ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GERM CELL LINEAGE IN DROSOPHILA

描述：（从申请人的摘要扫描）生殖系产生 成虫的生殖细胞，因此它对繁殖至关重要 一个物种的生存。它是大多数细胞生物体中唯一的细胞类型 其基因内容有助于下一代。因此， 其基因组的完整性对于维持一个物种是重要的， 在其内容中也提供了一种变革机制。的长期目标 这个应用程序是为了从分子水平上了解生殖细胞 果蝇的谱系是在胚胎发育期间建立的。这项建议 专注于细菌的遗传，分子和生物化学检查 一种无细胞基因，已知它是建立细菌所必需的 细胞谱系无生殖细胞基因编码一种mRNA，该mRNA定位于 含有生殖细胞决定子的生殖质。中gcl活性丧失 胚胎导致不能形成生殖细胞前体， 不育的个体GCL异位放置导致异位诱导 在生殖细胞前体中发现的特性。无生殖细胞基因 因此，在生殖细胞谱系的建立中起着核心作用。 该提案的目标是确定GERM的生化作用 生殖细胞特化过程中的无细胞蛋白。的唯一属性 生殖细胞前体的一个阶段是转录静止期， 一旦它们形成并持续发展的最初几个小时，就很明显。 破坏这段转录静止期的突变会阻断正常的 生殖系发育同样，GCL突变体中形成的生殖细胞前体 胚胎不适当地表达在野生型胚胎中通常被抑制的基因 无法形成生殖细胞在本提案中，我们将进一步描述 生殖细胞前体的转录静止以及GCL的作用 在这个过程中扮演。两种蛋白质，通过同源性预测了在 转录静止，已被发现物理相互作用与 无生殖细胞蛋白。在本提案中，我们将探讨 这些基因的相互作用和功能 生殖细胞前体中的转录静止。

DESCRIPTION: (Scanned from the applicant's abstract) The germline gives rise to the germ cells of the adult and it thus vitally important for the propagation and survival of a species. It is the only cell type of most cellular organisms whose genetic content contributes to the next generation. Thus maintenance of the integrity of its genome is important for maintaining a species, yet changes in its content also provide a mechanism for change. The long term objective of this application is to gain a molecular understanding of how the germ cell lineage of Drosophila is established during embryogenesis. This proposal focuses on the genetic, molecular and biochemical examination of the germ cell-less gene which is known to be required for the establishment of the germ cell lineage. The germ cell-less gene encodes an mRNA that is localized to the germ plasm which contains the germ cell determinants. Loss of gcl activity in the embryo leads to a failure to form the germ cell precursors and results in sterile individuals. Ectopic placement of gcl results in the ectopic induction of properties found in the germ cell precursors. The germ cell-less gene therefore, plays a central role in the establishment of the germ cell lineage. The goal of this proposal is to determine the biochemical role of the GERM CELL-LESS protein in the process of germ cell specification. A unique property of the germ cell precursors is a period of transcriptional quiescence that is evident as soon as they form and lasts for the first few hours of development. Mutations that disrupt this period of transcriptional quiescence block normal germ line development. Similarly, germ cell precursors formed in gcl mutant embryos inappropriately express genes normally suppressed in wild type embryos and fail to form a germline. In this proposal, we will further characterize transcriptional quiescence in the germ cell precursors and the role that GCL plays in this process. Two proteins, which by homology have predicted roles in transcriptional quiescence, have been found to physically interact with the GERM CELL-LESS protein. In this proposal we will explore the roles of this interaction and the function of these genes with respect to establishing transcriptional quiescence in the germ cell precursors.