9421709 Posakony The long-term goal of this research is to understand how cells in the ectoderm layer of the body are directed to become neurons (cells of the nervous system) instead of epidermal (skin) cells. In insects, a small group of genes called "proneural" genes have been identified as the major determinants of a cell's potential to become part of the nervous system. These genes specify the synthesis of regulatory proteins that control the activity of other genes. Very similar "proneural" genes have been identified in mammals (including humans), where they also control nervous system development. In this project, the peripheral (sensory) nervous system of an insect will be used as a model to investigate, at the molecular level, how the expression of the proneural genes is controlled, and how the protein products of these genes act to confer on cells the competence to become neurons. The results of this research will provide fundamental information about the mechanisms that control the development of individual cells in the nervous system. ^Z^Z
