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Abstract
Grant Number: 5R01GM030637-23 Project Title: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS IN DEVELOPMENT
PI Information: Name Title KORNBERG, THOMAS B. tom.kornberg@ucsf.edu PROFESSOR Abstract: DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Abstract): The long-term goal of the proposed research is to identify and characterize the mechanisms that organize and pattern tissues during development. Specifically, we study the creation and function of the compartment boundaries and developmental organizers in Drosophila imaginal discs, and focus on the mechanisms that enable cells in the discs to communicate over long distances. During previous granting periods, we identified and characterized several of the key players that set up and regulate compartment border and organizers - Engrailed, Hedgehog and Cubitus interruptus. During the most recent granting period, we discovered long cytoplasmic extensions (cytonemes) that project from outlying cells in imaginal discs to the organizers. We have shown that these novel structures are common to many different vertebrate and invertebrate cell types and we have offered the exciting possibility that cytonemes are responsible for distributing signals over long distances in a variety of different contexts. Specific objectives proposed here to further characterize the mechanisms responsible for cell-cell communication between developmental organizers and their target cells are: 1. Functional and physical characterization of cytonemes and the factors that induce their growth. 2. Elucidation of the mechanism of Hedgehog signaling.
Public Health Relevance:
This Public Health Relevance is not available.Thesaurus Terms:
cell cell interaction, cell growth regulation, developmental genetics, early embryonic stage, gene expression, histogenesis, regulatory gene
allele, cell differentiation, genetic mapping, genetic transcription, transcription factor
Drosophilidae, alternatives to animals in research, fluorescence microscopy, molecular cloning, nucleic acid sequence, radionuclide, western blotting
Institution: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO 3333 California St., Ste 315 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 941430962 Fiscal Year: 2004 Department: BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS Project Start: 01-MAR-1982 Project End: 31-MAR-2006 ICD: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES IRG: GEN