RUI: Myosin I Isoform 1myr4 in Xenopus Laevis Neural Tissue Development

Merrimack College, North Andover MA

Investigators

Abstract

0077516 LeBlanc-Straceski Myosins are molecular motors that use stored chemical energy resources in cells to produce movement. For example, myosin hydrolyzes ATP to produce the force for muscle contraction. The myosins constitute a very large family of related proteins, each of which has a specialized function. This proposal studies the expression of a myosin 1 isoform whose expression is restricted to nerve tissue. The function of this myosin in moving critical components around the cell, such as vesicles containing neurotransmitters, as well as the role it might play in the embryonic development of the nervous system, is being investigated using the classic vertebrate model system of the frog. Data gathered about the developing embryonic nervous system should aid in the understanding of certain birth defects as well as spinal cord injuries and neuro-degenerative diseases. Other investigators have linked genetic defects in different myosins to human diseases, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and inherited deafness or Usher syndrome. Moreover, an additional benefit is gained. The training undergraduate students receive as they perform meaningful, high quality, research, profoundly influences their career goals.