204 Oral - Plenary Session III
Saturday April 09, 9:30 PM - 10:00 PM
The evolution of morphological novelties at the cellular and gene regulatory levels
Authors: Mark Rebeiz 1; Shodja Donya 1; Rice Gavin 1; Vincent Ben 1; Smith Sarah 1,2; McQueen Eden 1,3
Affiliations: 1) University of Pittsburgh; 2) present address, Yale University; 3) present address, University of Michigan
Keywords: l. evo-devo; e. enhancers
The evolutionary origins of complex anatomical structures such as the eye or wing remain a major puzzle in evolutionary developmental biology. The development of morphology is controlled by gene regulatory networks (GRNs) composed of transcription factors, signaling pathways, and the regulatory sequences (enhancers) they control to regulate expression of structural genes that ultimately confer physical properties upon a tissue. To understand how new morphologies evolve, we strive determine the structure of their GRNs, localize evolutionary changes within these GRNs, and unravel how the network governs cellular behavior. I will present our work on the GRNs and cellular processes underlying new morphological structures in the genitalia of Drosophila melanogaster and its close relatives.