10-817.mp4

Research

My research group is focused on investigating the evolution of embryonic form. We study how molecular patterning effects changes in cell shape and behaviour to give rise to the form of animals, and compare these processes in different species to understand how they evolve. In particular, we use insects as model study systems, but our discoveries teach us about general patterns in evolution.

Much of my work is focused on the genetic and morphogenetic basis of axial extension, that is, how the animal body becomes longer than it is wide. This is a complex process involving the coordination of cell rearrangement, cell shape changes and cell division. Axial extension is conserved across the animal tree and is being actively investigated in a range of animals, including vertebrates and non-vertebrate chordates, lophotrochozoans, nematodes, and our own arthropods. This wide breadth of research provides excellent material for considering the evolution of this crucial developmental event.

We are also interested in other morphogenetic events including gastrulation. An essential and near universal step in gastrulation is the transition of cells from the epithelial type to the mesenchymal type. This work is being pursued by Margherita Battistara in a joint project between Ewa Paluch (Professor, PDN) and myself.

tree.png

Regulation of axial extension by Toll genes from Benton et al 2016

Publications

Key publications:

Benton, M. A.*, Frey, N.*, Nunes da Fonseca, R., von Levetzow, C., Stappert, D., Hakeemi, M. S., Conrads, K. H., Pechmann, M., Panfilio, K. A., Lynch, J. A., Roth, S.+ (2019). Fog signaling has diverse roles in epithelial morphogenesis in insects. eLife 8, e47346.

Preprint: Benton, M. A.*, Frey, N.*, Fonseca, R. N. da, Levetzow, C. von, Stappert, D., Hakeemi, M. S., Conrads, K. H., Pechmann, M., Panfilio, K. A., Lynch, J. A., Roth, S.+ (2019). Fog signaling has diverse roles in epithelial morphogenesis in insects. bioRxiv.

Benton, M. A.+ (2018). A revised understanding of Tribolium morphogenesis further reconciles short and long germ development. PLOS Biology 16, e2005093.

Preprint: Benton, M. A.+ (2017). A revised understanding of Tribolium morphogenesis further reconciles short and long germ development. bioRxiv.

Benton, M. A.+, Pechmann, M., Frey, N., Stappert, D., Conrads, K. H., Chen, Y.-T., Stamataki, E., Pavlopoulos, A. and Roth, S+. (2016). Toll Genes Have an Ancestral Role in Axis Elongation. Current Biology 26, 1609–1615.

Commentary: Mao, Q. and Lecuit, T. (2016). Evo–Devo: Universal Toll Pass for the Extension Highway? Current Biology 26, R680–R683.

Benton, M. A.+, Akam, M. and Pavlopoulos, A.+ (2013). Cell and tissue dynamics during Tribolium embryogenesis revealed by versatile fluorescence labeling approaches. Development 140, 3210–3220.

Linked content: Benton, M. A.+ and Pavlopoulos, A.+ (2014). Tribolium embryo morphogenesis; May the force be with you. BioArchitecture 4, 16–21.

* co-first author

+ corresponding author

Other publications:

Pechmann, M., Benton, M. A., Kenny, N. J., Posnien, N. and Roth, S. (2017). A novel role for Ets4 in axis specification and cell migration in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum. eLife 6,.

Benton, M. A.*, Kenny, N. J.*, Conrads, K. H., Roth, S. and Lynch, J. A. (2016). Deep, Staged Transcriptomic Resources for the Novel Coleopteran Models Atrachya menetriesi and Callosobruchus maculatus. PLOS ONE 11, e0167431.

Preprint: Benton, M. A., Kenny, N. J., Conrads, K. H., Roth, S. and Lynch, J. A. (2016a). Deep, Staged Transcriptomic Resources for the Novel Coleopteran Models Atrachya menetriesi and Callosobruchus maculatus. bioRxiv.

* co-first authors

Van Der Zee, M., Benton, M. A., Vazquez-Faci, T., Lamers, G. E. M., Jacobs, C. G. C. and Rabouille, C. (2015). Innexin7a forms junctions that stabilize the basal membrane during cellularization of the blastoderm in Tribolium castaneum. Development 142, 2173–2183.

Lin, C.-J., Smibert, P., Zhao, X., Hu, J. F., Ramroop, J., Kellner, S. M., Benton, M. A., Govind, S., Dedon, P. C., Sternglanz, R., and Lai, E. C. (2015). An extensive allelic series of Drosophila kae1 mutants reveals diverse and tissue-specific requirements for t6A biogenesis. RNA 21, 2103–2118.

Duncan, E. J., Benton, M. A. and Dearden, P. K. (2013). Canonical terminal patterning is an evolutionary novelty. Developmental Biology 377, 245–261.

Visitor

Research Fellow