A different kind of 'fly on the wall' documentary

A research programme is being undertaken in order to be able to understand how defects in the control of epithelial morphogenesis can cause catastrophic developmental abnormalities. This research was initiated through The Open University’s Affiliated Research Centres (ARC) Programme.

The research is being undertaken by an Open University PhD student, Kiriaki Kanakousaki, within a research group at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, USA.

The organisation of cells into epithelial sheets is an essential feature of animal design. Defects in the control of epithelial morphogenesis can cause catastrophic developmental abnormalities. In adult tissues, many human cancers are associated with a dysplastic epithelial architecture.

In order to gain insights into the control of epithelial cell shape and proliferation, the research group uses live imaging techniques, cell biology and genetic analysis to study imaginal disc development in the fruit fly Drosophila. This is an ideal system for exploring the molecular control of epithelial growth and form.

The wing imaginal discs in Drosophila are flat epithelial tissues that differentiate during insect metamorphosis to form the wings and the thorax of the adult fly. The main focus of the work is to understand the mechanisms that underlie the morphogenesis and development of the wing discs as well as the maintenance of the epithelial structure. In a genetic screen performed to identify the new genes involved in wing disc development, a mutant was found that had a growth defect in imaginal discs. The mutation is located in a gene that encodes for an enzyme called Aos1 and participates in the biochemical pathway associated with sumoylation. Sumoylation is a protein modification that comes from the addition of a sumo peptide in a lysine residue of the target protein and is a process very similar to ubiquitination. The main question to be answered is what cellular processes and pathways are affected in our mutant resulting in the failure of wing disc development.

Kiriaki Kanakousaki joined the PhD programme of the Open University in January 2007 and started her PhD research in Matt Gibson’s laboratory at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Prior to Kiriaki’s arrival in the USA, she completed her academic studies in Crete, Greece (bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2004 and master’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine in 2006). During Kiriaki’s undergraduate and graduate studies, the focus of her research was the development of Drosophila melanogaster. Kiriaki considered the topic so interesting that she decided to continue working in the same area and applied to undertake the doctoral programme.

Housed in a 600,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility on a 10-acre campus in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research conducts basic research on fundamental processes of cellular life. Through its commitment to collaborative research and the use of cutting-edge technology, the Institute seeks more effective means of preventing and curing disease. The Institute was founded by Jim and Virginia Stowers, two cancer survivors who have created combined endowments of $2 billion in support of basic research of the highest quality.

The Open University’s Affiliated Research Centre (ARC) programme, which came into effect on 1 October 2007, is designed to ensure that we support the provision of doctoral training in the UK, Europe and worldwide. Through collaborative relationships with research institutions who do not have their own degree awarding powers we have created a network of partner organisations with interests which complement and extend our own strengths in life and biomolecular sciences, Earth and environmental sciences, and in some arts and humanities disciplines. Our partner institutions include: Architectural Association School of Architecture; HR Wallingford; KEMRI - Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya; International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Italy; Medical Research Laboratories, The Gambia; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Stowers Institute for Medical Research, USA.

For more information see: http://www.open.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/affiliated-research-centre-programme/index.php