Specification and Morphogenesis of Drosophila appendages

During animal development the organism’s cells restrict their developmental potential while acquiring the different cell fates. These cells' responses depend on the extracellular cues they perceive and intrinsic factors they express and often require the precise modification of gene expression in both time and space. The analysis of cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) that control the spatio-temporal expression of developmental genes has been particularly valuable in dissecting this complex process. To provide insights into this general problem, our group has been focusing on appendage development in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In particular, we are interested in understanding how appendages are specified during embryogenesis and how they are later patterned and shaped to achieve their final adult characteristic form. In this seminar I will discuss how the analysis of CRMs that are active in appendage primordia could inform us about the evolutionary origin of the insect wing. In addition I will describe the relationship between positional information and the cellular mechanisms that shape these appendages.