Research Project: Yaprak Piresi Kullanarak Endosimbiyontları Barındıran Hücrelerin Gelişiminin İncelenmesi
Abstract
Description
Early pattern formation in insects has been used as a model for studies to understand how different cells and tissues are formed and spatially organized in developing organisms. The ease of using them in the lab and relaxed ethical concerns make them ideal. Thanks to the model organism Drosophila we have gained tremendous knowledge about the way genes act and organize in regulatory networks, which pattern the different cells and parts of the body of the organism. However, insects are highly diverse, and the translation of results from this particular fly to other insects and other organisms outside of insects is difficult. Here we aim to extend the scope of the studies of insects to ants, a group of insects, which have been least studied in the developmental context. Ants are one of the most morphologically diverse organisms exhibiting modifications in body plan, allometry, color, shape, size, and above all eusociality. Within the Carpenter ants, recent studies have shown novel cell types, genetic expression patterns, interactions, and distinct cell-fate plan organization. How gene regulatory networks accomplish these novel morphologies or adjust to them is not clear. Here we focus on two of the highly conserved pathways that are responsible for morphology in early embryo i.e., Hox and BMP. When studied in specific stages of embryogenesis, these pathways act independently of each other in other insects but appear connected in C. floridanus ants. Moreover, this interaction is connected to germline formation reminiscent of some vertebrates. We will investigate this interaction and its effects on pattern formation in C. floridanus ants at the level of gene regulatory networks using high-throughput sequencing technologies such as ATAC-seq, CUT&RUN-seq, and RNA-seq. These approaches will enable high-resolution mapping of chromatin accessibility (ATAC-seq), transcription factor binding sites (CUT&RUN), and gene expression profiles (RNA-seq), allowing for a deeper understanding of gene regulatory mechanisms and more precise insights into cellular differentiation processes.
Keywords
Yaşam Bilimleri, Moleküler Biyoloji ve Genetik, Diğer, Temel Bilimler, Life Sciences, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Other, Natural Sciences, Temel Bilimler (Sci), Yaşam Bilimleri (Life), Doğa Bilimleri Genel, Moleküler Biyoloji Ve Genetik, Çok Disiplinli Bilimler, Hücre Biyolojisi, Natural Sciences (Sci), Life Sciences (Life), Natural Sciences General, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Multidisciplinary Sciences, Cell Biology, Moleküler Biyoloji, Multidisipliner, Molecular Biology, Multidisciplinary