Development of Egg Organization During Oogenesis

斯蒂芬森9630705 大多数动物的卵是不对称的，这种不对称性在早期发育过程中建立了胚胎的模式。 在最好理解的情况下，一个局部的mRNA，即bicoid基因的mRNA，位于果蝇（果蝇）卵的前缘，并指导前部胚胎结构的发育。 虽然bicoid mRNA的发育作用已相当清楚，但其定位的机制还不清楚。 本申请中的工作旨在更好地了解bicoid mRNA的定位以及参与此过程的分子的作用。 重点之一将是确定吞咽基因的功能，其蛋白质产物是bicoid mRNA定位所需的。 为此，斯蒂芬森博士将尝试在体内和体外鉴定和表征与吞咽蛋白相关的其他蛋白质。 他还将通过将吞咽蛋白与荧光蛋白GFP融合来确定吞咽蛋白的亚细胞分布。 这些实验应该能让他对定位机制和吞咽的特殊作用有一个更完整的认识。 第二个重点将是确定在定位过程中与bicoid mRNA相互作用的其他蛋白质。 有间接证据表明bicoid mRNA与卵细胞骨架相关，他将更详细地探索这种关联，并描述参与其中的一些分子。

Stephenson 9630705 The eggs of most animals are asymmetric, and this asymmetry establishes the pattern of the embryo during early development. In the best understood case, a localized mRNA, that of the bicoid gene, is localized to the anterior margin of Drosophila (fruit fly) eggs, and directs the development of anterior embryonic structures. While the development role of bicoid mRNA is fairly well understood, the mechanism by which it is localized is not. The work in this application is directed toward obtaining a better understanding of the localization of bicoid mRNA and the roles of molecules that participate in this process. One emphasis will be to determine the function of the swallow gene, whose protein product is required for bicoid mRNA localization. To this end Dr. Stephenson will try to identify and characterize other proteins that associate with the swallow protein in vivo and in vitro. He will also determine the subcellular distribution of swallow protein by fusing it to the fluorescent protein GFP. These experiments should give him a more complete view of the localization mechanism and of the specific role of swallow. A second emphasis will be to identify other proteins that interact with bicoid mRNA during the localization process. There is circumstantial evidence that bicoid mRNA is associated with the egg cytoskeleton, and he will explore this association in more detail and characterize some of the molecules that participate in it.