IDENTIFICATION OF ECTODERM DETERMINANTS IN XENOPUS

描述（由申请人提供） 本研究的目标是确定脊椎动物胚胎中初级胚层形成的分子基础。这一基本的细胞命运决定目前尚不完全清楚。最近，人们发现，在非洲爪蟾中，中胚层和内胚层细胞的命运是由母体转录因子决定的。在这项研究中，我们重点研究外胚层胚层的决定因素。我们已经在母体 cDNA 库中鉴定出外胚层诱导活性，并且我们将使用表达克隆来鉴定这些基因。随后，我们将表征这些基因的表达，并通过功能丧失实验确定它们在发育中的作用。了解外胚层的形成将是了解早期发育中细胞命运决定的重要一步。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) The goal of this research is to identify the molecular basis of primary germ layer formation in vertebrate embryos. This fundamental cell fate decision is only partially understood. Recently, it has been discovered that in Xenopus, mesoderm and endoderm cell fates are specified by maternal transcription factors. In this study, we focus on what determines the ectoderm germ layer. We have identified ectoderm-inducing activities in pools of maternal cDNAs, and we will use expression cloning to identify these genes. Subsequently we will characterize the expression of these genes and determine their roles in development through loss-of-function experiments. Understanding the formation of the ectoderm will be a major step forward in understanding cell fate determination in early development.