The Role of the Caspase Dronc in Fat Body Remodeling in Drosophila melanogaster

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dc.contributorKnight, Jeffrey
dc.contributorBarry, Susan
dc.contributor.advisorWoodard, Craig
dc.contributor.authorSaqran, Lubna
dc.date.accessioned2013-05-18T22:36:32Z
dc.date.available2013-05-18T22:36:32Z
dc.date.gradyear2013en_US
dc.date.issued2013-05-18
dc.description.abstractDuring metamorphosis in Drosophila melanogaster larval tissues such as salivary glands are eliminated by programmed cell death (PCD). In contrast, the larval fat body evades PCD and undergoes a process of remodeling and dissociation that is completed during the ecdysone-triggered prepupal-pupal transition 10-12 hours after puparium formation (Riddiford, 1993). In response to ecdysone, a cascade involving the induction of the proapoptotic genes hid and ark is activated. In salivary glands, the proapoptotic proteins indirectly activate PCD caspases leading to salivary glands histolysis. Prior to the prepupal ecdysone pulse, the competence factor βftz-f1 gene is expressed and is involved in preparing tissues to appropriately respond to the ecdysone pulse. DRONC, an apoptotic caspase, has been implicated in larval salivary gland PCD. In this study, I hypothesize that fat body evades PCD due to downregulation of Dronc expression compared to salivary glands. I show that Dronc is down-regulated in fat body at 10, 12 and 14 hours APF compared to salivary gland in wild-type animals. I also show that the competence factor βFTZ-F1 upregulates Dronc expression in the fat body, but in less optimal manner that it is in salivary glands. I do this by using cg-Gal4; UAS-dBlimp-1 animals expressing βftz-f1 repressor dBlimp-1.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipBiological Sciencesen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10166/3239
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rights.restrictedrestricteden_US
dc.subjectDroncen_US
dc.subjectfat body remodelingen_US
dc.subjectcell deathen_US
dc.subjectcaspasesen_US
dc.subjectecdysoneen_US
dc.titleThe Role of the Caspase Dronc in Fat Body Remodeling in Drosophila melanogasteren_US
dc.typeThesis
mhc.degreeUndergraduateen_US
mhc.institutionMount Holyoke College

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