Early events in neural and homeogenetic induction

描述（由申请人提供）：神经诱导是最重要的 脊椎动物胚胎发育过程中的重要过程，因为它是 正常细胞中特定细胞群之间最早的相互作用之一， 胚胎，因为这一事件启动了成年中央的发展， 神经系统（CNS）。它最初被描述为两个 细胞群：“组织者”（发出诱导信号）和 外胚层（通过产生适当的神经板来响应它们， 神经嵴细胞）。神经诱导还启动了区域性的 CNS的分支。神经诱导信号并不局限于 组织者;年轻的神经板本身可以诱导神经板从 感受态外胚层（“同源诱导”）。令人惊讶的是，这种现象 还没有被详细研究过，甚至不知道是否 同源诱导是区域特异性（例如：前脑是否诱导 前脑？）。 试图了解神经诱导的分子机制， 不同种类脊椎动物的区域划分产生了矛盾 结果然而，人们开始认识到， 几种信号通路参与神经诱导， 神经系统的模式。在这个项目中，我们将使用以下组合： 分子和胚胎学方法来研究最早的事件， 神经系统的诱导和区域化。 具体而言，目标是：A。为了解决这些问题： 同源诱导机制类似于诱导的组织者？是 同源诱导区域特异性？B。为了描述6的调节 新发现的基因标志着外胚层对移植物的早期反应， 主办单位（Hensen？s节点）由不同的组织和各种分泌 因素，并开始评估其在神经诱导的功能作用 过程C.目的研究锌指蛋白基因丘吉尔在神经细胞凋亡中的作用。 在小鼠体内通过靶向失活进行发育。D.探索可能的角色 6个新鉴定的候选分泌因子在神经细胞凋亡的早期阶段， 诱导和同源诱导。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neural induction is one of the most important processes during vertebrate embryonic development, both because it is one of the earliest interactions between defined groups of cells in the normal embryo, and because this event initiates the development of the adult Central Nervous System (CNS). It was first described as an interaction between two groups of cells: the "organizer" (which emits inducing signals) and the ectoderm (which responds to them by giving rise to the neural plate proper and to neural crest cells). Neural induction also initiates the regional subdivision of the CNS. Neural inducing signals are not confined to the organizer; the young neural plate itself can induce a neural plate from competent ectoderm ("homeogenetic induction"). Surprisingly, this phenomenon has not yet been studied in detail, and it is not even known whether homeogenetic induction is region-specific (for example: does forebrain induce forebrain?). Attempts to understand the molecular mechanisms of neural induction and regionalization in different species of vertebrates have produced contradictory results. However, the notion is starting to emerge that cooperation between several signaling pathways is involved in neural induction and the early patterning of the nervous system. In this project we will use a combination of molecular and embryological methods to investigate the earliest events leading to the induction and regionalization of the nervous system. Specifically, the aims are: A. To address the questions: Is the molecular mechanism of homeogenetic induction similar to induction by the organizer? Is homeogenetic induction region-specific? B. To characterize the regulation of 6 newly-identified genes that mark early responses of the ectoderm to grafts of the organizer (Hensen?s node) by different tissues and various secreted factors, and to begin to assess their functional roles in the neural induction process. C. To study the role of the novel Zinc finger gene Churchill in neural development by targeted inactivation in mouse. D. To explore the possible roles of 6 newly-identified candidate secreted factors in the early steps of neural induction and homeogenetic induction.