Regenerative therapy utilizing pluripotent stem cells holds promise for treatment of a variety of pathological conditions. However, the mechanisms that determine the growth, patterning, and homeostasis of tissue from progenitor cells during development versus those involved in tissue regeneration in an adult organism remain largely unknown. Pigment pattern in fishes represents an attractive model system to directly visualize mechanisms of patterning in adults, since fish undergo larval to adult metamorphosis that involves changes in growth and organization of pigment cell populations, and the capacity to regenerate fins permits examination of pigment cell biology during tissue regeneration. The proposed research aims to characterize the naturally occurring cichlid fish orange blotch mutant. Pigment cell migration and differentiation will be comparatively analyzed during adult development and regeneration using spatial and temporal analysis, as well as in situ-based characterization of differentiation state with lineage markers. Also, the orange blotch gene will be identified within the previously mapped interval using a directed mapping approach and candidate gene analysis.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
1F32HD051383-01
Application #
7000259
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-F05 (20))
Program Officer
Coulombe, James N
Project Start
2005-09-30
Project End
2008-09-29
Budget Start
2005-09-30
Budget End
2006-09-29
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$43,976
Indirect Cost
Name
University of New Hampshire
Department
Genetics
Type
Schools of Earth Sciences/Natur
DUNS #
111089470
City
Durham
State
NH
Country
United States
Zip Code
03824
Roberts, Reade B; Moore, Emily C; Kocher, Thomas D (2017) An allelic series at pax7a is associated with colour polymorphism diversity in Lake Malawi cichlid fish. Mol Ecol 26:2625-2639
Roberts, Reade B; Ser, Jennifer R; Kocher, Thomas D (2009) Sexual conflict resolved by invasion of a novel sex determiner in Lake Malawi cichlid fishes. Science 326:998-1001