Investigation of the role of the 5’-3’ exoribonuclease pacman in Drosophila wound healing

Abstract

The Drosophila gene pacman encodes a 5’-3’ exoribonuclease, which is involved in RNA degradation. pacman mutants were created by P-element excision. These mutants have phenotypes including dull and blistered wings, kinked legs and thoracic closure defects. Also, pacman mutant embryos show a dorsal closure defect. The thorax and dorsal closure phenotypes in pacman mutants closely resemble those observed in flies mutant for genes of the highly conserved JNK signalling pathway, for example hemipterous (JNKK), basket (JNK) and kayak (Dfos). These similarities suggest pacman may be involved in regulating the JNK pathway. The JNK signalling pathway is known to regulate morphological processes such as dorsal closure during Drosophila development and wound healing. The phenotypes of our pacman mutants suggest pacman may have a role in these processes possibly through interactions with the JNK signalling pathway.

Date of Award	Sept 2008
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Brighton