Meeting Abstract

60.4  Sunday, Jan. 5 14:15  Following cell division and cell shape in the segmenting growth zone of arthropods CHIPMAN, AD*; AUMAN, T; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ariel.chipman@huji.ac.il

The molecular basis of segmentation in arthropods has been studied intensively over the past decade or so, and a picture is gradually emerging wherein a series of transcription factors and signaling molecules work together to generate a repeated pattern at the molecular level, which is then translated into morphological segmentation. However, this molecular picture is missing crucial elements and still fails to provide a full mechanistic description of how segmentation occurs. We have been using the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus, an insect with a more typical segmentation process than the well-studied fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, to integrate elements of cell behavior into the process of segmentation. We have mapped cell division patterns and cell shape parameters onto the segmenting growth zone, in parallel with an analysis of the expression of key growth zone / segmentation genes such as caudal, delta, evenskipped and Wnt ligands. We have also analyzed changes to cell behaviors following perturbation of these segmentation genes. The combination of the cell level analysis and gene expression patterns provides a first glimpse into what cells are doing in the growth zone during the segmentation process and how these cell behaviors are linked to gene activity to drive the process of segmentation.