CaltechTHESIS
  A Caltech Library Service

A Study of Information Processing in the Sea Urchin Embryo by Rewiring Mesodermal Gene Regulatory Networks and cis-Regulatory Analysis of Skeletogenic Regulators

Citation

Damle, Sagar S. (2011) A Study of Information Processing in the Sea Urchin Embryo by Rewiring Mesodermal Gene Regulatory Networks and cis-Regulatory Analysis of Skeletogenic Regulators. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/186Z-VJ85. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:01202011-110522273

Abstract

This work focuses on the GRNs specifying embryonic skeletogenesis and the pigment cell differentiation in the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. These networks make predictions about the necessity of regulatory gene expression and cis-regulatory wiring for directing development. Here, these predictions are tested in a novel way, by add regulatory linkages to the GRN, and effectively rewiring development at the level of genomic DNA. The rewiring experiment presented here showed a previously unknown repression function for the pigment-cell terminal differentiation regulator, gcm, on an important regulator of skeletogenesis, alx1. This result motivated a complete cis-regulatory analysis of alx1 that identified a potential mechanism for gcm repression. Finally, this work describes a method for measuring GFP reporter activity in live sea-urchin embryos that will permit real-time cis-regulatory analysis.

Item Type:Thesis (Dissertation (Ph.D.))
Subject Keywords:gene regulatory network, specification, development, mesoderm
Degree Grantor:California Institute of Technology
Division:Biology
Major Option:Biology
Thesis Availability:Public (worldwide access)
Research Advisor(s):
  • Davidson, Eric H.
Thesis Committee:
  • Wold, Barbara J. (chair)
  • Rothenberg, Ellen V.
  • Sternberg, Paul W.
  • Davidson, Eric H.
Defense Date:27 January 2011
Record Number:CaltechTHESIS:01202011-110522273
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:01202011-110522273
DOI:10.7907/186Z-VJ85
Default Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:6228
Collection:CaltechTHESIS
Deposited By: Sagar Damle
Deposited On:17 May 2011 23:15
Last Modified:09 Oct 2019 17:07

Thesis Files

[img] PDF (complete thesis file) - Final Version
See Usage Policy.

16MB

Repository Staff Only: item control page