Characterizing the expression pattern and function of Tartan during Drosophila development

The development of complex structures and organs by multicellular organisms relies on the ability of epithelial cells to self-organize. Epithelia are sheets of connected cells, and compartment boundaries are formed between certain epithelial cells to create distinct tissue compartments. Compartment boundaries are specialized cell-cell interfaces that are enriched for the cytoskeletal proteins actin and myosin, leading to straight cell edges under relatively high tension that act as fences keep cells from moving between compartments. In the model organism Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), compartment boundaries in the early embryo are established in response to the non-uniform striped expression of the cell-surface receptor Tartan. However, it is poorly understood whether Tartan plays any similar roles during epithelial remodeling during late embryogenesis. I am investigating the hypothesis that Tartan is expressed in non-uniform patterns at other stages of development. To accomplish this, I used immunofluorescence techniques with a Tartan-specific antibody in fixed embryos to reveal Tartan protein localization in later-stage embryos. I found that Tartan protein is indeed present in late-stage embryos, and I show representative images of stage 11-14 Drosophila embryos. These results will serve as the basis for future functional studies of the role of Tartan during later stages of Drosophila development

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Characterizing the expression pattern and function of Tartan during Drosophila development

The development of complex structures and organs by multicellular organisms relies on the ability of epithelial cells to self-organize. Epithelia are sheets of connected cells, and compartment boundaries are formed between certain epithelial cells to create distinct tissue compartments. Compartment boundaries are specialized cell-cell interfaces that are enriched for the cytoskeletal proteins actin and myosin, leading to straight cell edges under relatively high tension that act as fences keep cells from moving between compartments. In the model organism Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), compartment boundaries in the early embryo are established in response to the non-uniform striped expression of the cell-surface receptor Tartan. However, it is poorly understood whether Tartan plays any similar roles during epithelial remodeling during late embryogenesis. I am investigating the hypothesis that Tartan is expressed in non-uniform patterns at other stages of development. To accomplish this, I used immunofluorescence techniques with a Tartan-specific antibody in fixed embryos to reveal Tartan protein localization in later-stage embryos. I found that Tartan protein is indeed present in late-stage embryos, and I show representative images of stage 11-14 Drosophila embryos. These results will serve as the basis for future functional studies of the role of Tartan during later stages of Drosophila development

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least 4 m. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the 6.5 m James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 yr, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit