Roles of Dach in development of Pax2/5/8 expressing cells in Ciona robusta
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Ali, Hussan Shaukat
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Abstract
Tunicates are the sister group to vertebrates with incredible regenerative abilities. Being closely related animals with a short lifespan and simple manipulations, tunicates, specifically Ciona robusta (Ciona) are an excellent model to study chordate development. Ciona have a biphasic life cycle, where a mobile larva metamorphoses into a sessile adult. This metamorphosis involves a complete body rotation and reorganization of body systems, including the nervous system. Seemingly dormant during the larval phase, larval neck cells begin to differentiate before metamorphosis and eventually grow into the adult ciliomotor neurons. Dach is a highly conserved developmental gene expressed in the larval neck. From Drosophila to mice, Dach is important for maintaining proper development, though its specific roles in Ciona are unknown. In this project, I investigated the role of Dach in differentiation and proliferation of larval neck cells and adult ciliomotor neurons in Ciona. While manipulation of Dach in the larval neck did not seem to affect morphology or differentiation, manipulation of Dach in the motor ganglion inhibited delamination and differentiation of larval neck cells. This finding supports the current model of developmental regulation proposed for the larval neck.
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Undergraduate Research Option Thesis