Project description:The formation of neuronal connections requires the precise guidance of developing axons towards their targets. In the Drosophila visual system, photoreceptor neurons (R cells) project from the eye into the brain. These cells are grouped into some 750 clusters comprised of eight photoreceptors or R-cells each. R cells fall into three classes, R1-R6, R7 and R8. Posterior R8 cells are the first to project axons into the brain. How these axons select a specific pathway is not known. Here, we used a microarray-based approach to identify genes expressed in R7 and R8 neurons as they extend into the brain.
Project description:The formation of neuronal connections requires the precise guidance of developing axons towards their targets. In the Drosophila visual system, photoreceptor neurons (R cells) project from the eye into the brain. These cells are grouped into some 750 clusters comprised of eight photoreceptors or R-cells each. R cells fall into three classes, R1-R6, R7 and R8. Posterior R8 cells are the first to project axons into the brain. How these axons select a specific pathway is not known. Here, we used a microarray-based approach to identify genes expressed in R7 and R8 neurons as they extend into the brain. We used microarray analysis to measure gene expression changes when the transcription factor Runt is misexpressed in eye discs and conversely when eye discs are rendered mutant for the Senseless transcription factor.
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level in motile strain of Sphingomonas. sp A1 All flagellar genes in motile strain of Sphingomonas. sp A1 are highly transcribed.
Project description:Welan gum is mainly produced by Sphingomonas sp. ATCC 31555 and has broad applications in industry such as that in cement production. Both carbon and nitrogen sources are essential for welan production. However, how nitrogen sources affect the metabolism and gene transcription of welan remains elusive. Here, we used next-generation sequencing RNA-seq to analyze the transcriptome of Sphingomonas sp. ATCC 31555 in the presence of inorganic or organic nitrogen sources. Enriched gene expression and pathway analysis suggest that organic nitrogen sources significantly enhanced the expression of genes in central metabolic pathways of Sphingomonas sp. ATCC 31555 and those critical for welan synthesis compared to that observed using inorganic nitrogen sources. The present study improves our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying the use of nitrogen in welan synthesis in Sphingomonas sp., as well as provides an important transcriptome resource for Sphingomonas sp. in relation to nitrogen sources. Sphingomonas sp. ATCC 31555 strain (stored in our laboratory) was first seeded in an inoculum medium (20 g/L glucose, 3 g/L yeast extract, 3 g/L malt extract, and 5 g/L fish meal protein peptone, pH 7.0), and then cultured in a fermentation medium containing 40 g/L sucrose, 4.0 g/L nitrogen source, 0.6 g/L KH2PO4, and 0.2 g/L MgSO4.7H2O at 37°C. The nitrogen sources used in the present study were as follows: NaNO3 (4.0 g/L) as inorganic nitrogen (IN), beef extract (4.0 g/L) as organic nitrogen (ON), and NaNO3 (1.5 g/L) + beef extract (2.5 g/L) as complex nitrogen (CN). All cultivations were conducted in flasks with constant rotary shaking at 400â??1,000 rpm and 37°C.