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, we have made the most progress studying the evolution of arthropod body plans, but have begun to extend our analyses to molluscs and other 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. For example, these genes include the HOX genes or the early segmentation genes like hunchback, wingless, and engrailed. I am examining whether these genes and genetic pathways are conserved in a diverse sampling of arthropods, and testing whether morphological evolution involves regulatory changes in otherwise conserved gene networks. I can 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, the developmental mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity and the evolution of life history strategies.
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Reed, R.D., and L.M. Nagy. 2005. Evolutionary redeployment of a biosynthetic module: expression of eye pigment genes vermilion, cinnabar, and white in butterfly wing development. Evolution and Development 7: 301-311.
Moczek, A.P., and L.M. Nagy. 2005. Diverse developmental mechanisms contribute to different levels of diversity in horned beetles. Evolution and Development 7: 175-185.
Wandelt, J., and L.M. Nagy. 2004. Left-right asymmetry: more than one way to coil a shell. Current Biology 14: R654-R656.
Jockusch, E.L., T.A. Williams. and L.M. Nagy. 2004. The evolution of patterning of serially homologous appendages in insects. Development, Genes and Evolution 214: 324-338.
Lambert, J.D., and L.M. Nagy. 2003. The MAPK cascade in equally cleaving spiralian embryos. Developmental Biology 263: 231-241.
Briscoe, A.D., G.D. Bernard, A.S. Szeto, L.M. Nagy, and R.H. White. 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. Journal of Comparative Neurology 458: 334-349.
Lambert, J.D., and L.M. Nagy. 2002. Asymmetric inheritance of centrosomally localized mRNAs during embryonic cleavages. Nature 420: 682-686.
Williams, T.A., C. Nulsen, and L.M. Nagy. 2002. A complex role for distal-less in crustacean appendage development. Developmental Biology 241: 302-312.
Williams, T.A., and L.M. Nagy. 2001. Developmental modularity and the evolutionary diversification of arthropod limbs. Journal of Experimental Zoology 291: 241-57.
Lambert, J.D., and L.M. Nagy. 2001. MAPK signaling by the D quadrant embryonic organizer of the mollusc Ilyanassa obsoleta. Development. 128: 45-56.
Jockusch, E.L., C. Nulsen, S.J. Newfeld, and L.M. Nagy. 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 2000 127: 1617-1626.
