Notch信号通路已被证明在动物发育过程中调节细胞增殖和细胞分化，决定多种细胞的命运。CAF-1的功能一般被认为与细胞增殖相关，但已经开始有证据表明它也可能在细胞分化过程中起重要的调节作用。我们实验室的前期工作发现：dCAF-1与Notch信号通路在增殖的眼睛成虫盘细胞中存在遗传学相互作用，但在已分化的眼睛成虫盘细胞中检测不到这种作用；相反，在翅膀成虫盘中情况正好相反：dCAF-1与Notch信号通路一起作用与于翅膀边界细胞的分化形成，但dCAF-1确实是翅膀细胞的增殖没有明显减少。因此，我们在该项目申请中计划通过更广泛的检测和大量的筛选（如在SOP细胞和小肠干细胞中）分析，阐述dCAF-1与Nocth信号通路信互作用的特异性：即它们在发育过程中在哪些细胞中一起控制细胞增殖，又在哪些细胞中一起调节细胞的分化。并且最终揭示dCAF-1与Notch信号通路相互作用在决定细胞增殖与分化中的机制。

Notch signalling pathway has been shown to be involved in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation during animal development. The outputs of the Notch signalling determine cell fates of many tissue development. The function of CAF-1 is normally considered to be associated with cell proliferation, it did not show any direct evidence until very recently that CAF-1 functions in determining cell differentiation as well. Preliminary study in our lab show that dCAF-1 genetically interacts with the Notch signalling pathway in the proliferating cells of the eye imaginal disc but not in the differentiated cells that after the morphogenetic furrow. In contrast, the genetic interaction between dCAF-1 and Notch signalling occurs in the wing imaginal discs only in the cells which determins the boundary formation. When the dCAF-1 function was purturbed, the proliferation of the wing imaginal disc cells were not apparently affected. In this grant application, we thus propose to examine in more tissues, including sensory organ precursors (SOPs) and intestinal stem cells and their derivatives, how the interaction between dCAF-1 and the Notch signalling regulates cell proliferation and differentiation. Through extensive genetic and molecular cell biological tests and screens, we aim to determine the different functions of the interaction between dCAF-1 and the Notch signalling pathway in controlling cell proliferation and differentiation in different tissues during development, and the underlying mechanisms for each case.