Expression and function of ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloproteases) in central nervous system during embryonic development

ADAMS是I型跨膜蛋白，负责细胞-细胞、细胞基质相互作用和胞外结构域脱落。ADAMS在体内发育中枢神经系统(CNS)中的作用和机制尚不完全清楚。鸡胚胎为研究胚胎发育过程中体内基因功能提供了一个很好的模型系统。因此，本课题将以鸡胚胎为模型，通过电穿孔的方法研究ADAMS在中枢神经系统发育形态发生中的作用和机制。我们重点介绍了ADAMS在鸡胚胎发育过程中对神经发生、神经元迁移和轴突生长的调控作用。此外，还将研究ADAMS在胚胎发育过程中对钙粘附素的调节，钙粘附素在神经系统发育中起着非常重要的作用。该项目将扩大我们对胚胎发育过程中中枢神经系统形态发生的理解。

ADAMs are type I transmembrane proteins that are responsible for cell-cell, cellmatrix interactions and ectodomain shedding. The roles and the mechanisms of ADAMs in developing central nervous system (CNS) in vivo are still not defined completely. The chicken embryo provides an excellent model system to study gene functions in vivo during embryonic development. Therefore, in this project, the roles and the mechanisms of ADAMs in developmental morphogenesis of CNS will be studied by electroporation using the chicken embryo as a model. We focus on the roles of ADAMs in regulating neurogenesis, neuronal migration and axon growth during chicken embryonic development. Furthermore, the regulation of cadherins, which play an very important role in developing nervous system, by ADAMs will be also investigated during embryonic development. This project will extend our understanding in the morphogenesis of CNS during embryonic development.