Molecular Mechanisms of Drosophila Gonad Morphogenesis

描述：(申请人提供)：生物学中的一个基本问题是如何 生殖细胞在胞体的培养下发育，这样它们就可以产生 一个物种的下一代。这主要发生在性腺中，在那里 生殖细胞和特定的体细胞创造了必要的独特环境 让生殖细胞分化。尽管这个问题很重要。 令人惊讶的是，人们对生殖细胞和体细胞是如何产生的知之甚少。 聚在一起形成性腺。在性腺形成之间有许多相似之处 果蝇和其他物种。因此，我们可以用果蝇作为模型 理解这一过程的系统。我们发现了一种新的基因，恐惧 亲密度(FOI)，这是果蝇性腺形态发生所必需的。信息 突变体，组成性腺的细胞正常形成，但 性腺结合受阻。Fol被预测是一种跨膜蛋白， 是一个新的蛋白质家族的创始成员，该家族从酵母到 人类。有趣的是，我们发现细胞黏附分子E-钙粘附素 对性腺的形态发生也是必不可少的。FOI和E-钙粘素共同提供 一个独特的切入点，以了解控制分子事件 性腺的形成。为了更好地了解性腺形态发生的事件， 以及Fol和E-钙粘素如何控制这一过程，我们将进行 遵循特定的目标。在目标1中，我们将进行细胞生物学分析 性腺结合并描述在此过程中发生的细胞互动 这一过程。在目标2中，我们将确定Fol如何在细胞中发挥作用 水平来影响形态发生。FOI蛋白在哪里定位以及什么 FOI的域是其功能所必需的。在目标3中，我们将分析 E-钙粘附素在性腺形态发生中的作用及卵泡和E-钙粘附素的关系 正在共同采取行动来调解这一进程。这些目标的实现将 首次对果蝇性腺形态发生进行了全面分析 并对控制这一过程的分子机制提供了洞察。

DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant): A fundamental problem in biology is how the germ cells develop and are nurtured by the soma so that they can give rise to the next generation of a species. This occurs largely in the gonads, where germ cells and specific somatic cells create the unique environment necessary for the germ cells to differentiate. Despite the importance of this problem. surprisingly little is known about how the germ cells and somatic cells come together to form a gonad. There are many parallels between gonad formation in Drosophila and in other species. Therefore, we can use Drosophila as a model system for understanding this process. We have discovered a new gene, fear of intimacy (foi), that is required for gonad morphogenesis in Drosophila. Infoi mutants, the cells which make up the gonad form normally but the process of gonad coalescence is blocked. FOl is predicted to be a transmembrane protein, and is a founding member of a new family of proteins conserved from yeast to humans. Interestingly, we have found that the cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin is also essential for gonad morphogenesis. Together, FOI and E-cadherin provide a unique entry point for understanding the molecular events that control the formation of the gonad. To better understand the events of gonad morphogenesis, and how FOl and E-cadherin control this process, we will carry out the following specific aims. In Aim 1 we will conduct a cell biological analysis of gonad coalescence and characterize the cellular interactions that occur during this process. In Aim 2 we will determine how FOl is acting at the cellular level to affect morphogenesis. where the FOI protein is localized and what domains of FOI are essential for its function. In Aim 3 we will analyze the role of E-cadherin in gonad morphogenesis, and determine if FOl and E-cadherin are acting together to mediate this process. The completion of these aims will provide the first comprehensive analysis of gonad morphogenesis in Drosophila and provide insight into the molecular mechanisms that control this process.