RETINAL STEM CELLS · Differentiation and morphology of retinal precursor cells in the vertebrate retina
6РП — Действия „Мария Кюри“
- Период
- 2006-01-01 → 2007-12-31
- Финансиране от ЕС
- 148 588 €
- Участници
- 1
- Схема
- EIF
Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.
Накратко на български
Развитието на окото при зелените рибки се проследява чрез влиянието на протеина Rx3 върху движението на клетките. Това помага да се разбере как се формира структурата на ретината и какви молекули контролират правилното разположение на тъканите.
Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.
Резултати накратко
Final Activity Report Summary - RETINAL STEM CELLS (Differentiation and morphology of retinal precursor cells in the vertebrate retina)
The objective of the proposal, in broad terms, was to further our understanding of the process of eye development in vertebrates, with an emphasis on the morphological changes necessary to form the retinal structure. I have been working on the very earliest events in eye development: when the eyes begin to emerge from the forebrain, forming bilateral structures known as optic vesicles. These will then further grow, change shape and give rise to the eye. Using zebrafish as a model system, I have been investigating how the molecule Rx3 affects this process. Rx3 is a transcription factor, meaning that it controls which genes are expressed in a particular group of cells. Rx3 is present in all future eye cells at early stages; in fish lacking Rx3 function, the eyes fail to form. This is because the eye cells, although present, do not migrate properly to form the optic vesicles. Instead, they behave like other cells of the forebrain, and eventually die. We set out to investigate which genes are regulated by Rx3, and how this regulation affects eye formation. We were particularly interested to find molecules that are directly involved in controlling cell adhesion and migration, since these processes are central to tissue morphogenesis. To investigate this process, we have been imaging cell movements over time: labelling cells with fluorescent proteins and following their migration in the living embryo. My results demonstrate that one of the functions of Rx3 is to exclude the adhesion molecule Nlcam from the eye cells. If I artificially express Nlcam in these cells, their patterns of migration are severely altered, and this results in aberrant eye formation. These results provide a first link between the transcription factor Rx3 and the cellular machinery responsible for coordinating the morphological changes necessary for eye formation. This demonstrates that regulation of the adhesive properties of cells in time and space is essential to allow tissues to form the correct three-dimensional architecture, thus shaping the body.
Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз
Цел на проекта
The aim of this proposal is to investigate the path of differentiation of retinal precursor cells in the vertebrate eye, using both medaka and zebrafish as model organisms. The neurons andglia of the retina all develop from a population of dividing precursor cells which have the potential to differentiate into any one of the cell types making up the mature retina.As precursor cells undergo terminal differentiation, they must coordinate cell fate choice with morphological changes so that the appropriate cells are formed in the correct position within the retina. Little is understood about how this is achieved in vivo. I propose to mark precursor cells with fluorescent proteins and use time-lapse confocal microscopy to follow precursor cells in the living embryo as they differentiate, in order to better understand the morphological and other changes that cells must undergo as they mature.This should give us a detailed picture of how retinal cells differentiate into functional neurons: a picture, which is currently lacking in the field. I also intend to approach the problem of how the retina is formed from a genetic perspective, using medaka mutants generated in the host laboratory. A number of mutants with retinal defects have been identified, whose molecular nature is unknown. I will map and clone one or more of these mutants, thus identifying new genes required for retinal development. This proposal will provide me with a wide range of new skills, which will be invaluable to me in my scientific career.In making the switch from Drosophila to fish, I will broaden my knowledge of developmental biology, and learn a set of new techniques for the study of vertebrate development and genetics. In addition, the scientific community of EMBL will provide a stimulating atmosphere in which to do research, from which I will benefit greatly.
Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).
Участници
- EUROPEAN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORY · HEIDELBERGКоординаторГермания
Връзки
Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз