Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Role of transcription factor Cut in glial niche development and its influence on Neural Stem Cell microenvironment |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Focus area : | Developmental Neurobiology |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. richa arya, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | aryaricha@gmail.com |
Details
Executive Summary : | The niche regulates the molecular and cellular communication between neural stem cells (NSCs) and their systemic environment in a functional nervous system. Glial cells create an extensive niche around neural cells in the mammalian and Drosophila nervous system to support developing neural networks and govern various aspects of stem cell life, such as proliferation, quiescence, and progeny cells' fate. Understanding the molecular basis of stem cell niche formation is crucial for understanding the homeostasis of CNS development. The emerging importance of CUX1 in glial cancer glioma is significant, as it has been linked with poor prognosis in Glioma patients. However, its direct role in gliogenesis remains unclear. Under the SERB-Early Career funding, researchers have an excellent lead that would further extend our understanding of glial biology. They show that Cut, a Drosophila homologye of CUX1, is necessary and sufficient for proper cortical Gila growth and formation of trophorangiam around each neural cell body. In Cut mutants, glia cells cannot support NSCs and their progeny, leading to premature loss of NSCs.
The proposed work aims to elucidate the molecular mechanism through which cortical and astrocyte glial cells form extended niches and help establish functional communication between the systemic environment and neural cells. It also identifies the molecular mechanism of Cut/CUX1, the evolutionarily conserved transcription factor, in controlling cortical glia's growth around neural cell bodies. The project will help identify the details transcriptional network required for glial growth downstream of Cut and learn how various signals converge to establish proper communication between the niche and NSCs, a fundamental requirement of a functional and disease-free CNS. |
Total Budget (INR): | 44,22,260 |
Organizations involved