Septins in fungal development

间隔蛋白是细胞骨架的重要组成部分，细胞骨架是一个复杂的、受到严格监管的网络，它组织和支持结构，并指导细胞内建筑材料的运输。尽管它们是较新发现的，但已经很清楚的是，间隔蛋白对于有序的细胞分裂和发育至关重要，发育是细胞在多细胞生物体中扮演特殊角色的过程。通过对简单的单细胞真菌酿酒酵母(发芽酵母)的研究，人们已经了解了很多关于Septin是如何工作的。关于间隔蛋白如何在更复杂的多细胞生物体中协调发育的问题，在酵母中无法解决。在这个项目中，将使用遗传学、细胞生物学和生化方法来研究多细胞真菌Nidulans Aspergillusnidulans中Septins的作用。重点将是找出在多细胞发育的早期阶段，Septin如何相互作用以及如何与细胞骨架的其他部分一起工作。该项目预计将确定多细胞生物体中的各个细胞相互交流并协调不同细胞类型的生长和发育的新方法。由于许多细胞分裂机制在动物和真菌中是相同的，该项目将产生广泛的科学影响。该项目将在本科生、研究生和博士后层面提供出色的培训机会。受训者将在研究过程中接受指导，有机会在不同的环境中展示他们的工作，并发展他们作为沟通者和教师的技能。

Septins are an important part of the cytoskeleton, an intricate and tightly-regulated network that organizes and supports structures and directs traffic of building materials inside cells. Even though they were discovered relatively recently, it is already clear that septins are critical for orderly cell division and for development, the process by which cells take on specialized roles within multicellular organisms. Much has been learned about how septins work through studies in the simple single-celled fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast). Questions about how septins coordinate development in more complex, multi-cellular organisms cannot be addressed in yeast. In this project, the role of septins in the multicellular fungus Aspergillus nidulans will be investigated using genetic, cellular biology and biochemical approaches. The focus will be on finding out how septins work with each other and with other parts of the cytoskeleton during early stages of multicellular development. This project is expected to identify new ways in which the individual cells within multicellular organisms communicate with each other and coordinate growth and development across different cell types. Since much of the cell division machinery is the same in animals and fungi, the project will have a broad scientific impact. The project will provide outstanding training opportunities at the undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels. Trainees will be mentored in the conduct of research, have opportunities to present their work in a variety of settings and develop their skills as communicators and teachers.