The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a well-known genetic model organism, with over 100 years of research. Over a 10-day life cycle, an embryo hatches to give rise to a larva, which grows in size and, after a four day period of metamorphosis, a fly emerges. Each stage has distinct behaviors, which are associated with changes in the nervous system, a hallmark of neural plasticity. Our lab is interested in understanding motor remodeling, specifically the reorganization of nerves as the larva changes into an adult. The abdominal nervous system is responsible for motor functions such as eclosion, copulation and egg-laying. A prominent feature of the adult abdominal nervous system is a terminal nerve trunk (TNT), which is formed by the fusion of 5 larval pairs of posterior nerves. Since nerves are ensheathed by extracellular matrix (ECM) and underlying glial cells, our research tests a role for these components in generating the TNT, by conducting genetic manipulations and examining the impact on motor behaviors. These studies are significant for better understanding nervous system injuries in humans.<\/p>\n
Co-authors:<\/strong> Jackson Riffe, Julia Loeffler, Abigail Cartwright, Mackenzie Coyne<\/p>\n Advisors:<\/strong> Dr. Joyce Fernandes, Nelchi Prashali, Department of Biology<\/p>\n