Meeting Abstract

P2-72   -   The role of fgf8 in tardigrade development Light, KX*; Smith, FW; University of North Florida; University of North Florida n01472594@unf.edu https://franksmith.domains.unf.edu/

Tardigrades are microscopic animals, ranging from 50 microns to 1200 microns. We are interested in how the highly derived body plan of Tardigrada develops. Fibroblast growth factor 8 (fgf8) codes for a highly conserved developmental signaling ligand. This gene is known to regulate development of the gut in many animals. Here we investigated the developmental role of this gene in the tardigrade species Hypsibius exemplaris. We identified a single ortholog of fgf8 in tardigrade genomes using BLAST search and phylogenetic analyses. This ortholog encoded an FGF domain indicative of fgf8. We determined the expression pattern of this gene in H. exemplaris by in situ hybridization. We detected expression of fgf8 in the developing gut. Additionally, we identified a segmental expression pattern of fgf8, which suggests that this gene is regulating the development of segmental features in H. exemplaris. Next, we plan to implement RNA interference to determine the precise developmental functions of fgf8 in H. exemplaris.