SPECIFICATION OF FAST AND SLOW MUSCLES IN ZEBRAFISH

描述(改编自研究人员摘要)：脊椎动物骨骼肌 由两大类细胞组成，慢肌细胞和快肌细胞 肌肉细胞。这些细胞具有其特定的功能和基因模式 表达，已经成为一种流行的研究机制的系统 细胞命运的决定。最近的研究表明，慢和快 肌肉受脊索和骨骼分泌的刺猬的调节 外胚层细胞分泌的形态发生蛋白。刺猬和BMP 通过转录将它们的构图活动施加到反应细胞上 这些因素反过来调节反应细胞中的分化程序。 许多遗传学研究表明，Glis参与HH和BMP信号的转导。 Gli家族的几个成员在非洲爪哇、雏鸡、 老鼠和斑马鱼的胚胎。最近对斑马鱼的遗传研究表明 Gli2的突变导致缓慢的肌肉形成缺陷。这个 研究人员最近从斑马鱼中分离出了一个全长的Gli4。 初步数据显示，Gli4在轴旁有强烈的表达 中胚层和发育中的体节。他们假设格利人的成员 转录因子家族调控慢分化和快分化 斑马鱼的肌肉细胞谱系以及个体Glis的表达 它们激活或抑制反应基因转录的能力是 由刺猬和BMP控制。谷氨酸活性的调节可能发生在 转录、翻译和/或翻译后水平(蛋白质分解)。 这项建议的具体目的是研究它的表达、功能 Gli4在斑马鱼肌肉细胞分化中的调控作用 胚胎。这项研究的长期目标是阐明分子 决定胚胎期间肌肉特异性细胞命运的机制 发展。

DESCRIPTION (adapted from investigator's abstract): Vertebrate skeletal muscles are composed of two major populations of cells, slow muscle cells and fast muscle cells. These cells with their specific functions and pattern of gene expression, have become a popular system for studying mechanisms that underlie determination of cell fate. Recent studies have demonstrated that slow and fast muscle is regulated by Hedgehog secreted by the notochord, and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) secreted by ectoderm cells. Hedgehogs and BMPs impose their patterning activities on responsive cells via transcription factors, that in turn regulating differentiation programs in responsive cells. Many genetic studies have implicated Glis in transducing HH and BMP signals. Several members of the Gli family are expressed in somites of Xenopus, chick, mouse and zebrafish embryos. Recent genetic studies in zebrafish have shown that a mutation in Gli2 causes a defect in slow muscle formation. The investigators have recently isolated a full length Gli4 from zebrafish. Preliminary data have shown that Gli4 is strongly expressed in paraxial mesoderm and developing somites. They hypothesize that members of the Gli family of transcription factors regulate differentiation of slow and fast muscle cell lineages in zebrafish, and that the expression of individual Glis and their ability to activate or inhibit transcription of responsive genes is controlled by Hedgehogs and BMPs. The regulation of Gli activity may occur at transcriptional, translational and/or posttranslational level (proteolysis). The specific aim of this proposal is to investigate the expression, function and regulation of Gli4 in the differentiation of muscle cells in zebrafish embryos. The long-term goal of this study is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind determination of muscle-specific cell fate during embryonic development.