Developmental Genetics

Research Topic

Study of hormonal regulation of gene expression during development in Drosophila melanogaster; genetic and protein-protein interactions, morphogenesis, developmental signaling pathways; mechanism of apocrine secretion. The main focus of the Laboratory of Developmental Genetics is the study of hormonally controlled developmental processes, especially metamorphosis, using the ideal genetic model of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The laboratory’s research activities are primarily focused on two areas: (1) hormone-responsive genes involved in the initiation and regulation of cell differentiation and morphogenesis with regard to the molecular mechanism of metamorphosis, (2) identification of genes involved in the regulation of apocrine secretion as a new cellular mechanism.

(1) Within the first area of interest, the laboratory searches for and identifies so-called early steroid hormone ecdysone-responsive genes, both at the level of a single model tissue and at the level of the whole organism. The aim of the first level is to understand the tissue-specific response of the molecular action of hormones and coordinated interaction with other signaling pathways, while the aim of the second approach is to explain the complexity of the hormonal response of the organism as a whole during post-embryonic development.

(2) While studying programmed cell death in Drosophila salivary glands, we discovered the presence of a non-canonical and non-vesicular transport and secretion mechanism, apocrine secretion (AS), which has not yet been characterized molecularly or genetically. After the initial identification of the process, determination of its basic phases, and definition of morphological criteria, we began extensive screening for genes controlling the initiation of this process, as well as in-depth proteomic analysis of the multicomponent secretion. The initial results showed that the secretion is composed of a complex of hundreds or thousands of cellular proteins, the representation of which, even among evolutionarily distant animal species such as humans and Drosophila, is strongly conserved, especially at the level of ontological categories. One of the key roles of apocrine secretion is to deliver a fully immunocompetent mixture of antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral proteins to the first line of defense of the Drosophila organism in order to stop microbial invasion from the external environment. In the past, we have identified more than a dozen genes and the proteins they encode that play an essential role in the regulation and implementation of AS. Most of them are so-called CG genes, which were sequenced as part of the Drosophila genome project, but their significance and function remained unknown until now. By eliminating the function of genes with a null allele, we achieved complete AS blockade, while by reintegrating cDNA into another locus on a null background, we achieved so-called “phenotype rescue,” which means restoring the original AS process, proving the function of the gene in the AS process.

Head of the Research Group

Dr. Robert Farkaš focuses on research in cell biology and developmental genetics using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. His work explores cellular signaling, differentiation, and tissue morphogenesis. He is the author of numerous scientific papers published in international journals and has long contributed to the development of modern imaging and genetic methods in developmental biology research.

Employees

Title	Name	E-mail	Phone	ORCID
	Bardačová Magdaléna		02/ 32295 237
Mgr., PhD.	Beňo Milan		02/32295 236
Mgr., PhD.	Beňová Liszeková Denisa		02/32295 236, 237
RNDr., CSc.	Farkaš Robert		02/32295 235, 228, 236