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Examining the mechanism of the gene simplet (smp) in nerve-dependent appendage regeneration of the zebrafish

Antragsteller Dr. Christopher Antos
Fachliche Zuordnung Allgemein- und Viszeralchirurgie
Förderung Förderung von 2009 bis 2013
Projektkennung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 157311488
 
Erstellungsjahr 2013

Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse

From the funding of this grant, we made two major discoveries: One, we identified Smp as a regulator of β-catenin-dependent Wnt signaling. Two, we identified calcineurin as a regulator of proportional growth control of zebrafish appendages. The first discovery opens new avenues to understand how Wnt signaling is regulated and how calcineurin coordinates control of regenerative growth. Because Smp regulates β-catenin nuclear localization, this discovery leads to further exploration on what regulates Smp to regulate β-catenin. In addition to β-catenin, Smp may also regulate the nuclear localization of other factors. Mass spectrometry experiments can determine what proteins are regulating Smp and what factors are shuttling between the cytoplasm and the nucleus with Smp. Furthermore, and β-catenin-dependent signaling is involved in the progression of many cancer types; therefore, human SMP could be target for the design of new pharmaceutical agents to treat cancer. The second finding that two clinically approved calcineurin inhibitors (used as immunosuppressants in patients) enhance regenerative outgrowth in part through the upregulation of retinoic acid provides avenues for further discoveries in the cell and molecular biology of overarching controls of multi-tissue coordinated proportional growth. In particular, subsequent questions we will address are 1) how calcineurin is regulating retinoic acid signaling, 2) which cells are involved in mediating calcineurin’s regulation of regenerative growth and 3) whether the calcineurin inhibitors act through signaling pathways other than retinoic acid.

Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)

 
 

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