Assessing gene function in the developing brain using zebrafish as a model system (2009-2011)
Abstract
Although the vertebrate brain is the most complex tissue in biology, it is initially formed by a simple sheet of cells that folds to create a tube in the embryo. Groups of nerve cells emerge in this tube and become interconnected to form networks of functioning circuits. This project will examine the role of genes (DNA) in controlling this process. This is the first time that the mechanisms underlying the initial formation of axon networks in vertebrates have been examined in detail. Our analysis will discover genes that will enable us to control or alter how the brain develops or the way it repairs itself after injury.
