| The function of Tricornered (Trc), which is a member of the NDR kinase family, is required for the normal morphogenesis of a variety of polarized outgrowths including epidermal hairs, bristles, arista laterals and neuron dendrites. In this study, I carried out the research work to understand the interaction between Trc and its binding partners (Dmob proteins and Fry) in the regulation of wing hair morphogenesis. In yeast Trc homologs bind to Mob proteins specifically. In my first project, I found that in flies, this binding specificity was lost between Trc and Dmob proteins. Besides, I found that the N-terminal region of Trc was sufficient for its binding to the Dmob proteins. In my second project about the functional study of Fry, which is a member of a conserved large protein family, I found that the amino terminus of Fry was responsible for the Trc-Fry binding. In my study, the region in Trc that is important for the interaction was mapped down to a small region in the C-terminal part of the Trc protein. I explored the in vivo localization of Fry protein in bristles and da neurons and confirmed the physical interaction of Trc and full-length Fry by co-immunoprecipitation test. In my third project, I have found that in the pupal wing, trc and fry mutations produce several phenotypes that are complementary to those produced by wts and mats mutations. I further show that upstream regulators of wts, such as Hpo and the transcription factor Yki also produce wts-like phenotypes in the pupal wing.;Key words: Trc, Fry, Dmob, NDR kinase, wing hair morphogenesis. |
