NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2012

2012 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金

• 批准号: 1161835
• 负责人: Alberto Stolfi
• 金额: $ 18.9万
• 依托单位: Stolfi Alberto S
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-01 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1161835&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

Transcriptional regulation of neuronal polarity and morphogenesisNeurons are highly polarized cells with distinct structures and functions localized mainly to either end of the cell. They are also intricately shaped and engage in myriad movements during development. These features and processes are indispensable for the neuron to engage in its function of transmitting the directional flow of information through a neural circuit. However, little is known about how neuronal polarization and morphogenesis is regulated in vivo. This research will take advantage of the small size and experimental accessibility of sea squirt embryos to understand how these processes are regulated. Sea squirts, or ascidians, are the invertebrates most closely related to vertebrates and have emerged as a model organism for the study of animal development. More specifically, the research will focus on connecting the gene regulatory network, the basic blueprint of the embryo, to processes occurring during neural development such as polarization, migration, axon guidance, and morphogenesis. The hope is to identify rate-limiting genes involved in such processes, and their regulation by upstream genes which might be playing a similar role in vertebrates. Thus, the overall aim is to understand how each neuron is precisely shaped and formed as dictated by the gene regulatory network.The Fellow is dedicated to engaging and inspiring other Latinos as they pursue a scientific career. Students from underrepresented groups will be provided opportunities to participate in the research where possible. The project will take advantage of being located at a visible institution in a diverse city such as New York to reach out to underrepresented minorities not directly pursuing a career in science, through lectures, open forums, workshops, group visits, and other events that will stimulate their interest in science.

神经元极性和形态发生的转录调控神经元是高度极化的细胞，具有不同的结构和功能，主要位于细胞的两端。它们也是错综复杂的形状，并在发展过程中参与无数的运动。 这些特征和过程对于神经元参与其通过神经回路传递定向信息流的功能是必不可少的。然而，很少有人知道神经元的极化和形态发生是如何在体内调节。这项研究将利用海鞘胚胎的小尺寸和实验可及性来了解这些过程是如何调节的。海鞘是与脊椎动物关系最密切的无脊椎动物，已成为研究动物发育的模式生物。更具体地说，该研究将侧重于将基因调控网络（胚胎的基本蓝图）与神经发育过程中发生的过程（如极化、迁移、轴突引导和形态发生）联系起来。希望是确定参与这一过程的限速基因，以及可能在脊椎动物中发挥类似作用的上游基因对它们的调控。因此，总的目标是了解每个神经元是如何精确地塑造和形成的基因调控网络所决定的。该研究员致力于吸引和激励其他拉丁美洲人，因为他们追求科学事业。 在可能的情况下，将为代表性不足群体的学生提供参与研究的机会。该项目将利用其设在纽约等多元化城市的知名机构的优势，通过讲座、公开论坛、讲习班、团体参观和其他活动，接触没有直接从事科学事业的代表性不足的少数群体，激发他们对科学的兴趣。