Affiliations: 1) Graduate Genetics Program, NC State University, Raleigh, NC; 2) Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; 3) Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Keywords: a. axis specification; o. canalization/robustness
Body plan patterning is a critical step in embryonic development that has health and viability consequences across the life of the organism. Anterior-posterior (AP) axis formation is an early event in body plan patterning and establishes the head-to-tail orientation for determining cell and tissue fates. In Drosophila melanogaster, Bicoid is a well-studied transcription factor that acts as a morphogen in AP axis patterning by influencing expression of the Gap genes in a concentration-dependent manner to create distinct expression profiles. The Gap genes influence additional target genes that also show distinct expression profiles. Though this system has been studied extensively and many of the relevant genes have been identified, the mechanisms that allow robustness of AP axis formation across genetic backgrounds are not well-characterized. We address this gap using the natural variation of the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP). By quantifying spatial expression patterns of AP genes across lines of the DGRP, we can identify genetic backgrounds that show significant changes in expression. We expect to identify genomic regions (QTLs) associated with these changes in expression, which we will interrogate for potential causal elements such as enhancers of AP genes. We will discuss current imaging results using ~70 lines and QTLs under investigation.