pretend you are trying to establish a specific species of mosquito as a model or

Question

pretend you are trying to establish a specific species of mosquito as a model organism in order to design more effective pesticides. After sequencing the genome of Culiseta longiareolata, you uncover a gene that has a 54% sequence similarity to the oskar gene in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. To begin determining if the oskar-like gene in the mosquito has a similar function to its potential homolog in the fruit fly, you’ve decided to first test if the oskar-like gene is a morphogen. How would you begin testing whether oskar-like is a morphogen? In your response, be sure to include which technique(s) you would use and your predicted result(s).

Explanation / Answer

Testing for morphogen: Gene product of gene “Oskar” as morphogen.

Introduction:

1. The product should elicit qualitatively different effects (deducible or observable in case of study/test). Such as test with overexpression of the gene product.

2. Removal of the morphogen (dose dependent effect) may result in a differential result. This may be achieved by genetically obtaining hylomorphic mutation of the morphogen.

Test method:

Transcription factors- Bicoid (BCD) and Hunchback (HB), act as morphogen, whose gradient determines GAP expression and pattern generation.

Result:

With increase in gradient of the gene product, if there is increased patterning, then it would prove that the gradient of the gene product is acting as morphogen gradient and affecting the cell in terms of qualitative traits.

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