U.S.-Brazil Cooperative Research on Development of Axon Pathways in the Mammalian Visual System

这项美国-巴西合作研究奖支持由洛克菲勒大学的Torsten Wiesel博士和David Sretavan博士以及巴西里约热内卢联邦大学的Ary Ramoa博士在发育神经生物学方面进行的合作研究。本研究的目的是了解成熟哺乳动物视觉系统中轴突投射的精确模式是如何在发育过程中建立起来的。实验将集中在三个方面。首先，是发育中的视网膜轴突与视交叉处的神经上皮细胞之间的细胞相互作用的性质。其次，是存在于视网膜轴突和神经上皮细胞上的细胞表面分子的身份和时空分布。三是进一步发展和完善视网膜神经节细胞轴突寻路的体外培养系统。这组研究的结果不仅将有助于更好地理解视觉系统中主要轴突通路在胚胎发育期间是如何形成的，而且还将为中枢神经系统其他部分的特定轴突投射如何产生提供见解。Ramoa博士将为该项目带来他在哺乳动物视网膜神经节细胞胚胎发育方面的专业知识，并将通过学习一种强大的研究技术而受益，这将直接用于他自己在巴西的研究。Ramoa博士过去的研究重点是哺乳动物视网膜神经节细胞的发育，包括其形态学特征和电生理特性的成熟。在美国，Ramoa博士将与David Sretavan博士合作，使用杂交瘤技术产生单克隆抗体，直接针对发育中的视网膜神经节细胞和视交叉的神经上皮细胞上的分子。

This U.S.-Brazil Cooperative Research award supports cooperative research in developmental neurobiology to be conducted by Dr. Torsten Wiesel and Dr. David Sretavan of Rockefeller University and Dr. Ary Ramoa of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The goal of this research is to understand how precise patterns of axonal projections, present in the mature mammalian visual system, are established during development. The experiments will focus on three areas. First, is the nature of the cellular interactions between developing retinal axons and neuro- epithelial cells at the optic chiasm. Second, is the identity and spatial-temporal distribution of cell surface molecules present on both retinal axons and neuroepithelial cells. Third, is the further development and refinement of an in vitro culture system to study retinal ganglion cell axon pathfinding. Results from this set of studies will not only lead to a better understanding of how a major axon pathway in the visual system is formed during embryonic development, but will also provide insight into how specific axonal projections may arise in other parts of the central nervous system. Dr. Ramoa will bring to this project his expertise on the embryonic development of mammalian retinal ganglion cells and will also benefit by learning a powerful research technique which will be of direct use in his own research in Brazil. Dr. Ramoa's past research has focused on the development of mammalian retinal ganglion cells in terms of the maturation of their morphological features and their electrophysio- logical properties. While in the U.S., Dr. Ramoa will work with Dr. David Sretavan using hybridoma techniques to generate monoclonal antibodies directed against molecules present on developing retinal ganglion cells and the neuroepithelial cells of the optic chiasm.