Analysis of the Drosophila Gene Rhomboid

0094634BierDr.BIER打算研究一种名为菱形(Rho)的多通道完整膜蛋白(Rho)在果蝇黑腹果蝇中通过表皮生长因子受体(EGF-R)促进信号传递的作用。这个项目的具体目标是：1)分析预测位于细胞内外的Rho结构域的功能；2)研究Rho和Star在促进EGF-R信号转导中密切相互作用的基础；3)确定Rho和Star是否直接或间接参与产生可扩散的EGF样信号。比尔博士预计，这项研究将导致形成Rho和Star如何激活EGF配体的特定机制模型。更广泛地说，这个项目应该扩大我们对调节RTK配体的生产和在开发过程中的作用范围的基本机制的理解。

0094634BierDr. Bier intends to study the role of a multi-pass integral membrane protein known as Rhomboid (Rho) in promoting signaling via the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGF-R) in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The EGF-R is a member of the widely used receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family, which activates the RAS/MAP-Kinase pathway. Rhomboid functions in conjunction with a single pass transmembrane protein (Star) to activate EGF-R signaling by a mechanism involving the production of a diffusible extracellular signal. The specific goals of this project are to: 1) analyze the function of domains of Rho that are predicted to lie inside or outside of the cell, 2) examine the basis for the intimate interaction between Rho and Star in promoting EGF-R signaling, and 3) determine whether Rho and Star participate directly or indirectly in producing a diffusible EGF-like signal. Dr. Bier anticipates that this study will lead to the formulation of specific mechanistic models for how Rho and Star activate EGF-ligands. More generally, this project should broaden our understanding of fundamental mechanisms for regulating the production and range of action of RTK ligands during development. Since RTK signaling pathways play a central role in development and regulation of cellular proliferation in vertebrates and invertebrates alike, these insights should have general implications for understanding cell-cell communication, which is also highly