Award details

Enzymes signalling and cell determination in the chick embryo: sites of synthesis of the morphogen retinoic acid.

Reference	G09530
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Malcolm Maden
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	King's College London
Department	Reproductive Health Endocrinology Dev
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	219,188
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/08/1998
End date	01/08/2001
Duration	36 months

Abstract

Retinoic acid (RA), the active metabolite of vitamin A is a crucial signalling molecule in the developing embryo. Excess RA as well as a deficiency of RA has dramatic effects on several embryonic systems. Despite these well-established observations we still do not know where or how RA is synthesised in the embryo. The aim of this proposal is to fully map where retinoic acid (RA) is made in the developing chick embryo at a range of stages of embryogenesis, determine whether different regions of the embryo or different tissues of the embryo generate different types of RA and locate the enzymes that are responsible for its production. This will be performed by reporter cell assays and HPLC to measure endogenous RA and cloning and in situ hybridisation to identify and locate the enzymes which generate RA. This is the first attempt to examine these aspects in one species and will give us important coordinated information on how cell determination occurs through localised production of a signalling molecule in development.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Genes & Developmental Biology (GDB)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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