| Non-Scientific Abstract In early vertebrate brain formation, cells identical
to each other in appearance under a light microscope acquire their fates by expressing different genetic
factors.One genetic factor that influences brain development, is a zebrafish homeobox gene, mbx,
which was identified through subtractive cloning in our laboratory. Preliminary studies have shown
through in situ hybridization and loss of function by morpholino injection that expression of mbx
is critical for the development or maintenance of the ventral forebrain, eyes and a major sensory
processing region called the midbrain. This study aims to further discern the role of mbx in brain
development through studies that look at early overexpression of mbx and through other studies
that look at overexpression of mbx exclusively in the area where mbx is normally
expressed.We hope to connect mbx to other genes thought to influence the formation of the
midbrain, such as wnt1 and wnt8b. The connections will be tested through loss of function
assays of these other genes and by looking at mutants known to have midbrain-hindbrain boundary
abnormality for the effect these mutations have on mbx expression. Through all these studies we
will show the role of mbx and its importance in brain formation.
Abstract The
dividing cells in an embryo need to specialize into particular types of cells as the embryo develops from
a single cell into a full organism. By examining this process at a molecular level in model organisms,we
will gain a better understanding of how this process happens in human embryos.More specifically, our
research investigates genes involved in the development of the midbrain in zebrafish, a vertebrate model
system, by looking at a novel gene,mbx, and what goes wrong when the expression of this gene is
changed.This research will lead to a better understanding of the midbrain, as well as diseases that
affect the midbrain such as Parkinsonšs disease. |
