The processes involved in the determination of a cell's developmental fate remain important problems in developmental biology. During the development of an organism, both maternally-derived products and zygotic compounds must interact within the developing embryonic cell for proper specification of the cell's developmental potential. Using the nematode C. elegans, zygotic lethal mutants affecting only embryogenesis will be isolated to assess the role of the zygotic genome in early development. Maternal effect lethal mutants that appear to be defective in specifying the gut lineage will be identified to analyze maternal components required to specify a particular lineage. The expression of a subset of strict maternal effect lethal genes, par genes, will be examined to gain some understanding of the mechanisms involved in cytoplasmic partitioning. Products for the par genes are required for proper localization of cytoplasmic factors during the early divisions of the C. elegans embryo. Additional alleles at the par loci will be isolated. Par genes will be cloned by "transposon tagging" following transposition mutagenesis. The par genes will be sequenced and the sequences used to prepare antibodies to par proteins. Antibody probes should allow a biochemical analysis of par gene products and thus, provide information about the mechanisms involved in asymmetrically partitioning cytoplasmic components essential for proper development. One of the central problems in developmental biology is understanding how the division of a cell creates two unlike daughters with different developmental fates. It has been proposed that such asymmetric divisions result from unequal positioning or partitioning of cytoplasmic components. Dr. Shaw proposes an investigation of this question using appropriate mutants of C. elegans.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS)
Application #
8711133
Program Officer
Judith A. Verbeke
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
1987-11-15
Budget End
1991-10-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
$232,380
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55455