How Do We Build a Muscle? Let Me Count the Genes...
Disciplines
Biology | Genetics and Genomics
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Akirin is a nuclear cofactor involved in the gene regulation of the process of embryonic heart patterning in Drosophila melanogaster. During development, akirin facilitates gene expression by integrating transcription factor activity with chromatin remodeling machinery. Examples of the machinery that akirin interacts with include CHD4 and NuRD, which regulate the expression of cardiac developmental gene pathways. This mechanism is conserved from mammals to insects, allowing our studies to be later applied to humans. We have identified several candidate co-factors that may interact with akirin during the process of heart development. In my project, I will analyze a potential akirin genetic interaction with these candidate interactors. There have been other studies performed that have determined different cofactors that akirin interacts with; although, they may have not been wildly documented or extensively studied. The purpose of this research is to further understand the role of akirin in the process of heart formation and eventually prevent congenital heart defects in humans. For these studies, we have been performing out-crossing to exchange the balancer chromosomes in these candidate mutant lines with marked balancers that we can use in our assay. The first of these candidate genes we have examined is the Ppn gene. Once we obtain Ppn mutant stock flies, we will perform crosses with Ppn mutant lines and akirin mutant lines, collect the embryos that result, and analyze them for defects in heart development.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Scott Nowak
How Do We Build a Muscle? Let Me Count the Genes...
Akirin is a nuclear cofactor involved in the gene regulation of the process of embryonic heart patterning in Drosophila melanogaster. During development, akirin facilitates gene expression by integrating transcription factor activity with chromatin remodeling machinery. Examples of the machinery that akirin interacts with include CHD4 and NuRD, which regulate the expression of cardiac developmental gene pathways. This mechanism is conserved from mammals to insects, allowing our studies to be later applied to humans. We have identified several candidate co-factors that may interact with akirin during the process of heart development. In my project, I will analyze a potential akirin genetic interaction with these candidate interactors. There have been other studies performed that have determined different cofactors that akirin interacts with; although, they may have not been wildly documented or extensively studied. The purpose of this research is to further understand the role of akirin in the process of heart formation and eventually prevent congenital heart defects in humans. For these studies, we have been performing out-crossing to exchange the balancer chromosomes in these candidate mutant lines with marked balancers that we can use in our assay. The first of these candidate genes we have examined is the Ppn gene. Once we obtain Ppn mutant stock flies, we will perform crosses with Ppn mutant lines and akirin mutant lines, collect the embryos that result, and analyze them for defects in heart development.