Master Student

Influence of an endogenous Polycomb/Trithorax response element (PRE/TRE) on the selector gene vestigial in Drosophila melanogaster

The aim of my project is to analyse the influence of the vestigial (vg) PRE/TRE on the expression of vg mRNA. The PRE/TRE is transcribed into long non-coding RNA of either forward or reverse direction, which affect repression or expression of vg mRNA, respectively. During Drosophila development, both directions are present at different stages. In the embryo, the reverse strand activates vg mRNA, whereas in the larva the forward strand represses vg mRNA expression.

I am working with fly lines where the PRE/TRE was deleted and reinserted with different modifications into the endogenous locus. I am analysing these lines with quantitative PCR and RNA in situ hybridisation to see if different modifications (deletions in the PRE/TRE sequence or overexpression of the non-coding PRE/TRE transcripts) change the expression of vg mRNA in spatial or temporal manner.