Establishing the primary body axis is fundamental to animal development. This research project builds on the discovery of a novel gene, termed panish, that establishes head to tail polarity and anterior body plan of a mosquito-related midge, Chironomus riparius. Prior to this work, the only factor known to fulfill this role in insects was the homeobox gene bicoid, discovered in Drosophila nearly 30 years ago. Bicoid is now firmly established as a fundamental model for molecular gradients and embryo patterning. Surprisingly, most insects lack bicoid and a major question in the field is how other insects establish head-to-tail polarity during embryonic development. Preliminary phylogenetic and genomic studies indicate that global body plan organizers such as bicoid and panish evolved independently multiple--perhaps even many times within the group of flies. The proposed research will test this hypothesis using high-throughput sequencing technology and will characterize experimentally the molecular nature of the panish gene product. The expected results will help to understand a fundamental mechanism of animal development in its evolutionary context. The project also provides training opportunities and is tied to a joint research project with a local high school that was initiated in 2011. In this collaboration ninth and tenth graders, under the supervision of two collaborating high school teachers with entomological expertise, seek to develop culture techniques for a specific fly species that may provide important information on the evolution of primary embryonic axis determinants in flies. The collaborating high school teachers incorporated the project into their curriculum to teach scientific methodology. Additional science-education outreach tied to this project specifically targets underrepresented groups.
