Meeting Abstract

70.2  Tuesday, Jan. 6 08:15  Elucidation of the Pax/Six gene regulatory network in the sponge Ephydatia muelleri RIVERA, AS*; HABERKERN, N; ARUL NAMBI RAJAN, A; POSFAI, D; HILL, A; University of the Pacific; University of the Pacific; University of the Pacific; University of Richmond; University of Richmond arivera@pacific.edu

As one of the simplest metazoan model systems, the demosponges provide the opportunity to examine pared-down versions of the complex gene regulatory networks of other animals. We are using the freshwater sponge Ephydatia muelleri as a model for elucidating the evolution of the Pax/Six/Eya/Dac (i.e. retinal determiation) network. E. muelleri possesses a single copy of only two members of this canonical developmental network, Pax and Six. Using search methods informed by protein/DNA binding and RNAi data, we have found potential downstream targets of the Pax transcription factor in the Ephydatia genome. By testing these targets via RNAi, qPCR, and cell culture binding assays, we aim to uncover the components of this metazoan gene regulatory network in a simple animal lacking a nervous system.