Objective
We want to address the question of how DNA replication and transcription are coordinated in the early stages developing sea urchin embryo. In this system, even though the embryonic cells are involved in fast-paced cell division transcription begins very early in development. We think that this is possible because the early-stage transcripts constitute a group of GC rich sequences, in the otherwise generally GC-poor and (by vertebrate standard) homogeneous sea urchin genome. This GC richness may be responsible for a positional distribution of these sequences in regions of the genome more readily accessible to the transcriptional apparatus even during fast cycles of chromosomal duplication-condensation.
The sea urchin embryo is a system of choice to test this hypothesis because:
1) the genome information necessary for the study is (soon to be) available;
2) a comprehensive picture of the early development, described in its detailed regulatory gene network circuitries, is being built over the recent years;
3) this model system offers great experimental manipulability.
The study proposed offers us the opportunity of linking genome organization with transcriptional activity and understanding what the functional relevance of this is in development. The system c hosen provides the ideal portal to understand how the evolutionary process has shaped the genome to make it transcriptionally efficient from the early stages of embryonic life.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
FP6-2004-MOBILITY-12
See other projects for this call
Coordinator
NAPOLI
Italy