Research project How do POU/Oct factors control wing development in insects?
The Drosophila POU2F orthologs nub and pdm2 are strongly expressed in the pouch of the larval wing imaginal disc where they promote wing development in a functionally redundant manner. Despite that the first nub mutant fly was isolated already in the 1940-ies, the molecular roles of Nub and Pdm2 during wing development and wing size remain largely unknown.
Mutations and deletions in the genomic region encompassing the nub and pdm2 loci can cause severely reduced wings. Many of these genetic alterations are poorly characterized, and in some cases even misannotated. We have reanalyzed the whole palette of nub/pdm2 alleles and identified how these mutations contribute independently or in combination to create the iconic nubbin wing phenotype. In combination with RNA-omics and immunostaining/microscopy the aim is now to settle the functional role of these POU2F proteins in wing size regulation and development.
Key words: Insect limb development, Insect wing, Size regulation, POU/Oct factors, Transcriptional regulation