Patterning of the Embryonic Germ Layers

胚胎胚层的图案化

• 批准号: 9986007
• 负责人: Laurence Etkin
• 金额: $ 34.5万
• 依托单位: University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-02-01 至 2003-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9986007&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Patterning; Embryonic; Germ; Layers

A fundamental problem in developmental biology concerns the mechanism by whichthe maternal program regulates early embryogenesis. Recent studies havedemonstrated that several maternal factors such as Tcf-3, VegT, and Xenopusnuclear factor 7 (xnf7), a gene that we are studying, play important roles inthe specification, patterning, and differentiation of the embryonic germlayers. The effect of these maternal factors is evident at the lateblastula-early gastrula stage by the region specific activation of zygotic geneexpression such that the embryo is divided into a variety of subdomains. Themost dorsal region forms the Spemann organizer which expresses a large varietyof transcription and secreted factors. These are expressed in overlappingdomains that divide the organizer into the head and trunk organizer regions. Inaddition specific groups of genes are expressed in the ventral region. One ofthe key problems is to understand the mechanism by which the maternal geneticprogram regulates the pattern of expression of both the organizer and ventralspecific genes. Based on our recent data from this laboratory we hypothesizethat xnf7 is one of several important maternal factors responsible for theglobal patterning of the embryo into dorsal/ventral domains and for patterningof the organizer in the dorsal most aspect. Our goal during this next grantperiod is to further define the precise mechanisms and molecular pathway throughwhich xnf7 functions and to use xnf7 as a tool to gain insights into the generalmechanisms of embryonic patterning and the specifics of how the organizer formsand is patterned. This will be accomplished by identifying potential xnf7 targetgenes; identifying nuclear partners of xnf7; and determining the role of xnf7in patterning endoderm and ectoderm.

发育生物学的一个基本问题涉及母体程序调节早期胚胎发生的机制。 最近的研究表明，一些母体因子，例如 Tcf-3、VegT 和我们正在研究的非洲爪蟾核因子 7 (xnf7) 基因，在胚胎胚层的规范、模式化和分化中发挥着重要作用。 这些母体因素的影响在囊胚晚期-原肠胚早期阶段通过合子基因表达的区域特异性激活是明显的，使得胚胎被分成各种子域。 最背侧区域形成斯佩曼组织者，表达多种转录和分泌因子。这些以重叠域的形式表达，将组织者分为头部和躯干组织者区域。此外，特定的基因组在腹侧区域表达。 关键问题之一是了解母体遗传程序调节组织者基因和腹侧特异性基因表达模式的机制。 根据我们来自该实验室的最新数据，我们假设 xnf7 是负责胚胎整体模式化为背侧/腹侧区域以及组织者最背面模式化的几个重要母体因素之一。 我们在下一个资助期间的目标是进一步定义 xnf7 发挥作用的精确机制和分子途径，并使用 xnf7 作为工具来深入了解胚胎模式的一般机制以及组织者如何形成和模式化的细节。这将通过识别潜在的 xnf7 靶基因来完成； 确定xnf7的核伙伴；并确定xnf7在内胚层和外胚层图案形成中的作用。