MicroRNA regulation of smooth muscle development

我们感兴趣的是发现导致器官发育的遗传途径，特别是在肠道和血管中。这两个器官都由多个组织层组成，其中一个是平滑肌。平滑肌为消化提供肠道的收缩力，并收缩血管以调节血压。在本研究中，我们将探讨一种小核酸miR-143在平滑肌发育过程中如何控制其他基因的表达。我们将通过确定miR-143调节哪些基因，然后了解这些基因如何共同作用以协调平滑肌的正常发育来做到这一点。

We are interested in discovering the genetic pathways that lead to organ development, particularly in the gut and blood vessels. Both of these organs consist of multiple tissue layers, one of which is smooth muscle. Smooth muscle provides the contractility of the gut for digestion and contraction of blood vessels to modulate blood pressure. In this proposal we will explore how a small nucleic acid, miR-143, controls the expression of other genes during development of smooth muscle. We will do this by determining which genes miR-143 regulates, and then understanding how these genes act together to co-ordinate the proper development of smooth muscle.