This research will investigate the morphogenesis of the larval head of Drosophila. Mechanisms for the establishment of the pattern of head segmentation at blastoderm stage and early embryonic development of the head will be investigated, specifically with regard to the action of the CNC gene of Drosophila, which is expressed in three head segments. This work will characterize the genetic controls activating CNC expression in the proper segments, analyze the effects of loss of and of ubiquitous over expression of CNC function on embryonic development and investigate the possible DNA-binding activity of the CNC protein. This work will also characterize a set of mutants that affect the principal process of head morphogenesis, head involution, which occurs after the initial pattern is established, by using the expression of CNC and Dfd to follow specific segments in the abnormal morphogenetic movements of these mutants. This research will provide additional insight into how genes interact during pattern formation in development and what role they play in the control of the morphogenetic movements that manifest that initial pattern.
