Molecular insights into echinoderm regeneration: Genes and signal pathways

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。目前关于器官再生需要哪些过程的知识非常有限。这个项目使用一种具有惊人再生能力的动物——海参，来探测与再生过程相关的基因和信号通路。工作假设是，一些已确定的基因（及其相关的信号通路）在肠道再生中起着重要作用，通过研究它们，将发现参与控制再生过程的机制。该项目侧重于已知参与胚胎发育和细胞死亡的基因，以确定它们在肠道再生过程中的作用。这一结果将促进我们对器官再生的理解，特别是在人类和高等脊椎动物中可能遇到的限制。这项工作将在波多黎各大学进行，这是一所西班牙裔服务机构。大多数参与的学生都是代表性不足的少数民族和妇女。因此，该项目将影响科学界代表性不足群体的培训和专业发展。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Present knowledge on what processes are necessary for organ regeneration is highly limited. This project uses an animal with striking regenerative capacities, the sea cucumber, to probe at the genes and signal pathways that are associated with regeneration processes. The working hypothesis is that some of the identified genes (and their associated signal pathways) are important players in the regeneration of the intestine and that by studying them the mechanisms involved in the control of regenerative processes will be discovered. The project focuses on genes that are known to be involved in embryonic development and cell death in order to define their role during regeneration of the intestine. The results will advance our understanding of organ regeneration and in particular on the limits that might be encountered in humans and higher vertebrates. The work will take place at the University of Puerto Rico, a Hispanic serving institution. Most of the participating students are underrepresented minorities and women. Thus, the project will impact the training and professional development of underrepresent groups in science.