This award will support U.S. participation in a seminar on the "Developmental Biology of the Ascidian" organized jointly by Professor Charles Lambert of California State University, Fullerton and Dr. Takaharu Numakunai of Tohoku University, Japan. Six U.S. researchers will meet with Japanese scientists in August 1988 at the Asamushi Marine Biological Station of the Tohoku University. Topics of ascidian biology to be discussed include: the molecular basis of fertilization and cell differentiation during cleavage, control of the reproductive cycle, controls of colony formation and recognition, the accumulation and function of metal ions during development, the mechanism of metamorphosis, the formation of complex extracellular structures, and the nature of substances made by ascidians which are toxic to viruses, bacteria and tumor cells. Ascidians, as the most primitive of the living chordates, are ideal organisms for studying basic questions in developmental biology and may teach us much about the development and evolution of vertebrates. Remarkable strides have been made over the last five years in our understanding of many aspects of ascidian development. This joint U.S.-Japan seminar will provide a much-needed forum for the exchange of research results and ideas between ascidian biologists in our two countries.
