# ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL PATTERNING IN A UNICELLULAR ORGANISM

> **NIH NIH R37** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 1993 · $189,522

## Abstract

Gaining an understanding of the mechanisms of pattern formation is the
major objective of this investigation.  The specific aim is to analyze
the arrangement of structures in the cell surface region of a ciliate,
Tetrahymena thermophila.  Previous studies of hereditary reversals of
asymmetry in the arrangement of cell-surface structures led to
formulation and testing of a detailed "cylindrical coordinate model"
(CCM) for organization of the ciliate cortex.  This model, which is
related to the "polar coordinate model" of French, Bryant, and Bryant,
extends concepts of positional information to the intracellular level.
The proposed work is intended to test this model further, and especially
to extend its application to the molecular level.  The major specific
goal is to find proteins that are restricted to particular locations
(rather than to specific structures) within the cell.  The principal
method will be the production of monoclonal antibodies raised against
preparations of the surface layers and screened with gently fixed cells
using indirect immunofluorescence.  Some of the position-specific
antibodies should fail to react with pattern mutants, such as the mirror-
image janus mutants in which, according to the CCM, dorsal positional
values are missing and are replaced by ventral values in reverse order.
A second approach will be to use two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel
electrophoresis to detect cell-surface proteins that are absent in janus
mutants, and thus might respond to or conceivably embody positional
information.  Concurrent genetic studies will involve a continuing search
for new mutations of the janus and related classes, and a further
analysis of the onset and termination of expression of existing mutations
following controlled mass matings.  While these studies on Tetrahymena
have no immediate relationship to human health, they are concerned with
the general problem of developmental fields which is common to all
complex organisms, including humans.  J. M. Opitz, Editor of the American
Journal of Medical Genetics, has pointed out that most congenital human
malformations are defects in developmental fields in which, "...though
the causes are many, final developmental paths...are few indeed" (Opitz,
1985, Amer. J. Med. Genet. 21, 1-11).  The proposed research is concerned
with understanding general rules that constrain "final developmental
paths".

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2196608
- **Project number:** 5R37HD008485-19
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** Z1H9VJS8NG16
- **Principal Investigator:** JOSEPH FRANKEL
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $189,522
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1977-05-01 → 1995-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2196608

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2196608, ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL PATTERNING IN A UNICELLULAR ORGANISM (5R37HD008485-19). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2196608. Licensed CC0.

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