Olfactory Development: Cell Proliferation and Maturation

这个项目的总体目标是了解是什么调控了胚胎后的再生， 嗅觉外围这项建议的重点是该项目的一个主要方面-新的 成年动物的嗅觉受体神经元和相关细胞。不断扩散和周转， 嗅觉受体神经元，即使在成年人中，也是人类的一个特征，在动物模型中也有表达。 在这项研究中使用。这三个具体的施舍是1）什么基因与新的增殖有关？ 嗅觉细胞？2)局部和激素因素如何改变嗅细胞的增殖？（3）什么 功能变化与嗅细胞的增殖、成熟和分化有关？到 调查这些问题，该提案将使用龙虾嗅觉系统的关键有利特征， 其中包括关于这个系统的功能组织的丰富知识， 成年的嗅觉组织可以通过损伤和激素（如哺乳动物）来调节， 轴到其嗅觉器官，其中增殖，成熟和衰老区，是物理上的 分离（在哺乳动物中不是这样）。因此，这些实验在龙虾中是可能的，但在其他动物中是不可能的。 突出的无脊椎动物模型，如果蝇和C.缺乏胚后更新的线虫， 嗅觉神经元实验设计将包括分子技术，包括寻找新的 基因（通过代表性差异分析）和同源基因（通过RT-PCR），表达分析 基因及其产物的模式（通过原位杂交和免疫细胞化学），以及 功能（通过膜片钳和单细胞电生理学）。这些关于干细胞样活性的研究， 胚胎后成年动物中的神经发生是重要的，因为这些再生过程不仅 对理解感觉器官功能的调节具有基本的重要性，但也具有实用性。 帮助我们了解如何通过调节补偿活动和功能损失的重要性 通过控制系统。

The overall goal of this project is to understand what regulates the post-embryonic regeneration of the olfactory periphery. This proposal focuses on one major aspect of the project - the proliferation of new olfactory receptor neurons and associated cells in adult animals. Continuous proliferation and turnover of olfactory receptor neurons, even in adults, is a feature of humans that is also expressed in the animal model used in this study. The three specific alms are 1) What genes are associated with proliferation of new olfactory cells? 2) How do local and hormonal factors alter proliferation of olfactory cells? and 3) What functional changes are correlated with proliferation, maturation, and differentiation of olfactory cells? To investigate these issues, this proposal will use critical advantageous features of the lobster olfactory system, which include a wealth of knowledge about the functional organization of this system, continuous turnover of adult olfactory tissue that can be modulated by damage and hormones (as in mammals), and a developmental axis to its olfactory organ in which the zones of proliferation, maturation, and senescence, are physically separated (not so in mammals). Consequently, these experiments are possible in the lobster, but not in other prominent invertebrate models such as Drosophila and C. elegans which lack post-embryonic turnover of olfactory neurons. The experimental design will include molecular techniques including searches for novel genes (by representational difference analysis) and homologous genes (by RT-PCR), analysis of expression patterns of genes and their products (by in-situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry), and analysis of function (by patch-clamp and single cell electrophysiology). These studies of stem cell-like activity and neurogenesis in post-embryonic adult animals are important since these regenerative processes are not only of basic importance to understanding regulation of function of a sensory organ, but also have the practical importance of helping us understand how to compensate for loss of activity and function through regulation by control systems.