Joseph G. Kunkel
Professor
- A.B., Columbia College, 1964
- Ph.D., Case-Western Reserve U., 1968
- Postdoctoral:
- '68 Case-Western Reserve U.
- '68-'70 Yale University
- '78-'79 U. California, Berkeley
- '86-'87 U. Berne, Switzerland
- '93-'94 Marine Biological Labs, Woods Hole, MA
Pattern Formation and Development
Changing patterns of morphological structure, appearance of new
macromolecular
entities and patterns of localization of macromolecules are hallmarks of the
developmental process. In my lab, the expression pattern, structure
and function
of storage
proteins during
animal development is a major focus. The abundance and large
size of storage proteins make
them attractive models for studying cellular localization phenomena. Many storage
proteins are synthesized in one tissue, secreted into circulation and subsequently
taken up by another tissue for utilization. This provides abundant questions of cellular and
subcellular mechanisms of spacial and temporal patterns. Several of these proteins have
homologues throughout the animal kingdom and the evolution of their structure and regulation
interests us. The massive amount of storage proteins that are produced
suggests that they are limiting factors in the survival of animals. We have
begun a study of natural variation in amounts of stored proteins in eggs and
serum of economically important animals. One species, the gypsy moth,
Lymantria dispar (Lepidoptera), causes substantial deforestation in North
America. Heterogeneity of stored reserves in the egg may be an overwintering
strategy for survival in this species. In winter flounder, Pleuronectes
americanus, embryonic utilization of egg proteins may provide a means to
monitor normal and abnormal development during early embryogenesis in this
bottom feeding organism which lives in the estuaries adjacent to sources of
pollution. We also explore the cellular basis of pattern formation
in oocytes of the
cockroaches Blattella germanica and Periplaneta americana
and the amphibian,
Xenopus laevis with our studies of ion flux during early
development. The evolutionary consequences of pattern regulation
are
being studied
in relation to tetrapod body plan and insect wing venation.
Neutral aspects of wing venation are being used to measure phylogenetic and
population differences among insects. The sexual dimorphism of
Drosophila melanogaster wings is being used to study the genetic
control of subtle morphology.
Selected Publications:
- Wilson AC, JG Kunkel and JS Wyles. 1984. Morphological distance: An
encounter between two perspectives in evolutionary biology. Evolution
38:1156-1159.
- Kunkel JG. 1986. Dorsoventral currents are associated with vitellogenesis in cockroach ovarioles.
Ionic Currents in Development, edited by R. Nuccitelli, Alan R. Liss, pp165-172.
- Bowdan E & JG Kunkel. 1990. Patterns of ionic currents around the
developing oocyte of the German Cockroach, Blattella germanica.
Developmental Biology 137:266-275.
- Karpells ST, DE Leonard and JG Kunkel. 1990. Cyclic fluctuations in
arylphorin, the principal serum storage protein of Lymantria dispar,
indicate multiple roles in development. Insect Biochem. 20:73-82.
- Telfer WH and JG Kunkel. 1991. The function and evolution of insect storage
proteins. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 36:205-228.
- Kunkel JG. 1991. Models of pattern formation in insect oocytes. In Vivo
5:443-456.
- Zhang Y and JG Kunkel. 1992. High abundance calmodulin from Blattella
germanica eggs binds to vitellin subunits. Insect Biochem.
22:293-304.
- Zhang Y and JG Kunkel. 1992. Program of F-actin in the follicular
epithelium during oogenesis of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica.
Tissue Cell 24:905-917.
- Zhang Y and JG Kunkel. 1994. Most egg calmodulin is a follicle cell contribution
to the cytoplasm of the Blattella germanica oocyte.
Developmental Biology 161:513-521.
- Iyengar AR and JG Kunkel. 1995. Follicle cell calmodulin in Blattella germanica:
Transcript accumulation during vitellogenesis is regulated by juvenile hormone.
Developmental Biology 170:314-320.
- Kunkel JG and E Faszewski. 1995. Pattern of potassium ion and proton currents in the ovariole of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana, indicates future embryonic polarity. Biological Bulletin 189:197-198.
(Last revised October 1995 by joe@bio.umass.edu)