Control of gene expression during neuronal development

神经元的发育是一个复杂的过程，包括神经元身份的确定、神经元向适当位置的迁移、轴突的发育和分化以及与邻近神经元突触连接的发展。这些过程是由遗传程序调控的。邻近细胞和环境刺激引起的基因表达变化也有助于神经元的发育。我的研究项目旨在了解基因表达程序如何调节神经元的发育。***在确定控制神经元发育的转录因子方面已经付出了很多努力，但在RNA结合蛋白（RNA binding protein, rbp）参与转录后调控如何促进神经元发育方面的研究进展有限。RNA剪接通过产生不同的转录本和控制转录本异构体的表达水平来调控单个基因的表达。这些变异有助于蛋白质组的多样性和丰度，最终导致不同的神经元特性和功能。rbp如何调节RNA剪接并产生如此惊人的神经元类型和功能复杂性仍有待确定。我们的长期目标是研究rbp在神经元发育过程中RNA剪接中的作用。为了实现这一目标，我的实验室研究了一种名为Matrin 3 （MATR3）的RBP在小鼠神经元中的功能。我的实验室和其他人证明，mat3调节人类细胞中的RNA剪接。我们还发现，mat3在小鼠胚胎的神经系统中高度表达，是小鼠早期发育所必需的。然而，在生理背景下，对MATR3在RNA剪接中的作用知之甚少。在本研究中，我们将研究mat3在小鼠神经元RNA调控中的作用。我们的第一个目标是研究在失去MATR3后RNA剪接景观的变化，以确定在神经元发育过程中，MATR3在剪接调节中的作用。我们的第二个目标是通过鉴定RNA靶点和蛋白质相互作用物来研究MATR3调节RNA剪接的分子机制。我们的第三个目标是确定mat3缺失对神经元发育的生理影响，这将有助于深入了解mat3相关RNA剪接对神经元发育的影响。本研究将增强我们对MATR3在RNA剪接中的体内功能的理解，并为其在发育过程中如何影响神经元的特性和功能提供新的认识。我们的研究将为研究RBP如何控制RNA剪接和调节基因表达系统，促进神经元发育过程中蛋白质组的多样性和丰度提供一个框架。这项工作的发现将推动RNA生物学和神经发育领域的发展

Neuronal development is a complex process that involves determination of neuronal identity, neuronal migration into proper location, axonal development and differentiation, and the development of synaptic connections with neighboring neurons. These processes are regulated by the genetic program. Gene expression changes induced by stimuli from neighboring cells and the environment also contribute to neuronal development. My research program aims to understand how gene expression program regulates neuronal development.*** Much effort has been devoted to identifying the transcription factors that control neuronal development, but there has been limited progress on studies how RNA binding proteins (RBPs) that are involved in post-transcriptional regulation contribute to neuronal development. RNA splicing regulates the expression of single genes by generating different transcripts and controlling the expression levels of transcript isoforms. These variations contribute to proteome diversity and abundance, ultimately leading to different neuronal properties and functions. How RBPs regulate RNA splicing and produce such a striking complexity of neuronal types and functions remains to be determined. Our long-term goal is to address the role of RBPs in RNA splicing during neuronal development. *** Towards this goal, my lab studies the function of an RBP called Matrin 3 (MATR3) in mouse neurons. My lab and others demonstrated that MATR3 regulates RNA splicing in human cells. We also found that MATR3 is highly expressed in the nervous system of the mouse embryo, and is required for early mouse development. However, little is known about the role of MATR3 in RNA splicing in a physiological context. In this proposal, we will investigate the function of MATR3 in RNA regulation in mouse neurons. Our first objective is to examine the changes in RNA splicing landscape upon loss of MATR3 to determine the role of MATR3 in splicing regulation during neuronal development. Our second objective is to investigate the molecular mechanism by which MATR3 regulates RNA splicing through the identification of RNA targets and protein interactors. Our third objective is to determine the physiological consequences upon loss of MATR3 on neuronal development, which will provide insight into the effect of MATR3-associated RNA splicing on neuronal development. The proposed research will enhance our understanding of the in vivo function of MATR3 in RNA splicing and provide new knowledge of how it contributes to the properties and functions of neurons during development. Our research will provide a framework to study how an RBP controls RNA splicing and regulates gene expression system, contributing to proteome diversity and abundance during neuronal development. The discoveries from this work will advance the fields of RNA biology and neurodevelopment.**