Jeffrey M. Gross - US grants

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The regulation of cellular proliferation and differentiation is integral to the formation of tissues and structures in all multicellular organisms. The mechanisms and cellular processes that regulate proliferation and fate specification, when aberrant, are intimately tied to oncogenesis and other human diseases making them highly relevant biological issues. Many questions remain unanswered as to the mechanisms whereby progenitor populations are maintained throughout development, how progenitor cells are triggered to exit the cell cycle with spatial and temporal precision and what signals or cues direct them to differentiate as specific cell types. Experiments described in this grant aim to elucidate these processes and will focus on the neural retina. Specifically, the grant has two aims; 1) to characterize the role of Id helix-loop-helix family members, Id2 and Id3, during the proliferation and differentiation events of the zebrafish retina and 2) to identify novel genes and chemicals affecting proliferation and differentiation events in the zebrafish retina.

Jeffrey M. Gross
IOS-0745782
Morphogenesis of the Vertebrate Eye

While eye formation is a well-conserved process across animals, the molecular mechanisms and the cell and tissue movements that facilitate many aspects of the process remain unclear. Research in this CAREER award focuses on understanding the molecular and cellular underpinnings of vertebrate eye development. Of particular interest to the Gross lab are the mechanisms that lead to the formation of the ventral optic cup, which subsequently undergoes a number of distinct cellular movements that are required for normal eye formation. To identify these mechanisms and genetic components required for ventral optic cup formation, the Gross lab utilizes the zebrafish embryo as a model system in which genetic, molecular and in vivo imaging techniques can be applied. The research addresses two central questions in eye development: (1) What are the regulatory components that lead to ventral optic cup formation, and how do these components interact as a network to facilitate this process? and (2) What are the cellular mechanisms that govern optic cup morphogenesis, and how are these regulated?

The Intellectual Merit of this project lies in a betterment of the understanding of the molecular and developmental mechanisms underlying eye formation, processes that have not been well characterized in any organism. The Broader Impacts of the project are threefold: (1) numerous training opportunities are provided for graduate, undergraduate and high school students in contemporary molecular and genetic techniques; (2) the research is integrated into a cutting edge laboratory course for undergraduate students that involves them first-hand in the research process and enables them to gain a unique research experience as part of their undergraduate training; and (3) the PI, graduate and undergraduate students participate in a number of outreach programs designed to attract and retain underrepresented students in the sciences, and to provide meaningful research experiences to these students.