We are also pursuing the morphogenesis of actin-cytoskeleton based projections that are key feature of a variety of cells, including those that are specialized for sensory reception in human vision and hearing. We have again turned to Drosophila as a model system where we study the morphogenesis of epidermal hairs and sensory bristles. Our work centers on an unconventional myosin (myosin VIIA), encoded by crinkle, a gene that is required for the formation of epidermal hairs and bristles. We show that myosin VIIA is required for the coalescence of actin pre-hairs into the robust actin bundles that form the skeleton on which hairs and bristles can be built.