Development of Epibranchial Placodes and Ganglia in Zebrafish

描述（由申请人提供）：在脊椎动物中，源自外胚层基板的副交感上鳃（EB）神经节的感觉神经元对于颅感觉系统（如嗅觉、体感和味觉）的形成至关重要。尽管它们的重要性，很少有人知道的EB基板和神经节的各种发育方面的分子机制。本申请的总体目标是：1）确定负责早期EB前体从共同基板区分离的细胞和分子机制，以及2）利用斑马鱼中的先进遗传工具，以鉴定负责EB基板和神经节发育的新基因。 候选人对发育生物学有着长期的兴趣。在他的研究生和博士后研究期间，一个统一的主题是解决幼稚祖细胞如何分离以产生最终形成器官的不同细胞类型的问题。这个问题的重要性在应用于脊椎动物神经系统时更加深刻，其中存在数百种细胞类型。在本申请的K99部分，他将研究Fgf信号传导如何调节EB基板前体从共同祖细胞区域的分离。这项工作是他目前的NRSA奖学金的直接延伸，以研究EB基板发育过程中FGF信号传导的作用。候选人计划继续开发技术，帮助他研究颅板和神经节，包括斑马鱼转基因系的产生和测试，这将大大促进R00阶段提出的诱变筛选。在博士后工作之后，候选人计划在学术环境中建立一个独立的基础研究项目。他希望在K99培训期间获得的实践和理论知识将帮助他开始自己的独立研究，并使他能够探索斑马鱼生物学的新方面。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In vertebrates, sensory neurons of the parasympathetic epibranchial (EB) ganglia derived from ectodermal placodes are essential for the formation of cranial sensory systems such as smell, somatosensation, and taste. Despite their importance, very little is known about molecular mechanisms that govern various developmental aspects of EB placodes and ganglia. The overall goals of this application are: 1) to define the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are responsible for segregation of the early EB precursors from the common placodal field, and 2) to take advantage of advanced genetic tools in zebrafish in order to identify novel genes responsible for EB placode and ganglia development. The candidate has a long-standing interest in developmental biology. One unifying theme during his graduate and postdoctoral research was to address the question how naive progenitor cells segregate to give rise to diverse cell types that eventually form an organ. The importance of this question is even more profound when applied to a vertebrate nervous system, where hundreds of cell types exist. During the K99 part of this application, he will study how Fgf signaling regulates segregation of EB placode precursors from a common progenitor field. This work is a direct extension of his current NRSA fellowship to study roles of Fgf signaling during EB placode development. The candidate plans to continue developing technology that will assist him in studying cranial placodes and ganglia, including generation and testing of zebrafish transgenic lines, which will greatly facilitate the mutagenesis screen proposed during the R00 phase. Following postdoctoral work, the candidate plans to establish an independent basic research program in an academic setting. He expects that practical and theoretical knowledge gained during the K99 part of the training will help him to jump-start his own independent studies and will also allow him to venture into new aspects of zebrafish biology.