Isolation and Characterization of Neural Crest Subpopulations

本项目的长期目标是了解如何 神经嵴细胞的亚群分化成特定的 胚胎发育过程中的成熟神经元类型。 什么 遗传和其他因素在起作用？ Barald博士和她 他的同事已经在神经细胞中发现了细胞亚群， 鸡胚和鹌鹑胚的冠部生化特性 特性. 他们已经开发了这些不同的标记 用于分离这些细胞类型的亚群和技术 同时让他们活着 他们现在可以培养这些亚群 在文化和特点，他们的反应， 监管因素，以及检查的相互作用， 在细胞分化中重要的各种基因。 通过 利用这些方法，Barald博士的研究小组将能够 回答以下问题：当一个神经元群体 从神经嵴衍生出来的， 因此与嵴谱系中的其他细胞分离？ 是 确定状态塑性的表达式？ 能 在体内或体外被环境因素改变？

The long-range objective of this project is to understand how subpopulations of neural crest cells differentiate into specific types of mature neurons during embryonic development. What genetic and other factors are at work? Dr. Barald and her coworkers have identified subpopulations of cells in the neural crest of chick and quail embryos with different biochemical properties. They have developed markers for these different subpopulations and techniques for separating these cell types while keeping them alive. They can now grow these subpopulations in culture and characterize their responses to a variety of regulatory factors as well as to examine the interaction of various genes important in cellular differentiation. By employing these methods, Dr. Barald's group will be able to answer the following questions: When does a neuronal population that is derived from the neural crest become determined, and therefore segregated from other cells in the crest lineage? Is the expression of the determined state plastic? Can it be modified by environmental cues in vivo or in vitro?