The Role of AKAP200 in Salivary Gland Morphogenesis. K.E. Harris, S.K. Beckendorf. Dept Molecular & Cell Biol, Univ California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.

   The development of salivary glands in Drosophila provides an excellent model for studying cell determination and the morphogenetic movements that occur during organ development. This poster will focus on the analysis of a gene that is expressed in the salivary gland and appears to have an important role in salivary gland development. In embryos mutant for the A kinase anchoring protein (AKAP), AKAP200, salivary gland morphogenesis is disrupted. In preliminary studies we have shown that AKAP200 mutants have several defects including glands that form very close together as well as duct defects. Due to the involvement of AKAPs in routing, mediating and integrating signals, AKAP200 mutants provide an exciting opportunity to study pathways involved in cell fate determination and morphogenetic movements during salivary gland development.