Differential Actin Regulation in Zebrafish Development

University Of California Berkeley, Berkeley CA

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research seeks to understand how the spatial and temporal control of actin dynamics is regulated differentially across the developing vertebrate embryo. This will be investigated within the specific context of mesodermal cell behaviors during gastrulation and segmentation in the zebrafish embryo. The potential role of actin regulatory molecules (ARMs) that are expressed in specific areas of developing mesoderm will be investigated by loss of function analysis, using confocal imaging and a transgenic line of reporter fish expressing actin-GFP fusion protein that reveals cellular actin distribution. The signaling pathways controlling these ARMs will be characterized using mutagenesis screening and protein-protein interaction assays. The misregulation of actin and cell movements has been implicated in multiple human conditions such as Wiskott- Aldrich syndrome and Spina Bifida, in which compromised cell polarity causes a failure of neural tube closure in early development. An understanding of actin regulation during vertebrate development in the zebrafish may thus provide insights into the causes and treatment of certain human diseases.