Analysis of chicken Scratch2 genomic binding sites in the embryonic spinal cord and evolutionary analysis of scratch expression

• Grant number: 13/13697-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: November 01, 2013
• End date: July 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Embryology
• Principal Investigator: Chao Yun Irene Yan
• Grantee: Felipe Monteleone Vieceli
• Supervisor: Marianne Elizabeth Bronner
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: California Institute of Technology, United States

Abstract

Our laboratory aims to dissect the molecular role of chicken Scratch2 (cScrt2) in neural development. Our past results indicate that cScrt2 acts as a transcription factor in post-mitotic neural precursors. However, in invertebrates Scrt is associated with proliferating neuroblasts as well. Thus, our aims in this proposal are twofold: (1) identify direct transcriptional targets of cScrt2 and (2) investigate evolutionary changes in Scrt expression pattern. For this, we will perform experiments in Prof. Marianne Bronner's laboratory at Caltech, which is very well established in both evolutionary development and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays to verify direct binding of transcription factors to genomic regions. With this project, we aim to generate important data regarding the molecular pathways controlled by Scrt factors and produce information that will contribute to the understanding of the evolution of Scrt expression pattern in the developing nervous system. (AU)