# MOLECULAR BASIS OF NEUROGENESIS IN VERTEBRATE EMBRYOS

> **NIH NIH R01** · SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES · 1994 · $275,147

## Abstract

The formation of the vertebrate nervous system begins in early
embryonic development when one portion of the embryo, the ectoderm, is
divided into neural and epidermal tissue.  The division of ectoderm into
these two developmental fates is dependent on cell-cell interactions that
control both the morphology and differentiation of ectodermal cells.
These interactions cause a boundary to form between neural and non neural
ectoderm, and allow ectoderm to form neuroepithelial cells which give
rise to neural cell types.  These are the events that underlie the
formation of the neural tube, a process in which defects readily occur in
human development.  These abnormalities lead to syndromes know as neural
tube defects, of which spina bifida is a well known example.  To study
these events, several approaches have been taken to identify cell surface
molecules that underlie the cell-cell interactions necessary for early
neural development in Xenopus embryos.  One approach has been to identify
molecules that mediate adhesion between embryonic cells by a
calcium-dependent, homotypic binding mechanism.  This approach has
identified a class of cell adhesion molecules, called the cadherins, that
are expressed in ectoderm when it separates into epidermal (E-cadherin)
and neural tissue (N-cadherin).  The present proposal is to analyze the
developmental role of the cadherins in the formation of epidermal and
neural tissue using various techniques to perturb the expression of these
molecules in early Xenopus embryos.  A second approach has been to
identify Xenopus homologs for genes that have been identified through
genetic studies of neurogenesis in Drosophila. embryos.  This approach
has identified a Xenopus homolog to the Drosophila Notch gene.  Notch is
a large cell surface glycoprotein which mediates cell-cell interaction
that are necessary for the generation of neural tissue from the embryonic
epithelium in Drosophila embryos.  The Xenopus homolog of Notch is being
studied to determine if it has a similar role in the formation of neural
tissue in Xenopus embryos.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2198999
- **Project number:** 5R01HD023891-07
- **Recipient organization:** SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
- **SAM.gov UEI:** NNJ6BMBTFGN5
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher Robert Kintner
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $275,147
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1988-08-01 → 1996-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2198999

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2198999, MOLECULAR BASIS OF NEUROGENESIS IN VERTEBRATE EMBRYOS (5R01HD023891-07). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2198999. Licensed CC0.

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