Comparison of the Structure of the Insulin Signaling Pathway Microtubule Star (mts) Gene in Three Species of Drosophila

Presenter

Larissa Oliveira Souza

Group Members

Quynh Doan, Carina Marie Holt

Campus

Quinsigamond Community College

Sponsor

Jessica Crowley, Department of Biology, Quinsigamond Community College

Schedule

Session 3, 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A51, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 3 (A41-A60) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Signaling pathways are essential for an organism's response to the environment and for maintaining homeostasis. To understand how pathways work, it is crucial to decipher how they evolve. To gain a better understanding of gene evolution in signaling pathways, we will annotate the microtubule star gene. This gene encodes a protein phosphatase that plays a role in the insulin signaling pathway in Drosophila (fruit flies). Insulin is essential for the metabolism and behavior of the organism, and its evolutionary pathway in Drosophila involves the binding of insulin peptides and activation through receptor autophosphorylation. The gene structure of microtubule star will be analyzed in three related species of fruit flies: Drosophila bipectinata, Drosophila kikkawai, and Drosophila rhopaloa. In each species, we will evaluate the genomic neighborhood to determine whether it is similar to the well-annotated Drosophila melanogaster. Based on the phylogenetic tree of identified Drosophila species, we expect D. kikkawai and D. rhopaloa to be more closely related to D. melanogaster than D. bipectinata is. Also, we expect D. rhopaloa to be the most closely related to D. melanogaster.  We will annotate genetic features within the DNA sequence, including transcription start sites, intron/exon boundaries, protein-coding regions, and 5’ and 3’ untranslated regions, using multiple lines of bioinformatic evidence. The annotated gene will then be compared with the Drosophila melanogaster reference genome to identify evolutionary differences. This research will contribute to our understanding of how pathway genes are structured and how different species evolve. The Genomics Education Partnership is an NSF/NIH-supported collaboration among more than two hundred institutions in the U.S. to support undergraduate research in the field of genomics and bioinformatics.

Keywords

GEP, Drosophila Melanogaster, Microtubules Star , pathway, bioinformatics

Research Area

Biological Organisms

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