Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Investigation of a neuromesendodermal progenitor population in the posterior avian endoderm

Award Number: R35GM142995
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2027

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Investigation of a neuromesendodermal progenitor population in the posterior avian endoderm - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Transformation of the early embryo from a seemingly disorganized ball of stem cells to the complex and precisely patterned adult form requires stereotyped regulation cell behaviors via biophysical and biochemical cues. Using the chick embryo, the long term goals of my research program are to understand from a highly quantitative perspective how this is orchestrated. Approximately half of the lab focuses on mechanobiology of embryonic development, seeking to understand the forces that shape tissues and organs in the embryo and the cues that specify those forces. The remainder of the lab studies cell fate determination, either in the context of early brain development or in the developing gut. The present application stems from the latter. During embryonic development, one of the first major steps in lineage segregation is gastrulation, when a single totipotent layer of cells separates into three germ layers, endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm. While conventionally, it has long been accepted that all progenitors of each germ layer are generated only during gastrulation, recent studies have challenged this, identifying a multipotent progenitor population that persists after gastrulation ends in the tailbud. Within this population, known as neuromesodermal progenitors, a single cell can give rise to progeny that contribute to both notochord (mesoderm) and neural tube (ectoderm). While studying gut tube formation in the chick embryo, we recently identified a population of endoderm cells that line the ventral surface of the tailbud, and appear to undergo a widespread and previously unreported epithelial-to- mesenchymal transition (EMT). These cells invade the neighboring tailbud tissue, reaching as far as the dorsal surface of the tailbud. Importantly, cells can be seen dispersed throughout the region where neuromesodermal progenitors are known to reside, as well as in the neural tube and notochord. This suggests that these endodermal cells represent an unappreciated source of neuromesodermal progenitors, which, if they retain the ability to generate endodermal tissues as well, would be remarkable. The present application combines classical embryology approaches such as fate mapping and grafting experiments with gene misexpression and single-cell RNA Sequencing in an effort to make sense of the simple yet puzzling observation that endoderm cells undergo a localized EMT and invade the tailbud at a time when gastrulation is complete. The proposal aims to identify the tissues to which this prospective progenitor population contributes, and to construct a detailed single-cell transcriptomic atlas of this population, from which identity, regulatory circuits, and proposed lineage trajectories can be inferred. At the completion of the proposed work, we will have established a new in vivo model to study endodermal EMT, and potentially identified a novel stem cell population residing in the endoderm, with the ability to give rise to mesodermal and ectodermal cells. This stands in contrast to long-held notions of lineage segregation during embryonic development, and therefore has the potential to be transformative for the fields of developmental biology and stem cell reprogramming.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	615 W 131ST ST	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	5	3/18/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $402,165 )
2025	2025	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	615 W 131ST ST	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	5	7/11/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$402,165
														Subtotal = $402,165

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $423,959 )
2024	2024	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	615 W 131ST ST	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	4	6/11/2024	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$22,663
2024	2024	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	615 W 131ST ST	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	6/6/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$401,296
														Subtotal = $423,959

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $491,103 )
2023	2023	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	202 LOW LIBRARY 535 W 116 ST MC 4309,	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	3	5/25/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$400,452
2023	2023	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	202 LOW LIBRARY 535 W 116 ST MC 4309,	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	3	5/26/2023	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$90,651
														Subtotal = $491,103

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $467,622 )
2022	2022	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	202 LOW LIBRARY 535 W 116 ST MC 4309,	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	2	5/13/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$399,633
2022	2022	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	202 LOW LIBRARY 535 W 116 ST MC 4309,	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	2	9/1/2022	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$67,989
														Subtotal = $467,622

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $398,837 )
2021	2021	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	116TH AND BDWY	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	7/26/2021	NEW	$398,837
														Subtotal = $398,837

Grand Total All Awards = $2,183,686

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Investigation of a neuromesendodermal progenitor population in the posterior avian endoderm

Award Number: R35GM142995

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2027

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer