Cell Biology and Anatomy

I am interested in exploring the genetic basis of morphological diversity. To do this, I ask how developmental regulatory networks known to pattern a particular aspect of morphology in one organism are modified in other related organisms. At the moment, the focus of the lab is on the evolution of arthropod body plans and appendages and axial patterning in molluscs and other lophotrochozoan phyla. Arthropods show a large degree of variation in segmental and limb patterning. Segments, or groups of segments, have repeatedly become specialized for feeding, walking or swimming. Many of the key genes and genetic pathways that regulate segmentation and limb formation have been worked out through molecular genetic analyses in Drosophila or other model organisms.  We ask what role developmental regulatory genes play in the evolution of morphological diversity and whether there are properties of developmental systems that constrain or promote phylogenetic change. Other areas of interest include the molecular evolution of the HOX clusters, modeling developmental pathways, the developmental mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity and the evolution of life history strategies.

Wandelt J, Nagy LM. Aug 2004. Left-right asymmetry: more than one way to coil a shell. Curr Biol, 14:R654-6

Lambert JD, Nagy LM. Nov 2003. The MAPK cascade in equally cleaving spiralian embryos. Dev Biol, 263:231-41

Briscoe AD, Bernard GD, Szeto AS, Nagy LM, White RH. Apr 2003. Not all butterfly eyes are created equal: rhodopsin absorption spectra, molecular identification, and localization of ultraviolet-, blue-, and green-sensitive rhodopsin-encoding mRNAs in the retina of Vanessa cardui. J Comp Neurol, 458:334-49

Lambert JD, Nagy LM. Dec 2002. Asymmetric inheritance of centrosomally localized mRNAs during embryonic cleavages. Nature, 420:682-6

Williams TA, Nulsen C, Nagy LM. Jan 2002. A complex role for distal-less in crustacean appendage development. Dev Biol, 241:302-12

Williams TA, Nagy LM. Oct 2001. Developmental modularity and the evolutionary diversification of arthropod limbs. J Exp Zool, 291:241-57

Lambert JD, Nagy LM. Jan 2001. MAPK signaling by the D quadrant embryonic organizer of the mollusc Ilyanassa obsoleta. Development, 128:45-56

Jockusch EL, Nulsen C, Newfeld SJ, Nagy LM. Apr 2000. Leg development in flies versus grasshoppers: differences in dpp expression do not lead to differences in the expression of downstream components of the leg patterning pathway. Development, 127:1617-26

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