Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


case1301331017.pdf (1.59 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Comparative Analysis of Muscle and Locomotion Patterns in Drosophila Species

Belu, Mirela
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1301331017

Abstract Details

2011, Master of Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Biology.
In Drosophila, muscle cells develop from the mesoderm, the middle germ layer of the embryo. During myogenesis each muscle fiber in the pattern is prefigured by a single founder cell, which seeds muscle formation by fusing with surrounding fusion-competent myoblasts. In this work, we have examined the fate of mesodermal precursors in four Drosophila species that display variations in mesoderm size. We characterized a newly discovered morphological difference in muscle size and locomotion patterns between these species. First, our comparison indicates that the overall muscle pattern is conserved while the total number of myoblasts within a fiber is species- specific and depends on the mesoderm width. This suggests that the number of founder cells has not changed during evolution, while the cell-counting mechanism that regulates myoblast fusion is differently regulated. Second, we find that each species display characteristic NMJs and locomotion patterns which are not depended exclusively on muscle size. Finally, we provide evidence for a maternal inheritance of both muscle size and locomotion behavior in third instar larvae.
Jane Burns, PhD (Committee Chair)
Jocelyn McDonald, PhD (Committee Member)
Claudia M. Mizutani, PhD (Advisor)
Rui Sousa- Neves, PhD (Committee Member)
69 p.
Biology
dorso- ventral patterning; muscle development; NMjs; locomotion behavior

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Belu, M. (2011). Comparative Analysis of Muscle and Locomotion Patterns in Drosophila Species [Master's thesis, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1301331017

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Belu, Mirela. Comparative Analysis of Muscle and Locomotion Patterns in Drosophila Species. 2011. Case Western Reserve University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1301331017.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Belu, Mirela. "Comparative Analysis of Muscle and Locomotion Patterns in Drosophila Species." Master's thesis, Case Western Reserve University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1301331017

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1301331017
429
© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.