GENETIC ANALYSIS OF POLARITY

描述(改编自研究人员摘要)：REL途径是 最了解的信号转导途径。在脊椎动物中，它控制着 免疫和炎症反应基因的活性以及 病毒基因。在果蝇中，REL通路在先天免疫中起作用 早期的反应和背腹(DV)极性的建立 胚胎。Rel蛋白也参与了肿瘤的发生和细胞的凋亡 脊椎动物。 我们长期以来一直在研究Rel蛋白背部的功能及其 细胞质抑制物仙人掌。背部代表的是 形态发生途径，在早期卵子发生过程中启动的途径。它 建立腹侧信号，在早期胚胎中被转导并导致 在背侧腹侧到背侧核梯度的形成过程中。一次在 核，背部调节特定合子基因的表达，导致 DV轴的建立及对DV轴的细分 域名。 我们的实验旨在阐明背侧核梯度是如何 以及背部功能是如何控制的。在此融资期间，我们 已经确定了四个新的基因，它们在上游起作用或与之协同作用 仙人掌和背部。我们建议继续对它们进行描述，并 确定在该途径中发挥作用的其他基因。因为REL路径 在苍蝇和人类中高度保守，很可能识别出的基因 在我们的工作中也将在脊椎动物中发挥作用。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from investigator's abstract): The Rel pathway is one of the best understood signal transduction pathways. In vertebrates, it controls the activity of the immune and inflammatory response genes as well as that of viral genes. In Drosophila, the Rel pathway functions in the innate immune response and in the establishment of dorsal-ventral (DV) polarity in the early embryo. Rel proteins are also implicated in oncogenesis and apoptosis in vertebrates. We have long been studying the function of the Rel protein Dorsal and its cytoplasmic inhibitor, Cactus. Dorsal represents the last step in a morphogenetic pathway, a pathway initiated during early oogenesis. It establishes a ventral signal that is transduced in the early embryo and results in the formation of the Dorsal ventral-to-dorsal nuclear gradient. Once in the nucleus, Dorsal regulates the expression of specific Zygotic genes resulting in the establishment of the DV axis and the subdivision of this axis into discreet domains. Our experiments are aimed at elucidating how the dorsal nuclear gradient is formed and how dorsal function is controlled. During this funding period we have identified four new genes functioning upstream from or in consort with cactus and dorsal. We propose to continue with their characterization and to identify additional genes functioning in the pathway. Because the Rel pathway is highly conserved in flies and humans, it is likely that the genes identified in our work will also function in vertebrates.