PIMS / AMI Seminar: Adriana Dawes

During development, many cells respond to signals in their environment by taking on a specific fate. Nematode worms of the Caenorhabditis genus develop an egg laying structure called the vulva, and this structure is highly conserved across species. I will discuss a mathematical model of Caenorhabditis vulval development that incorporates signalling by the EGF/Ras pathway and the Notch pathway, two common and conserved modules in eukaryotic organisms. By studying differences in cell fate specification between Caenorhabditis species, we will demonstrate how cellular responses are regulated by the underlying signalling network. This work is joint with Helen Chamberlin (Molecular Genetics, Ohio State University).