Cellular and molecular dynamics of cell-cell contact formation in the context of directional germ cell migration during Xenopus embryogenesis

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Germ cell development in Xenopus embryos is regulated by maternal determinants such as vegetally localizing mRNAs, which get associated with the germ plasm during early oogenesis. Some of the proteins encoded by these mRNAs were demonstrated to serve functions in the context of the direc-tional migration of the primordial germ cells (PGCs). Within the endodermal germ layer, PGCs first migrate passively with the gastrulation movements, before they lose contact with each other and start directional migration during tailbud stages of development. This transition from passive to active migration is the subject of this proposal. In particular, we aim to analyze the regulatory role of maternal factors in respect to the formation of cell-cell contacts, as well as for the cellular dynamics by use of biophysical techniques.