Cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating neuronal differentiation in embryos and adults. (360G-Wellcome-102817_Z_13_Z)

I would like to understand how neuronal differentiation is regulated. We have recently discovered a novel form of cell sub-division, which involves local actin-myosin mediated abscission of apical cell membrane in cells poised to undergo neuronal differentiation in chick and mouse embryos (Das & Storey, under in depth review with Science; Figure 1). Apical abscission also involves a remarkable separation of apically positioned centrosome and cilium and so effectively dismantles this major signal ling conduit (Figure 2). These new cell biological mechanisms underlie abrupt loss of apico-basal polarity and cell signalling at the onset of neuronal differentiation. We propose here to investigate how actin-myosin mediated apical abscission is controlled and how centrosome and cilium separation is regulated and how this impacts cell signalling. We will further investigate a unique group of immature neurons that are poised to abscise in the adult mammalian spinal cord stem cell niche and deter mine how generally apical abscission is used as a mechanism for extraction of cells from proliferative epithelia