Molecular and cellular biology of voltage-operated Ca2+ entry in planaria

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。许多生物显示出非凡的组织再生能力。最戏剧性的是被称为平面动物的自由生活的扁虫从切除的小组织块中再生出完整的新身体计划的能力。这种再生能力是由称为新生母细胞的特殊干细胞驱动的。了解这些细胞的特性，以及它们在再生过程中的行为，是解开这些生物体中再生生物学秘密的关键，也是为什么其他动物缺乏这种能力的原因。具体地说，这个项目将试图了解细胞内钙和Wnt信号通路在控制新生细胞如何在再生过程中产生具有适当位置一致性的离散细胞类型方面的作用。更广泛的影响。该项目的更广泛影响包括每年向高中教师提供外展课程，提供再培训和“动手”机会，以获得基本分子和遗传方法方面的实验室经验。NSF资助的本科生参加这些活动，并参与与PI实验室对脊椎动物再生生物学感兴趣的研究项目。因此，受训者获得了适合未来职业生涯的技能，既是研究人员，也是科学教育工作者。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Many organisms exhibit a remarkable capacity for tissue regeneration. Most dramatic is the ability of free-living flatworms known as planarians to regenerate an entire new body plan from small excised pieces of tissue. This regenerative ability is driven by specialized stem cells known as neoblasts. Understanding the properties of these cells, and their behavior during regeneration is key to unlocking the secrets of regenerative biology in these organisms, and consequently why this ability is lacking in other animals. Specifically, this project will seek to understand the role of intracellular calcium and Wnt signaling pathways in controlling how neoblasts generate discrete cell types with appropriate positional identity during regeneration. Broader Impacts. Broader impacts of the project encompass an annual outreach course to High School Teachers that provides a retraining and "hands-on" opportunity to gain lab experience in basic molecular and genetic methods. NSF-supported undergraduates participate in these activities, and in research projects relating to the interest of the PI's laboratory in planarian regenerative biology. Consequently, trainees gain skill sets appropriate for future careers as both researchers and scientific educators.