Mentor: Yoshinori Tomoyasu, Ph.D.

Planar Cell Polarity is crucial for the development and functions of many tissues and organs. The mechanism of planar polarity characterizes the coordination and orientation of cells in tissues. PCP proteins that organize specialized hairs and cells are conserved through organisms. The model organism Drosophila Melangaster (fruit fly), the polarity of hairs on the wing has emerged as an important model system for investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying PCP formation, through which many evolutionarily conserved PCP genes have been identified. However, PCP formation has rarely been studied outside of Drosophila. This gap presents a unique opportunity to study and identify unique attributes of PCP regulation in other insect model organisms. The objective of this proposed project is to investigate image processing of trichomes and how Planar Cell Polarity is conserved not only through fruit flies but also in beetle wings.

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