Gene Expression Heterogeneity in the Maintenance and Coordinated Differentiation of Neuromesodermal Progenitors in vivo. (360G-Wellcome-109408_Z_15_Z)

Neuromesodermal progenitors (NMps) are a population of cells that give rise to neural and mesodermal derivatives during the elongation of the posterior body in vertebrate embryos. Despite their importance for understanding vertebrate development, we currently know little about the mechanisms that maintain these cells. Experiments measuring gene expression levels within single cells in vitro suggest the hypothesis that increased heterogeneity of neural and mesodermal markers allows for continual sampling of both these fates within NMps, and that this acts as a mechanism by which they retain the ability to give rise to both lineages. Here, I propose to perform quantitative, single-cell measurements of gene expression within whole zebrafish embryos and relating this directly to cell lineage. Finally, I shall apply a novel method for live imaging of both protein and mRNA dynamics within whole zebrafish embryos. Together, these studies will provide an unparalleled study of the role of gene expression during development and establish a strong research programme aimed at uncovering the molecular mechanisms that control this.