CAREER: Evolution of the Endomesoderm Gene Regulatory Network in Nematodes

Morris福特Maduro，IOB #0643325（CAREER）线虫内中胚层基因调控网络的进化生物学的一个中心问题是--不同的胚层（内胚层、中胚层和外胚层）是如何从少量看起来相似的胚胎细胞中产生的？在过去的几年里，决定内胚层和中胚层前体形成的遗传途径已经在简单线虫C。优雅 马杜罗博士提出了实验，以确定在C中决定其他组织的因素。elegans，并研究这些途径如何在数百万年间发生变化。他将采用分子和遗传学方法相结合的方法来鉴定和评估以前未表征的在C.优雅 他还将在相关的线虫C中进行类似的实验。briggsae研究指定内胚层和中胚层的遗传途径的进化。这些研究将区分这些途径在早期发展中受到限制的方面，以及在进化过程中灵活的方面。由于许多在内中胚层发育中起作用的调节因子在其他动物中也有对应物，因此该结果将具有广泛的意义。 马杜罗博士是西班牙裔的初级调查员，他将鼓励来自种族多元化的加州大学滨江校区的研究生和本科生参与这项工作。他是美国国家科学院生命科学研究员（2006-2007年），并将在发育生物学的本科生和研究生课程中教授和开发新的教学法。

Morris Ford Maduro, IOB #0643325 (CAREER)Evolution of the endomesoderm gene regulatory network in nematodesA central question in biology is - how do the different germ layers (endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm) arise from a small number of embryonic cells that appear similar? In the last few years, the genetic pathways that determine the formation of precursors for endoderm and mesoderm have been revealed in the simple nematode, C. elegans. Dr. Maduro proposes experiments to identify factors that function to determine other tissues in C. elegans, and to examine how these pathways have changed over millions of years. He will employ a combination of molecular and genetic approaches to identify, and evaluate the function of, previously uncharacterized genes important in the early development of C. elegans. He will also perform similar experiments in the related nematode C. briggsae to investigate the evolution of the genetic pathway that specifies endoderm and mesoderm. These studies will differentiate between aspects of these pathways that are constrained in early development, and which are flexible, during evolution. As many of the regulators that function in endomesoderm development have counterparts in other animals, the results will be of broad significance. Dr. Maduro is a junior investigator of Hispanic descent and he will encourage Graduate and Undergraduate students from the ethnically diverse UC Riverside campus to participate in the work. He is a National Academies Fellow in the Life Sciences (2006-2007), and will teach and develop new pedagogy for undergraduate and graduate courses in developmental biology.