GOALS FOR FELLOWSHIP TRAINING AND CAREER My dissertation research employed a descriptive approach to a biological question, cloning key developmental regulatory genes and examining their expression patterns to infer developmental functions. The project I am proposing with Dr. Martindale is very different from my graduate training as it will take a functional approach to questions about the evolution of basic metazoan developmental programs. I will propose testable hypotheses and use new experimental approaches to manipulate and investigate gene function in vivo. This will require more sophisticated intellectual approaches to the question, and will utilize modern molecular techniques, including RNAi, morpholinos, ectopic expression, and microinjection. An NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship will provide me with an invaluable research- and career- development opportunity under the mentorship of Dr. Martindale, one of the foremost experts in evolutionary developmental biology. It will greatly advance my development as a well-rounded research scientist toward my ultimate career objective of becoming a productive faculty member at a university with a strong research [)ro_ram. / / li']iF1']i 19. NAMEANDDEGREE(S) Mark Q. Martindale, B.A., Ph.D. 20. POSITION/RANK Associate Professor 21. RESEARCH INTERESTS/AREAS Cellular, molecular, and evolutionary aspects of pattern formation ] -[,,_ ,-f,i .]r=.l = ms .] =r*l r*'[._*_ 22. DESCRIPTION (Do not exceed space provided) The objective of this research is to investigate functions of key regulatory genes in axial regionalization during development of multicellular animals. This objective falls within the long-range comprehensive goal of addressing fundamental questions of molecular patterning mechanisms in metazoans. In this study, we will use functional genetic assays to determine the roles of the Hox/ParaHox genes in axial patterning in cnidarians. The conserved function of Hox/ParaHox genes in anterioposterior patterning of triploblastic animals defines the bilaterian 'zootype'. Whether these genes perform comparable roles in cnidarians remains to be determined. There are several specific aims in this proposed study. First, a posterior ParaHox gene will be isolated from Nematostella vectensis (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) and its expression 3attern characterized. Next, the function of cnidarian Hox/ParaHox genes during development will be examined in N. vectensis using two complementary functional assays, ectopic gene expression and gene silencing. Finally, the function of cnidarian Hox/ParaHox genes during the process of regeneration will be examined to elucidate potential homology between the mechanistic events in ontogeny and regeneration. Determining HoxParaHox gene function in cnidarians will allow us to establish axial homologies between cnidarians and bilaterians. These results will reveal the ancestral roles of Hoxand ParaHox genes in early metazoan history and will provide valuable insight to the evolution of complex body plans. PHS 416-1 (Rev. 12/98) Form Page 2 BB CC NAME (Last, first, middle initial) Individual NRSA Application Table of Contents ========================================Section End===========================================
| Hura, Greg L; Budworth, Helen; Dyer, Kevin N et al. (2013) Comprehensive macromolecular conformations mapped by quantitative SAXS analyses. Nat Methods 10:453-4 |
| Budworth, Helen; McMurray, Cynthia T (2013) Bidirectional transcription of trinucleotide repeats: roles for excision repair. DNA Repair (Amst) 12:672-84 |
| Lee, Patricia N; Kumburegama, Shalika; Marlow, Heather Q et al. (2007) Asymmetric developmental potential along the animal-vegetal axis in the anthozoan cnidarian, Nematostella vectensis, is mediated by Dishevelled. Dev Biol 310:169-86 |
