Evolution of mRNA localization and the role of localized determinants in posterior patterning and growth zone determination of two short germ insects

• Applicant: Dr. Michael Schoppmeier
• Subject Area: Animal Physiology and Biochemistry
• Term: from 2011 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 200659912

Setting up embryo polarity is a crucial step in early development of all animals. In the long germ insect Drosophila, this is achieved mainly through the localization of specific mRNAs to one or both poles of the oocyte. While in Drosophila the mechanisms for localizing maternal gene products are well understood, it is unknown if or to which degree mRNA localisation contributes to axes formation also in short germ insects. Therefore, we will study and compare the mRNA localization mechanisms in two emerging model systems: the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum and the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus. Previously, we have shown that the maternal initiation of AP patterning cascades in both organisms is very different from Drosophila. To gain additional insights into the evolution of axial patterning in insects, we will test candidates (derived from Drosophila and C. elegans) for early polarisation and axis patterning of the egg, and carry out experiments to identify new, potentially short germ specific factors. In addition, we will ask whether these mechanisms are also involved in a later important step, including growth zone formation and secondary growth. The project will be carried out by two investigators, one in Erlangen and one in Jerusalem. Each investigator will focus on one species, and study the pattern and function of a series of potentially relevant genes. In addition we will carry out cross-species experiments, also involving Drosophila, testing whether the mechanisms are conserved enough to allow the localization of genes from one species in the other. The collaborative and comparative aspects of this project are crucial to an evolutionary understanding of insect development, and ultimately to an understanding of the evolution of axis formation.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Israel