Maternal determinants of neural fate

智力优势：在发育早期，当胚胎由一个简单的细胞球组成时，一些细胞（动物卵裂球）接收来自受精卵的信息，这些信息随后将指导它们形成神经系统。很少有人知道受精卵中的哪些分子导致这些细胞比它们的邻居更倾向于形成神经组织，这一过程被称为神经命运偏差。本研究项目的目标是：1)确定动物卵裂球中的哪些分子偏向其后代细胞形成神经组织；2)阐明这些分子的作用来完成神经命运偏差的分子机制。该项目将利用一种新的系统来培养动物卵裂球，并检测它们在暴露于被预测与神经命运偏差有关的分子时产生神经组织的能力。这项研究还将测试卵裂球是否能被导致神经命运偏差的分子诱导成正常情况下不能形成神经组织的卵裂球。另外的实验将测试这些分子是否通过改变胚胎细胞对胚胎内信号的反应来指示细胞表达神经命运。总之，这些实验将有助于发现新的分子和新的机制，胚胎细胞由受精卵指示形成神经系统。更广泛的影响：本项目将提供若干层次的科学教育和培训机会。实验方法将教授给高中生和本科生，为有兴趣探索科学事业的学生提供一个出色的学习经验。未被充分代表的高中学生将从华盛顿特区公立“无墙学校”高中招募。研究生将接受分子生物学、胚胎学、基因组学和生物信息学方法的培训，提供综合的前沿研究经验。本项目收集的信息将在地方、区域、国家和国际会议上展示，包括专门针对本科生的会议，例如“山上的海报”计划。这将传播研究成果，并将培养学生的公共沟通能力。该项目将提高公众的科学素养，因为研究团队成员将在当地小学和中学组织实践演示，并在即将到来的科学与工程节（SciFests）上进行演示，下一届科学与工程节将于2012年4月在华盛顿特区举行。

Intellectual Merit: Early in development, when embryos are composed of a simple ball of cells, some cells (animal blastomeres) receive information from the fertilized egg that will later direct them to form the nervous system. Very little is known about which molecules in the fertilized egg cause these cells to be more inclined than their neighbors to form neural tissue, a process which is called neural fate bias. The goals of this research project are to: 1) identify which molecules in animal blastomeres bias their descendant cells to form neural tissue; and 2) elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) by which these molecules act to accomplish neural fate bias. The project will utilize a novel system to culture animal blastomeres and assay their ability to produce neural tissue when exposed to molecules predicted to be involved in neural fate bias. The research will also test whether blastomeres that do not normally make neural tissue can be induced to do so by the molecules responsible for neural fate bias. Additional experiments will test whether these molecules instruct cells to express a neural fate by altering how embryonic cells respond to signaling within the embryo. Together, these experiments will enable discovery of novel molecules and novel mechanisms by which embryonic cells are instructed by the fertilized egg to form the nervous system.Broader Impacts: This project will provide opportunities for scientific education and training at several levels. The experimental approaches will be taught to high school and undergraduate students, providing an outstanding learning experience for students interested in exploring a career in science. Under-represented high school students will be recruited from the Washington, DC public "School Without Walls" high school. Graduate level students will be trained in molecular biology, embryology, genomics, and bioinformatic approaches, providing an integrative, cutting edge research experience. Information collected in this project will be presented at local, regional, national and international meetings, including meetings specific for undergraduates, e.g., "Posters on the Hill" program. This will disseminate the research findings and will train students in public communication. This project will raise the scientific literacy of the general public, because members of the research team will organize hands-on presentations at local elementary and middle schools, and make presentations at upcoming Science and Engineering Festivals (SciFests), the next to be held in Washington, DC in April 2012.