On hatching from their buried eggs locusts struggle to the surface, where they moult, a process controlled by the moulting hormone, ecdysone. The middle locust in this photo, which is still struggling to be free of its exoskeleton, has just arrived at the surface, the locust on the right has just completed that process, and the one on the left, which is slightly older has now tanned to the normal black colour of a hatchling. Photo: Eldon Ball.
Molecular Genetics & Evolution
Group Leader: Prof. Robert Saint
The Group studies the nature of genomes and how they function to produce organisms. We use a range of approaches, including molecular genetics, cytology, cell biology and molecular biology. Studies of model organisms such as the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, the mouse and yeast are helping to advance our understanding of cell structure and function, development and the genetic basis of evolution. Knowledge gained from these studies is being used to advance our understanding of organisms as diverse as coral, other insects and humans.
Highlights
Published the first molecular explanation for the positioning of the plane of cell division in animal cells (Developmental Cell. 4: 29–39). Established that, in corals, the snail gene, often considered a molecular marker for the third tissue layer of higher animals, the mesoderm, is expressed in a pattern similar to its expression in higher animals. This provided evidence for a blurring of the textbook distinction between diploblasts and triploblasts. Discovered a novel role for the flightless I gene as a nuclear receptor coactivator (Molecular and Cellular Biology. In press). Demonstrated that survival of respiratory deficient yeasts is dependent on maintenance of a voltage gradient across the mitochondrial inner membrane. Yeasts and other eukaryotic cells cannot survive in the absence of oxygen if mitochondrial inner membrane potential is lost. (Mitochondrion. 2: 257–265) Published an analysis of expressed sequences from a species of coral, suggesting a very different view of the way that animal genomes have evolved than that currently accepted (Current Biology. 13: 2190–2195). Discovered a new isoform of the ecdysone receptor, which is responsible for moulting in insects. This finding could have significant implications for the agricultural sector (J. Insect Physiology. 49: 1135–1144).
Genes in mice can be altered using embryonic stem cell methods. Altered genes can also be introduced, creating transgenic mice. The way in which specific
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