MOLECULAR GENETICS OF EMBRYOGENESIS IN C. ELEGANS

自二十世纪初以来，胚胎学家已经知道了许多 早期发育由细胞质中的信息控制 蛋。母体效应基因编码这些信息；它们的功能是 卵子发生过程中发生胚胎发生所必需的。一种手段 研究母体信息的性质和功能是孤立的 母性效应基因。由此分离出的DNA序列可用于 探索卵子间相互作用的分子基础 胚胎发育过程中的细胞质和合子核。 秀丽隐杆线虫，由于其明确的细胞谱系、生理和 遗传学已被广泛用于早期发育的研究。几个 母体效应致死(MEL)基因已被鉴定和鉴定。 这些基因将通过DNA转化来分离。在预赛中 研究表明，线虫DNA转化的第一个重要步骤是 已完成：外源DNA的引进和繁殖。下一个 步骤是验证外源添加序列的表达。 随之而来的是，将分离出与定义的基因相对应的DNA 包含MEL基因的区域。这个DNA将被注入 突变缺陷的互补将定义 对基因进行编码。 一旦分离到MEL基因序列，就可以用来鉴定和表征 核糖核酸和蛋白质产品。信息的合成和代谢 由MEL基因编码的基因将提供对基因如何建立 细胞质信息，然后细胞质如何影响基因活性。 细胞质和细胞核之间的这种递归相互关系是一个中心 在细胞行为、发育和分化方面的问题。因此， 了解这些相互作用对治疗糖尿病具有重要意义。 细胞和发育缺陷及肿瘤。

Since the early twentieth century, embryologists have known that much of early development is controlled by information in the cytoplasm of the egg. Maternal effect genes encode that information; their function is required during oogenesis for embryogenesis to occur. One means of studying the nature and function of maternal information is to isolate maternal effect genes. The DNA sequences thus isolated can be used as probes to study the molecular basis of interactions between the egg cytoplasm and the zygotic nucleus during embryogenesis. Caenorhabditis elegans, due to its defined cell lineage, physiology, and genetics, has been widely used for studies of early development. Several maternal effect lethal (mel) genes have been identified and characterized. These genes will be isolated by DNA transformation. In preliminary studies, the first important step in DNA transformation of C. elegans has been achieved: the introduction and propagation of foreign DNA. The next step is to demonstrate expression of the exogenously added sequences. Concomitantly, DNA will be isolated that corresponds to defined genetic regions surrounding and including mel genes. This DNA will be injected into mel mutants; complementation of the mutant defect will define DNA that encodes the gene. Once isolated, mel gene sequences can be used to identify and characterize RNA and protein products. The synthesis and metabolism of information encoded by mel genes will provide insights into how genes establish cytoplasmic information and then how the cytoplasm affects gene activity. This recursive interrelationship between cytoplasm and nucleus is a central issue in cellular behavior, development and differentiation. Thus, understanding these interactions has implications for the treatment of cellular and developmental defects and neoplasia.