Genomic Approaches to the Study of Sea Urchin Development

生物体的发育程序与组成生物体的分化细胞类型的最终产物蛋白质一起编码在基因组中。分子生物学的高度自动化程序允许人们提出更全球性的问题，而不是专注于单个基因产物和活动。在这个项目中，一种新的方法来调查海胆的发展是可能的进展，随之而来的海胆基因组计划。现在手头的研究材料包括基因组序列数据库；整个Hox基因复合体的完整基因组序列；以及一套广泛的胚胎、幼虫和成虫cDNA文库。有了这些资源，Dr。卡梅隆将开始在基因组尺度上分析发育的基因调控网络。卡梅隆博士建议分析Hox基因簇的总体基因组结构，Hox基因簇是一组高度保守的基因，与双侧动物身体轴线上的结构模式有关。卡梅隆博士将利用海胆胚胎基因移植技术，研究Hox基因在胚胎中的表达方式。卡梅隆博士将比较胚胎中表达的基因与幼虫中表达的基因，包括在幼虫中发育的成体雏形的基因。最后，Cameron博士将自动化mRNA的原位杂交技术，以便对构成胚胎发育的所有不同表达模式进行分类。

Cameron9982875The developmental program of an organism is encoded in the genome along with the end-product proteins of the differentiated cell types that make up the organism. The highly automated procedures of molecular biology permit one to ask questions of a more global nature instead of focusing on individual gene products and activities. In this project, a novel approach to the investigation of sea urchin development is made possible by the advances that ensue from the sea urchin genome project. There are now at hand research materials that include a genomic sequence data base; the complete genomic sequence for the entire Hox gene complex; and a broad set of embryonic, larval and adult cDNA libraries. With these resources,Dr. Cameron will begin to analyze at a genomic scale the genetic regulatory network of development. Dr. Cameron proposes to analyze the general genomic organization of the Hox cluster, a highly conserved group of genes that are involved in patterning structures along the body axis of bilateral animals. Dr. Cameron will use sea urchin embryonic gene transfer techniques to study the way that the expression of Hox genes are expressed in embryos. Dr. Cameron will compare the genes expressed in the embryo with those expressed in the larvae, including those of the rudiment of the adult body which develops in the larva. Lastly Dr. Cameron will automate the techniques of whole mount in situ hybridization to mRNA in order to classify all the different expression patterns that comprise embryonic development.