IOS: Specification, Patterning and Evolution of the Animal-Vegetal Axis

在动物发育过程中的早期关键步骤是将外胚层（产生表皮（皮肤）和中枢神经系统（脑/脊髓）的细胞）与内中胚层（产生肠和内部器官的细胞）分离。 在大多数动物中，这一过程受到未受精卵中称为动物-植物（AV）轴的分子极性的强烈影响。 一般来说，来自卵的动物极的细胞产生外胚层，而来自植物极的细胞产生内中胚层。 这种发育潜能的分离通常由称为经典Wnt（cWnt）途径的高度保守的信号级联的局部激活介导。 AV卵极性如何调节胚胎一极的cWnt信号传导的限制性激活尚不清楚，但PI的研究小组已经表明，在海胆和海葵Nematostella中，该过程通过称为Disheveled（Dvl）的关键Wnt途径蛋白的局部“激活”而发生。 利用生物化学技术，PI的研究小组已经鉴定出候选蛋白质，这些蛋白质被假设为将Dvl活性限制在胚胎的一端。因此，本研究的目标是使用分子方法来功能分析鉴定的候选蛋白如何调节海胆和线虫中的Dvl活性。 这项工作将阐明调节动物胚胎中细胞潜能最早分离的分子机制，并为复杂动物的发育和进化提供重要见解。这项研究涉及研究生和本科生，包括来自科学领域代表性不足的群体的学生。 公共宣传包括一个与当地公立高中教师正在进行的项目，旨在让来自海地和中南美洲的新移民学生对生物学感兴趣。

An early critical step during animal development is the separation of ectoderm, cells that produce the epidermis (skin) and central nervous system (brain/spinal cord), from endomesoderm, the cells that produce the intestine and internal organs. In most animals this process is strongly influenced by a molecular polarity present in the unfertilized egg termed the Animal-Vegetal (AV) axis. In general, cells derived from the egg's animal pole produce ectoderm, while vegetal pole-derived cells produce endomesoderm. This separation of developmental potential is frequently mediated by localized activation of a highly conserved signaling cascade called the canonical Wnt (cWnt) pathway. How AV egg polarity regulates restricted activation of cWnt signaling at one pole of embryos is not well understood, but the PI's group has shown that in sea urchins and in the sea anemone Nematostella, this process occurs by the localized 'activation' of a key Wnt pathway protein called Disheveled (Dvl). Using biochemical techniques the PI's group has identified candidate proteins that are hypothesized to restrict Dvl activity to one end of the embryo. Hence, the goal of this research is to use molecular methods to functionally analyze how the identified candidate proteins regulate Dvl activity in sea urchins and Nematostella. This work will elucidate the molecular mechanisms that regulate the earliest separation of cell potential in animal embryos, and provide critical insight into the development and evolution of complex animals. The research involves graduate and undergraduate students, including students from groups under-represented in science. Public outreach includes an ongoing program with a local public high school teacher aimed at getting new immigrant students from Haiti and Central and South America interested in biology.