Molecular mechanisms regulating cell fate

细胞通过细胞表面被称为受体的蛋白质与环境相互作用。通过多米诺骨牌效应，这些受体的激活导致细胞内一系列蛋白质的激活。这一系列蛋白质被称为信号通路。然后，这些途径指导细胞如何对环境做出反应。通过激活这些途径，细胞可以被指示分裂、发育或死亡。有时，根据细胞类型或其他环境信号的不同，激活同一途径可能导致截然不同的后果。目前尚不清楚激活同一途径如何导致细胞或细胞命运的不同后果。Christian实验室感兴趣的是了解即使在普通蛋白质、受体或途径被激活时，指导不同细胞命运的机制。为了开始这项工作，我们将重点放在一个模型系统上，在这个模型系统中，一种被称为CD24的受体会根据细胞类型产生非常不同的影响。如果CD24被激活，注定要成为产生抗体的细胞，即B细胞，将会死亡。相反，在一些癌细胞中，CD24指示细胞存活。我们的目标是确定一个特定细胞在CD24的作用下是存活还是死亡的机制。这些研究将大大提高我们对细胞是如何决定它们是生存还是死亡的理解。此外，这些机制的表征可能会确定可能改变细胞生存或死亡能力的靶向蛋白质。

Cells interact with their environment through proteins at the cell surface, known as receptors. Through a domino effect, the activation of these receptors causes activation of a series of proteins inside in the cell. This series of proteins is known as a signalling pathway. These pathways then instruct the cell how to respond to its environment. By activating these pathways, a cell can be instructed to, among other consequences, divide, develop, or die. Sometimes activation of the same pathway can result in drastically different consequences depending on the cell type or other environmental signals. It is not clear how activation of the same pathway can result in different consequences for the cell, or cell fates. The Christian lab is interested in understanding the mechanisms that direct different cell fates even when common proteins, receptors or pathways are activated. To begin this work, we will focus on a model system where one receptor, known as CD24, causes very different effects depending on the cell type. Cells that are destined to become antibody-producing cells, known as B cells, will die if CD24 is activated. In contrast, in some cancer cells CD24 instructs the cell to survive. Our goal is to identify the mechanisms that determine if a specific cell will live or die in response to CD24. These studies will significantly improve our understanding of how cells decide if they will live or die. Furthermore, the characterization of these mechanisms may identify proteins that could be targeted to alter the ability of a cell to live or die.