573B Poster - 08. Patterning, morphogenesis and organogenesis
Friday April 08, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Authors:
Sequioa Smith; Mardelle Atkins

Affiliation: Sam Houston State University

Keywords:
f. eye disc; a. axon guidance

All cells in a multicellular eukaryotic organism contain a complete genome. However, these organisms possess different cell types with diverse morphologies and functions; thus, highlighting the importance of the regulation of gene expression. Transcriptome data is essential for understanding differential gene expression during development. An increasing stream of larger and more complex datasets has poured into public databases in the last decade. The storage and maintenance of this shared data are federally funded. Our research seeks to repurpose existing datasets to increase their public value while generating discoveries. Traditionally, genetic screens and isolation of spontaneous mutants have been used to identify factors that affect developmental processes. Mutant isolation and identifications are labor-intensive and time-consuming. We established a rapid data analysis strategy to identify candidate genes required for eye development, beginning with publicly available transcriptomes. Our transcriptome data analysis process produced a candidate list of 47 genes. I will present our strategy for candidate gene identification and initial characterization of several candidate genes.