Molecular Cloning of Patterning Genes in the Slime Mold Polysphondylium Pallidum

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

9304849 Cox Polysphondylium pallidum forms distinctive spatial patterns during its life cycle. One of these patterns, the radial arrangement of spore bearing arms, arises from a spheroidal mass of cells at the base of the developing organism. The emergence of the radial pattern form a spheroidal one is a true symmetry breaking event which Dr. Cox studies by examining the structure and function of the genes involved. The genes coding for patterning elements are isolated by a gene trapping method and used to study the timing and regulation of their transcripts during development. The long range goal of this research is an understanding of morphogenesis in a simple system with a view to relating the various contributions made by cell-cell interactions, the roles played by diffusible chemical signals and their receptors, and the contributions of intercellular adhesion and cell movement. ***