Research Interests:
My general interest is in processes of mesoderm specification and gastrulation. In particular, I am interested in looking at the conservation of gene expression and it's correlation to these developmental processes. A lot of molecular data has been collected regarding insect development, particularly that of Drosophila melanogaster, but there is a dearth of information regarding other arthropod groups. I am studying processes of mesoderm specification and gastrulation in another major arthropod group: the crustaceans. In particular the amphipod, Parhyale hawaiiensis. The great morphological diversity of crustaceans make them suited to the study of changes in body plan, and a common mechanism among arthropods may be indicative of more global conservation of processes in development. As little molecular work has been done in crustaceans, it will be necessary to first test the hypothesis that molecular aspects of mesoderm specification and gastrulation are conserved. I have selected the genes twist, snail, and mef2 as good candidate genes that may allow me to label the presumptive mesoderm and to investigate the process of gastrulation. Preliminary fate mapping results have suggested that the mesoderm in amphipods is determined, at least in part, by cell lineage. It will be interesting to see when and where molecular cues are involved in the determination process.
To Download Copy of Dissertation, Please Click HERE.
Publications:
Ruiz-Gomez, M., Coutts, N., Price, A., Taylor, M.V., and Bate, M. (2000) Drosophila Dumbfounded: A myoblast attractant essential for fusion. Cell 102:189-198.
Moss, J.B., Price, A.L., Raz, E., Driever, W., and Rosenthal, N. (1996) Green flourescent protein marks skeletal muscle in murine cell lines and zebrafish. Gene 173:89-98.
Prince, V.E., Price, A.L., and Ho, R.K. (1998) Hox gene expression reveals regionalization along the anteroposterior axis of the zebrafish notochord. Dev. Genes Evol. 208:517-522. (Click For PDF)
Education/Research Training:
University of Chicago, Ph.D. Committee on Developmental Biology Advisor: Dr. Nipam H. Patel 1998 - 2005
Cambridge University Department of Zoology, Senior Research Assistant Advisor: Dr Michael Bate 1997
Princeton University, B.A. (1997) Molecular Biology Research Assistant Advisor: Dr. Robert K. Ho 1993 - 1997
Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University, MA Research Assistant Advisor: Dr. Nadia Rosenthal 1994 - 1995
