Project description:we have performed mRNA-Seq studies of the larval eye and antennal primordial at multiple timepoints within the third larval instar and white prepupal stages
Project description:eyeless (ey) is one of the most critical transcription factors for initiating the entire eye development in Drosophila. However, the molecular mechanisms through which Ey regulates target genes and pathways have not been characterized at the genomic level. Using ChIP-Seq, we generated an endogenous Ey binding profile in Drosophila developing eyes. These data sets will serve as a valuable resource for future studies on Ey and eye development.
Project description:Coordinating cell proliferation and differentiation is essential during organogenesis. In Drosophila, the photoreceptor, pigment and support cells of the eye are specified in an orchestrated wave as the morphogenetic furrow passes across the eye imaginal disc. Cells anterior of the furrow are uncommitted to cell type and remain mitotically active, while most cells in the furrow arrest at G1 and adopt specified ommatidial fates. We used microarray expression analysis to monitor changes in transcription at the furrow and identified genes whose expression correlates with either proliferation or fate specification.
Project description:Nocte is an RNA binding protein but its functions in Drosophila eye development is unknown. We found that knockdown of nocte by RNAi in Drosophila eyes leads to small and rough eye phenotypes. We detected nocte's functions at mRNA levels by doing RNA-seq with purified polyA mRNA. We detected nocte's functions in mRNA translation by doing Ribo-seq and total RNA-seq to calculate the translation efficiencies.
Project description:Drosophila imaginal disc cells exhibit a remarkable ability to switch cell fates under various perturbations, a phenomenon known as transdetermination (TD). The winged eye (wge) gene induces eye-to-wing TD by its overexpression in eye imaginal discs using eye specific Gal4 driver (eyeless-Gal4). Gene network controlling this process, however, is largely unclear. Additionally, we identified that heterochromatin-related histone methyltransferase Su(var)3-9 is essential for wge-mediated TD. We used microarray to detail the global gene network underlying wge-mediated eye-to-wing TD, and the involvement of Su(var)3-9 in the gene network.
Project description:PSC overexpression can cause phenotypes specifically in an rbf1 mutant background, likely due to a sensitization to PSC-induced phenotypes. The goal of this study is to understand the interaction between rbf1 hypomorphic mutation and the overexpression of Polycomb group gene Posterior sex combs. We used Drosophila larval eye imaginal discs that were mutant for rbf1 or overexpressing PSC and compared these to control larval eye discs to assess changes in gene expression. We identified a common set of genes that are deregulated when rbf1 is mutated or when PSC is overexpressed. RNA was extracted from eye imaginal discs dissected from third instar Drosophila larvae. Samples were amplified and hybridized to Affymetrix Drosophila Genome 2.0 Array. To better understand the effects of rbf1 mutation and PSC overexpression, we compared the gene expression of rbf1 mutant eye discs and eye discs overexpressing PSC to control eye discs.