Abstract

In Drosophila Melanogaster (fruit flies), wingless(wg) a Wnt growth factor responsible for cell to cell communication operates in two parts, a signal transduction and movement (of this signal) to other neighboring cells. What remains unclear to researchers who study wingless is how wingless protein is moved and the molecules that help move it. The Bejsovec Lab’s hypothesis is that molecules that aid the movement of mutant Wg protein will be able to influence the wild type Wg protein. In order to test this hypothesis, cuticle preparations of mutant for wingless and these suppressor genes were scored for improved cuticle patterning in double mutant embryos. In order to confirm that the changes in cuticle pattern were due to increased movement of the wg^NE2 protein, antibody staining was performed at early developmental stages. The findings of this project may uncover that these molecules are able to aid not only mutant wingless but wild type as well.