With a Presidential Young Investigator award from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Chris Doe will continue his work on the development of the nervous system in the fruitfly, Drosophila . Dr. Doe has already been involved in ground breaking work on the molecular mechanisms controlling the determination and inter actions of developing neurons. The proposed research aims to discover and study genes that control the unique biochemical and morphological characteristics of specific identified neurons. Drosophila is the ideal species with which to do this kind of study because it is amenable to sophisticated genetic/molecularstrategies that allow the rapid isolation and sequencing ofimportant genes. In addition, Dr. Doe's background makes it certain that he will be able to successfully carry out such a program. It is now becoming clear that developmental control genes characterized in Drosophila have homologous relatives with similar functions in vertebrates. Thus, the genes discovered by Dr. Doe will have important implications for general develop mental control mechanisms. This award will facilitate the establishment of a very promising research program by a gifted and dedicated young scientist.
