The Genetic Control of Developmental Decisions
{'Code': '08070100', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'MCB', 'LongName': 'Div Of Molecular and Cellular Bioscience'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'DeLill Nasser', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Drosophila melanogaster has been the preeminent experimental                    system for studies of the genetic control of developmental                      fate.  Studies of this organism have shown the importance of                    two gene clusters, the bithorax complex (BX-C) and the                          Antennapedia complex (ANT-C), in controlling determinative                      decisions.  However, flies are evolutionarily very advanced                     insects, and at present we have little basis to evaluate                        which features of Drosophila development represent                              fundamental mechanisms and which are specialized adaptations                    of this taxon.  An integrated developmental genetic and                         molecular analysis of the control of developmental fate in a                    more primitive insect, the red flour beetle Tribolium                           casteaneum is proposed.  Preliminary studies have already                       identified a homeotic complex (HOM-C) which appears to                          represent the juxtaposed equivalent of the ANT-C and BX-C,                      and have generated more than 25 new mutations affecting this                    complex.  Future studies will use an available balancer                         chromosome and HOM-C deficiencies to saturate the complex                       with lethal and visible mutations; such a high resolution                       genetic analysis heretofore has been inconceivable outside of                   Drosophila.  The phenotypes of these mutations at all stages                    of the life cycle will be described, with special emphasis on                   variants associated with lethality.  Further, molecular                         studies to determine the organization of the HOM-C and its                      constituent genes, and to describe the temporal and spatial                     specificities of their expression will be done.  The                            sequences in the complex will be cloned by homology to                          Drosphila sequences.                                                                                                                                            Drosophila melanogaster is the most sophisticated                               experimental system available for the study of genetic                          control of development.  But until an equally powerful but                      different eukaryotic organism can also be studied, it is                        difficult to know whether the developmental mechanisms                          uncovered in Drosophila can be generalized to all eukaryotic                    systems.  Dr. Denell and his associates will develop such a                     system in Tribolium castaneum, the red flour beetle.
[{'FirstName': 'Robin', 'LastName': 'Denell', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'E', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Robin E Denell', 'EmailAddress': 'rdenell@ksu.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000467031', 'StartDate': '07/01/1987', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Richard', 'LastName': 'Beeman', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'W', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Richard W Beeman', 'EmailAddress': 'beeman@usgmrl.ksu.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000333695', 'StartDate': '07/01/1987', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}]
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[{'Code': '1111', 'Text': 'DEVELOPMENTAL SYSTEMS CLUSTER'}, {'Code': '1116', 'Text': 'EUKARYOTIC GENETICS'}]
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8702728.xml'}