A22: Differentiation and maintenance of zebrafish photoreceptor polarity

Project leader: Prof. Dr. E. Knust

Photoreceptor cells develop from the neuroepithelium. Their differentiation from progenitor cells includes establishment and maintenance of a pronounced apico-basal polarity. Results obtained previously in Drosophila lead us to suggest that the evolutionarily conserved Crumbs protein complex controls apical membrane dynamics in polarised cells. We will study the Crumbs complex in the zebrafish retina, in particular its role in differentiation of cell polarity and control of apical membrane turnover.