Imaging the Dynamic Expression of the Tinman Gene in the Developing Heart of Drosophila Embryos

Imaging the Dynamic Expression of the Tinman Gene in the Developing Heart of Drosophila Embryos

Life Sciences

Freya Chapman

2024

Thamarailingam Athilingam and Timothy Saunders

Most of the molecular signal transduction pathways involved in developmental processes are common across all animals due to our shared evolutionary history. Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit flies, have been used as model organisms for more than one hundred years, pioneering genetic research. For the field of developmental biology, the study of Drosophila embryos has provided the space for major advancements, importantly with the identification of genes involved in embryogenesis regulation that have homologs in humans. The similarities between dorsal vessel formation in Drosophila and early vertebrate heart development allow Drosophila embryos to be a model for the study of human cardiogenesis, revealing genes and cell-cell communications involved in forming the organ. Abnormalities to heart development can result in congenital heart defects. Studying heart development in Drosophila can contribute to our understanding of human heart development and potentially lead to prevention and therapy for human heart conditions. This project looks at imaging and quantifying the expression of the Tinman gene which encodes an NK-2 class homeobox transcription factor found to play an important role in Drosophila embryogenesis.

School of Life Sciences, Biology, Biomedical Science, Biochemistry, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Drosophila, Embryogenesis, Cardiogenesis