Molecular definition of neural pathways in the embryo and adult mouse [ 2003 - 2005 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Dr Johanna Van Eekelen (Principal investigator) ,  Dr Kenneth Smith ,  E/Pr Alan Harvey ,  Glenn Begley

Brief description It is our objective to gain insight into the role of the Stem Cell leukaemia (SCL) gene in the central nervous system (CNS). SCL is known to play a crucial role in blood cell development and if aberrantly expressed can lead to T-cell leukemia. Although we do know that SCL is expressed in the brain, its role in the CNS has not been addressed so far and it is of great interest to us to study its potential function in neural development. We have designed a series of experiment in mice to elucidate the expression pattern of SCL in the CNS, to identify the phenotype of neural cells that express SCL in different regions of the mouse brain, and to ablate the SCL gene at different time points during life (during embryonic development, just after birth and during adulthood). These experiments will be performed in conditional transgenic mice that have unique and precisely defined genetic alteration and are generated by us specifically for our research on the SCL-gene. This genetic approach is used to define the neuroanatomical and molecular bases of SCL-function in the brain.

Funding Amount $AUD 401,000.00

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant