This project examines the processes by which brain cells form and ultimately connect to one another to ensure proper brain function. The experiments use tunicates, the invertebrate animals most closely related to vertebrates, both because they are especially suitable for the technical aspects of this work, and because their neurons share many genes and structural features in common with vertebrates, including humans. The work will be carried out using novel genetic engineering techniques that specifically target brain cells in order to collect novel information about the development of nerve cell features that control the directionality of information flow in nervous systems. This project will also engage high school and college students by teaching them to use these advanced genetic techniques to better understand the networks of genes involved in animal brain development and function.
The work will study the functions of both intracellular and extracellular components of an intrinsic, potentially conserved regulatory program for neuronal polarization and axon outgrowth in the simple chordate Ciona. This project is designed to achieve two main objectives: 1) To arrive at a better mechanistic understanding of the way(s) that intracellular and extracellular cues are integrated to instruct neuronal polarity in vivo; and 2) To elucidate the transcriptional network(s) regulating neuronal polarity in development. This project will deepen our understanding of evolutionarily conserved molecular pathways that coordinating polarized morphogenetic processes in differentiating neurons, as well as the regulatory mechanisms that control cellular morphogenesis in neural development. This research plan is integrated with specific research-related activities to enhance both the biological education that university undergraduates and high school students receive, as well as their appreciation for how fundamental research and comparative animal studies contribute to scientific knowledge.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
