Research
Research summary
Polarisation of blastomeres at 8 cell stage is a process in which the symmetrically organised spherical blastomeres transform to polarised asymmetrical cells with distinctive apical and basolateral surfaces. The aim of my work is to study the intracellular localisation of transcripts of genes known to be implicated in lineage segregation and first cell fate decision, from the time of compaction and polarisation onwards. To assess mRNA subcellular localisation, a high resolution fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) procedure was applied. My results have shown that indeed the mRNA of Cdx2, a cell fate gene responsible for trophectoderm differentiation, is apically localised in the post compacted 8 cell blastomeres. Moreover my studies involve looking into the mechanism, function and dynamics of transcripts localisation.
Funding: Wellcome Trust
Publications
- Dynamics of localization and inheritance of transcripts for cell fate transcription factor Cdx2 in early mouse blastomeres. Maria Skamagki, Krzysztof Wicher, Sujoy Ganjuly and Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz (submitted).
- Maternally and zygotically provided Cdx2 have novel and critical roles for early development of the mouse embryo. Jedrusik A, Bruce AW, Tan MH, Leong DE, Skamagki M, Yao M, Zernicka-Goetz M. Dev Biol. 2010 Apr
- Role of Cdx2 and cell polarity in cell allocation and specification of trophectoderm and inner cell mass in the mouse embryo. Jedrusik A, Parfitt DE, Guo G, Skamagki M, Grabarek JB, Johnson MH, Robson P, Zernicka-Goetz M. Genes Dev. 2008 Oct