Summary of the science
Processes that occur during development will all have a lasting impact on the organism that is being formed, so it is important that these processes are controlled and regulated to prevent mistakes. For an organism to have a body and organs with correct proportions, these processes have to be tightly controlled in different ways. Specific molecules called morphogens control things like organ size, whereas other molecules, such as hormones, control body growth in response to changes in the environment.
About the research
During development, it is important that body and organ size are regulated and controlled properly, to produce fit individuals with correct proportions. Regulation of size involves both systemic and organ-specific processes and when it malfunctions it can lead to medical conditions like cancer. Several factors are involved, such as short-range morphogens, which are biological substances that guide development by non-uniform distribution and are required to control organ shape and size. Long-range molecules on the other hand, such as hormones, send signals throughout the body in order to regulate body growth in response to the environment. Pierre Léopold and his colleagues use Drosophila as a model organism to help understand the genetic and physiological mechanisms coordinating organ growth and to investigate how organ and body growth adapts to different nutritional environments.
About the illustration
As discussed in the title, the model organism utilised by the Lab is the fruit fly, Drosophila. To complement the simple title, we decided to illustrate 3 identical fruit flies to highlight the importance of regulating body and organ growth to form organisms with correct proportions.