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Genetic screens are valuable for identifying novel genes involved in the regulation of developmental processes. To identify genes associated with cell growth regulation in Drosophila melanogaster, a mutagenesis screen was performed. Undergraduate students participating in Fly-CURE phenotypically characterized the E.4.1 mutant which is associated with rough eyes and antennae overgrowth. Following complementation analysis and subsequent genomic sequencing, E.4.1 was identified as a novel mutant allele of GstE14, a gene involved in ecdysone biosynthesis important for the timing of developmental events. The abnormal eye and antenna phenotypes observed resulting from the loss of GstE14 suggest its role in tissue growth.
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cliffordB.4.1, an allele of CG1603, causes tissue overgrowth in the Drosophila melanogaster eye
Mutant B.4.1 , generated via EMS mutagenesis in Drosophila melanogaster, was studied by undergraduate students participating in the Fly-CURE. After inducing genetically mosaic tissue in the adult eye, B.4.1 mutant tissue displays a robust increase in cell division and a rough appearance. Complementation mapping and sequence analysis identified a nonsense mutation in the gene CG1603 , which we named clifford ( cliff ) due to observed increases in red-pigmented mutant tissue compared to controls. cliff encodes a zinc finger-containing protein implicated in transcriptional control. RNAi knockdown of cliff similarly results in rough eyes, confirming a role for Cliff in eye development.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2021146
- PAR ID:
- 10463066
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- microPublication biology
- ISSN:
- 2578-9430
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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