Patterning Neurogenesis: Dynamics of signaling and gene regulation in Drosophila eye development

报告题目：Patterning Neurogenesis: Dynamics of signaling and gene regulation in Drosophila eye development
报告时间：8月4日 上午10点
报告地点：S2-102
报告专家：Prof. Nicholas Baker, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
联系人：韩敬东

 

Our research addresses mechanisms of growth and development in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. Read more about our research interests here.

Dr. Nicholas E.Baker

Departments of Genetics

1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, NY 10461
Tel: [phone]
[e-mail]

 

Overview:

Growth and Development of Drosophila

Much is known about the molecular biology of the cell, but many interesting processes in biology and medicine depend on populations of cells and the interactions between cells.  The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, in which advanced in vivo genetic mosaic techniques are available, can be used to investigate how cell-cell interactions contribute to body form and function.  We are elucidating the molecular mechanisms of neurogenesis, using molecular and genetic experiments as well as mathematical modeling to understand how certain cells are chose to differentiate into neural fates, and also how this is linked to terminal cell cycle withdrawal that maintains neurons in a post-mitotic state for the remainder of life.  These studies focus on the retina as an exemplary neural tissue, and help to understand both neural developmental defects and neurodegenerative conditions, since there is emerging evidence that neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, Ataxia Telangiectasia, stroke, AIDS-related dementia, and viral encephalitis are associated with inappropriate cell cycle activation by otherwise postmitotic neurons.
We are also seeking a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of cell competition, which is revealed when the organism eliminates cells that would survive were the whole organism the same genotype.  Even wild type cells can be out-competed by ‘super-competitor’ genotypes, such as cells that over-express myc, or cells mutated for certain tumor suppressor genes. Cell competition reveals a way that cell interactions can select the most favorable progenitor cells available, something that was not suspected prior to these chimera studies.   In rodents, cell competition is thought to explain how liver progenitor cells from young donors replace older host cells when liver regeneration is stimulated in chimeras.  Cell competition might occur during the development of cancer, since tumors normally differ genetically from normal cells.

Selected Publications

Tyler, D. and Baker, N.E. (2007).  Expanded and fat regulate growth and differentiation in the Drosophila eye through multiple signaling pathways.  Dev. Biol., 305, 187-201.
Firth, L.C., and Baker, N.E.  (2007).  Spitz from the retina regulates genes transcribed in the Second Mitotic Wave,  peripodial epithelium,  glia and plasmatocytes of the Drosophila eye imaginal disc.  Dev. Biol., 307, 521-538.
Li, W. and Baker, N.E. (2007)  Engulfment is required for cell competition.  Cell, 129, 1215-1225.
Baker, N.E.  (2007)  Pattern formation and the spatial regulation of proliferation.  Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 17, 287-293.
Li, W. and Baker,, N.E.  (2007)  The active role of corpse engulfment pathways during cell competition.  Fly 1, 274-278.
Pei, Z. and Baker, N.E. (2008).  Competition between Delta and the Abruptex domain of Notch, BMC Developmental Biology, 8: 4.
Baker, N.E. and Li, W. (2008)  Cell competition and its possible relation to cancer.  Cancer Research 68, 5505-5507.
Bhattacharya, A. and Baker, N.E. (2009)  The HLH protein Extramacrochaetae is required for R7 and cone cell fates in the Drosophila eye Dev. Biol. 327, 288-300.
Firth, L.C. and Baker (2009)  Retinal determination genes as targets and possible effectors of extracellular signals. Dev. Biol. 327, 366-375.
Fullard, J.F., Kale, A., and Baker, N.E.  (2009).  Clearance of apoptotic corpses.  Apoptosis, 14, 1029-1037.
Baker, N.E., Bhattacharya, A., and Firth, L.C. (2009) Regulation of Hedgehog signal transduction as Drosophila eye differentiation progresses.  Developmental Biology, 335, 356-366.
Li, W., Kale, A., and Baker, N.E.  (2009) Oriented cell division as a response to cell death and cell competition.  Current Biology, 19 1821-1826.

 

http://fruitfly4.aecom.yu.edu/index.html