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YSP 2004 Research Assignment
Insulin-like growth factors
and
insect development
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Principal Investigator |
Wendy Smith
Associate Professor, Biology |
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Research Abstract |
Research in my laboratory centers on cellular and biochemical changes
that regulate insect growth and development. Within this broad interest,
I have focused on the action of molt-stimulating and growth-regulating
hormones produced by the insect brain. I use caterpillars of the sphinx
moth, Manduca sexta, as my experimental animals as they are large and
easy to maintain in the laboratory. I am currently working on the cellular
action of insulin-like hormones in insects; insect insulins appear to
serve as important regulators of insect embryonic development and later
growth and lifespan. Information about the action of insect growth-regulating
hormones is of interest for two reasons. First, the functions and cellular
actions of vertebrate and invertebrate hormones have been remarkably
conserved, thus, what we learn about insects may enhance our understanding
of hormonal regulatory processes in general. Second, by understanding
the ways in which insect hormones work to regulate development, we may
be able to devise safe and specific agents to disrupt the insect life
cycle and thus to control agricultural pests and disease vectors. Recent
work in the lab has focused on isolation of cDNA encoding the Manduca
insulin receptor, investigation of the sites and times during development
when receptor is maximally expressed, using RT-PCR, in situ hybridization,
or antibodies directed against the receptor or downstream effector signals,
as appropriate. This work develops essential tools with which to conduct
future experiments on the functions and intracellular modes of action
of a growth factor like receptor in specific insect target tissues.
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Activities/Experience |
The participant will learn to rear our test insects to the desired
stages of development, to determine relationships between body size and
metamorphosis, to dissect appropriate tissues and extract hormones, to
run electrophoretic gels in which proteins are separated, to blot the
separated proteins onto nitrocellulose membranes, and to visualize activated
proteins with the use of appropriate antibodies. In other words, I hope
to give the participant an appreciation of insect development from whole
organisms (recognizing development stages, identifying and isolating
target organs) to individual types of molecules (separating and identifying
cellular phosphoproteins that activate insulin-like receptors). Such
training should put the participant in good stead in a range of biological
fields, including physiology, cell biology, and biochemistry.
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Expectations |
Lab hours will
be occupied learning new procedures and conducting experiments, as well
as participating in a weekly lab meeting. As is the case for everyone
in lab, the participants will be expected to keep clear, well-organized
lab notes, and to do appropriate background reading to be determined
as their projects proceed.
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Helpful skills or interests |
Interest in cell biology and molecular biology |
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