CAREER: Investigating Abl Kinase Signaling Pathways that Regulate Actin Dynamics during Development

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。智力功绩在发育过程中，细胞组织成组织和器官是一个高度调节的过程，需要协调的细胞形状变化和细胞迁移。 这些细胞行为是由肌动蛋白细胞骨架的重排来指导的。 Abelson（Abl）激酶是将重排信号传递到肌动蛋白细胞骨架的关键参与者，但是Abl在动物发育期间从细胞表面接收信号并重塑肌动蛋白的机制仍然未知。 该项目的总体目标是表征Abl用于调节细胞迁移和其他基于肌动蛋白的体内过程的分子途径。 表达激活的Abl的果蝇胚胎提供了一个理想的模型系统来阐明生物体中Abl信号通路，因为激活的Abl改变细胞迁移并导致胚胎发育中的可见缺陷。这项研究计划旨在探索候选基因的功能，并确定体内调节细胞迁移的Abl信号通路的新组分。这些研究将为了解在发育过程中调节单个细胞行为的分子途径提供重要见解。更广泛的影响。这项研究将与本科和高中水平的年轻科学家的培训和指导相结合。 该计划的总体目标是为更多的年轻科学家提供实践研究培训，并激励这些学生从事基础研究。 科学培训将通过提供独立研究项目的额外机会，并通过将本研究计划的各个方面整合到Randolph-Macon College的核心生物学课程遗传学的实验室组成部分，在本科阶段进行。 该项目还旨在为当地高中学生和高中生物教师提供独特的基于探究的经验，他们将作为团队工作，研究细胞迁移中Abl信号通路的各个方面。 在职业生涯早期进行原创性研究的机会将挑战和激励学生追求额外的科学培训。为了接触更广泛的社区，生物教师将制定一个计划，直接将他们在这项研究计划中的探究经验转化为他们的高中科学课程。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Intellectual Merit Organization of cells into tissues and organs during development is a highly regulated process that requires coordinated cell shape changes and cell migration. These cell behaviors are directed by rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton. Abelson (Abl) kinases are key players in relaying signals for rearrangement to the actin cytoskeleton, but the mechanisms by which Abl receives signals from the cell surface and remodels actin during animal development remain unknown. The overall goal of this project is to characterize the molecular pathways that Abl uses to regulate cell migration and other actin-based processes in vivo. Drosophila embryos expressing activated Abl provide an ideal model system to elucidate Abl signaling pathways in the context of an organism, since activated Abl alters cell migration and leads to visible defects in embryonic development. This research program aims to both explore the functions of candidate genes and identify new components of the Abl signaling pathways that modulate cell migration in vivo. These studies will provide significant insights into the molecular pathways that regulate behaviors of individual cells during developmental processes.Broader Impact.This research will be integrated with the training and mentoring of young scientists at both the undergraduate and high school levels. The overall goals of this program are to provide more young scientists with hands-on research training and to inspire these students to pursue careers in basic research. Scientific training will be incorporated at the undergraduate level by providing additional opportunities for independent research projects and by integrating aspects of this research program into the laboratory component of Genetics, a core biology course, at Randolph-Macon College. This project also aims to provide unique inquiry-based experiences to local high school students and high school biology teachers, who will work as teams to investigate aspects of Abl signaling pathways in cell migration. Opportunities to do original research early in their careers will both challenge and motivate students to pursue additional scientific training. To reach a broader community, the biology teachers will develop a plan for directly translating their inquiry-based experiences in this research program to their high school science courses.