Title: Myoblast Destiny: The Role of CG9650 in Drosophila Muscle Formation
Authors: Wiley Barton1, Jennifer Elwell1, Erica Baca1, and Richard Cripps1
Affiliations: 1Department of Biology, University of New Mexico
Abstract: Myoblasts, the precursors to mature muscles, undergo mitotic proliferation until specific cues initiate differentiation. CG9650 is a Drosophila melanogaster gene that we have identified as a potential regulator for this critical developmental process. Visualization of muscle structure in late stage embryos overexpressing CG9650 revealed irregular muscle formation. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) demonstrated that CG9650 protein adheres to a known binding site for the mammalian homolog of the gene, suggesting the capacity for molecular interaction with other genes. Dap (dacapo) is a Drosophila gene that encodes an inhibitor of cyclin-dependant kinase similar to p21, a target of the mammalian homolog of CG9650. In situ hybridization of late stage embryos with upregulated CG9650 showed lowered levels of dap, suggesting its negative inhibition by CG9650. Our results suggest an influential role of CG9650 in the process of muscle development. Due to the high conservation of these developmental mechanisms, our studies will yield insight into the process of muscle development within humans.