14 NSFBIO: Asymmetric division and the temporal dynamics of cell motility

本项目旨在明确器官发育过程中控制细胞迁移的基本机制。在生长中的组织中，细胞通常通过对称分裂（或有丝分裂）复制产生两个相同的子细胞。但在某些情况下，细胞分裂是不对称的，并产生本质上不同的子细胞。不对称分裂在不同的细胞命运决定中起着重要作用，但以前从未涉及产生具有不同运动的子细胞。本项目将探索细胞有丝分裂后不对称运动的分子和细胞基础，并确定不对称分裂在组织生长过程中控制细胞迁移的功能作用。特别是这项工作将评估不对称是如何子细胞信号，形状和刚度可以深刻地影响分裂后的细胞运动。这项研究不仅会产生适用于广泛应用的免费的新型计算方法和分析工具，而且这项工作的发现将对理解大量细胞系统和生物体中细胞迁移的控制具有广泛的影响。该项目还将向本科生和高中生（重点是招募代表性不足的群体）展示跨学科的综合计算/实验科学方法，并在创建几个新的、有针对性的、交互式的全球界面科学（GIS）讲习班时提供国际合作研究技术的实践经验。此外，将通过在线媒体广泛传播关于在世界各地举办类似地理信息系统讲习班的指导意见。

This project aims to define the fundamental mechanisms controlling cell migration during organ development. In growing tissues, cells usually replicate by symmetric division (or mitosis) to produce two identical daughter cells. But in some instances cell divisions are asymmetric and give rise to intrinsically distinct daughters. Asymmetric divisions play important roles in differential cell fate decisions, but have never previously been implicated in generating daughters with distinct motilities. This project will explore the molecular and cellular basis of post-mitotic asymmetry in cell motility and define the functional role of asymmetric divisions in the control of cell migration during tissue growth. In particular this work will evaluate how asymmetries is daughter cell signaling, shape and stiffness can profoundly affect cell motility following division. Not only will this research generate freely available novel computational methods and analysis tools suitable for a wide array of applications, the findings of this work will have wide-reaching implications for understanding the control of cell migration across a plethora of cellular systems and organisms. The project will additionally expose undergraduate and high school students (with emphasis on recruiting underrepresented groups) to integrated cross-disciplinary computational / experimental scientific approaches and provide hands-on experience of international collaborative research techniques upon the creation of several new, targeted, interactive Global Interface Science (GIS) workshops. Moreover, guidance on implementing similar GIS workshops anywhere worldwide will be widely disseminated via online media.