Dpp/BMP2-4 signaling in a spiralian embryo

在一些动物的早期发育过程中，次级体轴由一个全局信号（通常称为胚胎组织者）形成。这一事件对包括人类在内的脊椎动物的发育至关重要，但其起源尚不清楚。 在几种模式生物中的研究表明，Dpp/BMP 2 -4信号通路参与了这一事件，提高了该通路介导动物最后共同祖先中组织者信号传导的可能性。 为了证实这一点，需要在被称为螺旋藻的动物门的大组中检查该途径的作用。 软体动物Ilyanassa的胚胎具有重要的实践和实验优势，使其成为了解Spiralia发育的有用模型。 这组研究人员发现，Dpp/BMP 2 -4通路介导了Ilyanassa胚胎中的组织者信号传导，并且他们有证据表明该通路也在稍后作用于神经系统。 该项目将证明Dpp/BMP 2 -4信号传导介导Ilyanassa中的组织者信号传导，表征信号传导的机制，并建立该途径在发育后期神经模式中的作用。 这些结果将显著增强我们对该通路在祖先动物中的作用的理解。 这项工作还将培训研究生和本科生级别的年轻科学家，使他们能够在未来成为独立的研究人员和学者。 它还将涉及附近主要是本科院校的学生，为他们提供深入研究经验的机会。

During the early development of some animals, the secondary body axis is patterned by a global signal, often called the embryonic organizer. This event is crucial for the development of vertebrates including humans, but its origins are unclear. Studies in several model organisms have suggested that the Dpp/BMP2-4 signaling pathway is involved in this event, raising the possibility that this pathway mediated organizer signaling in the last common ancestor of animals. To establish this, the role of the pathway needs to be examined in the large group of animal phyla known as the Spiralia. The embryo of the mollusc Ilyanassa has important practical and experimental advantages, making it a useful model for understanding development of the Spiralia. This group of researchers has discovered that the Dpp/BMP2-4 pathway is mediating organizer signaling in the Ilyanassa embryo, and they have evidence that the pathway is also acting later to pattern the nervous system. This project will demonstrate that Dpp/BMP2-4 signaling is mediating organizer signaling in Ilyanassa, characterize the mechanisms of signaling, and establish the role of the pathway in neural patterning later in development. These results will significantly enhance our understanding of the role of the pathway in ancestral animals. The work will also train young scientists at the graduate and undergraduate levels for future careers as independent researchers and scholars. It will also involve students at a nearby predominantly undergraduate institution, affording them the opportunity for an in-depth research experience.