the other side, and this will affect the distribution of heterodimers in the next, more outlying, wildtype cells. When Four-jointed is over-expressed in the clone expressing Dachsous, then the affinity of Dachsous for Fat is diminished, less Fat is attracted to the adjacent membrane and repolarisation of the wildtype cells is reduced. When Four-jointed is over-expressed in the clone expressing Fat, then the affinity of Fat for Dachsous is increased, more Dachsous is attracted to the adjacent membrane and repolarisation of the wildtype cells is extended. Four-jointed molecules with a change in the kinase domain of the protein have much reduced effects, arguing that Four-jointed acts as a kinase to phosphorylate both Dachsous and Fat. We have provided additional in vitro evidence is provided for these conclusions. The clones of cells are genetically marked with a mutation that makes each cell produce an increased number of very small hairs. The cells surrounding the clones and their changed polarities can be seen in the orientation of the wildtype hairs. Reference: Brittle, A.L., Repiso, A. Casal, J., Lawrence, P.A. and Strutt, D. (2010). Four-jointed modulates growth and planar polarity by reducing the affinity of Dachsous for Fat. Curr. Biol. 20, 803-810.
Page 1 and 2: Department of Zoology Annual Report
Page 3 and 4: Malcolm Burrows FRS, Professor of Z
Page 5 and 6: Balfour & Newton Library The Balfou
Page 7 and 8: (a set of cards highlighting object
Page 9 and 10: Mathematical Biology (192 students)
Page 11 and 12: Manica, A, FK McMeechan & WA Foster
Page 13 and 14: Behaviour and Behavioural Neuroscie
Page 15 and 16: Mary Caswell Stoddard: Avian colour
Page 17: c) Control of DNA Replication The i
Page 21 and 22: Population and Community Ecology Ou
Page 23 and 24: Evolution and Diversity Much of the
Page 25 and 26: Awards and Prizes Michael Akam Linn
Page 27 and 28: Darwin’s ‘On the origin of spec
Page 29 and 30: Senior Assistant Curator of Malacol
Page 31 and 32: Krude, Dr T. Cancer Research UK, 20
Page 33 and 34: Champagne, F. A., Curley, J. P., Sw
Page 35 and 36: Harcourt, J. L., Ang, T. Z., Sweetm
Page 37: Stevens, M., Winney, I. S., Cantor,

Annual Report 2009 - Department of Zoology - University of ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?