INTEGRATION OF ACTIN BEADED FILAMENT SYSTEM IN THE LENS

脊椎动物透镜的形状部分地由形态发生学决定。 肌动蛋白和中间丝的剧烈变化 形成细胞骨架网络。这个网络的一个重要组成部分是透镜 纤维细胞特有的中间丝，称为珠状丝。的 这项研究的长期目标是了解细胞骨架是如何 成分被整合以完成发生的形态发生变化 以及它们如何赋予透镜独特的光学功能。的 一项提案旨在确定：（1）原调节蛋白（Tmod），一种肌动蛋白丝， 在透镜分化过程中上调的加帽蛋白，肌动蛋白和 珠状细丝在鸡胚透镜的发育过程中形成; (2)以确定生化和超微结构特征的 Tmod与肌动蛋白和珠状纤维之间的相互作用;（3）阐明Tmod与肌动蛋白和珠状纤维之间的相互作用。 Tmod和这些其他之间的相互作用的功能意义 细胞骨架成分这些目标将通过以下组合来实现 最先进的分子生物化学和显微技术。的 工作的结果应该提供一个生化之间的联系， 细胞骨架组装和透镜形态的特征， 细胞骨架在透镜纤维细胞中的作用 分化和白内障形成。

The shape of the vertebrate lens is determined in part by a morphogenetic program in which dramatic changes in the actin and intermediate filament cytosekeletal network occur. An important component of this network is the lens fiber cell specific intermediate filaments, called the beaded filaments. The long-term objective of the research is to understand how the cytoskeletal components are integrated to accomplish the morphogenetic changes that occur during development and how these confer the lens' unique optical functions. The proposal seeks to determine: (1) how tropomodulin (Tmod), an actin filament capping protein that is upregulated during lens differentiation, actin and the beaded filaments are organized during development in the embryonic chick lens; (2) to determine biochemical and ultrastructural characteristics of the interactions between Tmod and actin and beaded filaments; (3) to elucidate the functional significance of the interactions between Tmod and these other cytoskeletal components. These goals will be accomplished using a combination of state of the art molecular, biochemical and microscopic techniques. The results of the work should provide a link between the biochemical characteristics of cytoskeletal assembly and lens morphology and have implications for the role of the cytoskeleton in lens fiber cell differentiation and cataract formation.