INTEGRATION OF ACTIN BEADED FILAMENT SYSTEM IN THE LENS

脊椎动物晶状体的形状部分是由形态发生学决定的。 肌动蛋白和中间丝发生戏剧性变化的程序 细胞骨架网络出现了。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长丝，称为珠状长丝。这个 这项研究的长期目标是了解细胞骨架是如何 组件被集成以完成发生的形态变化 在开发过程中，以及这些如何赋予镜头的独特光学功能。这个 该提案试图确定：(1)肌动蛋白细丝原调节蛋白(Tmod)如何 晶状体分化过程中上调的封顶蛋白、肌动蛋白和 在胚胎雏鸡的晶状体中，珠状细丝在发育过程中形成； (2)生化和超微结构特征的测定 Tmod与肌动蛋白和珠状细丝的相互作用；(3)阐明 Tmod与其他细胞因子相互作用的功能意义 细胞骨架组件。这些目标将通过组合使用来实现 最先进的分子、生化和显微技术。这个 这项工作的结果应该提供生化反应之间的联系 细胞骨架组装和晶状体形态特征 细胞骨架在晶状体纤维细胞中的作用 分化与白内障的形成。

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.