Exploring the Role of Putative Tramtrack69 Targets in Drosophila Tube Morphogenesis

In the Drosophila melanogaster ovary, cells surrounding the developing egg chambers form a pair of tubes known as dorsal appendages. Tube morphogenesis is mechanistically similar across all multicellular organisms, allowing dorsal appendage morphogenesis to provide insight into processes such as human neural tube development. The gene tramtrack produces a transcription factor, Tramtrack69, which regulates the expression of other genes involved in tube morphogenesis. Disruptions in tramtrack have been shown to cause stunted dorsal appendage tubes, one of which results in a mutant known as twin peaks. Genes differentially expressed between twin peaks and wild type have been previously identified, and here I examine the role of four of these genes in tube morphogenesis.  Through a technique called in situ hybridization, I will characterize the time and location of gene expression in developing egg chambers, and I will compare the levels of gene expression between twin peaks and wild type.  Using RNA interference I will inhibit the function of the genes only in tube cells and observe the effect on the dorsal appendages. These techniques will allow me determine both if these genes are regulated by Tramtrack69 and if they are important for tube morphogenesis.