# Time-keeping mechanisms of embryonic cell cycles

> **NIH NIH R01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $324,601

## Abstract

During embryonic development each body part is programmed to contain an accurate number and
arrangement of cells. This accuracy is achieved through precise regulation of cell proliferation in the face of
the molecular noise characteristic of the biochemical processes regulating the cell cycle. The molecular
mechanisms by which embryos suppress noise remain poorly understood. Uncovering these mechanisms is a
central goal of Developmental Biology and requires the development of novel methodologies to measure
quantitatively cellular dynamics in living embryos. The overarching goal of this proposal is to reveal the
molecular mechanisms that ensure accurate control of the cell cycle during Drosophila embryonic
development. We will study the molecular mechanisms ensuring precise temporal regulation of cell division
through control of gene expression, signaling and protein degradation. We have developed live imaging and
computational approaches to quantify the dynamics of the major enzymes regulating the cell cycle during
embryonic development. In Aim 1, we will use biosensors for the activities of of Cdk1 and Chk1 to identify how
chemical waves act to synchronize mitosis in the syncytial embryo. In Aim 2, we will use live imaging to dissect
the molecular mechanisms that ensure the cell cycle remodeling at the maternal-to-zygotic transition. In Aim
3, we will elucidate how transcriptional regulation of cdc25string ensures precise regulation of the timing of
mitosis during gastrulation. These experiments will define a novel quantitative framework for uncovering how
the cell cycle is regulated accurately during embryonic development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10168563
- **Project number:** 5R01GM122936-05
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Stefano Di Talia
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $324,601
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-06-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10168563

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10168563, Time-keeping mechanisms of embryonic cell cycles (5R01GM122936-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10168563. Licensed CC0.

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