Control of cell morphogenesis and cell growth by conserved NDR kinase Orb6

描述（由申请人提供）：细胞极性对细胞形态发生、细胞迁移和正常组织结构至关重要。它涉及许多细胞过程的动态协调，如细胞骨架聚合、蛋白质合成和膜运输。尽管我们对细胞形态发生的理解已经取得了实质性的进展，但在这一过程中涉及的许多分子机制仍然未知。我们实验室的长期目标是了解控制细胞形状的细胞功能，特别是协调细胞极性与细胞生长的信号网络。保守的NDR激酶在从酵母到哺乳动物的几种生物的细胞形态和细胞增殖的控制中起着关键作用。目前，对这种保守激酶的细胞功能及其控制细胞形态发生的靶点的了解非常有限。我们最近发现了裂变酵母NDR激酶Orb6在Cdc42 GTPase的空间控制中的作用，Cdc42 GTPase是一个关键的形态控制因子。使用假设驱动的研究以及基因组规模和蛋白质组学方法；我们将剖析Orb6激酶的功能，并确定其在细胞形态发生控制中的靶点。该项目的目的是确定NDR激酶在空间上调节细胞形状的机制。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cell polarity is essential for cell morphogenesis, cell migration, and for normal tissue architecture. It involves the dynamic coordination of many cellular processes such as cytoskeletal polymerization, protein synthesis and membrane trafficking. Although substantial progress has been made in our understanding of cell morphogenesis, many of the molecular mechanisms involved in this process are still unknown. The long-term goal of our laboratory is to understand the cellular functions that govern cell shape, and in particular the signaling networks that coordinate cell polarity with cell growth. The conserved NDR kinase plays a key role in the control of cell morphology and cell proliferation in several organisms ranging from yeast to mammals. Currently, there is a very limited understanding of the cellular functions of this conserved kinase and of its targets in the control of cell morphogenesis. We have recently discovered a role for the fission yeast NDR kinase Orb6 in the spatial control of Cdc42 GTPase, a key morphology control factor. Using both hypothesis-driven studies as well as genomic-scale and proteomic approaches; we will dissect the function of Orb6 kinase and identify its targets in the control of cell morphogenesis. The objective of this project is to define the mechanisms whereby NDR kinase spatially regulates cell shape.