# Cell cycle regulation of polarity proteins in proliferating epithelia

> **NIH NIH R15** · AMHERST COLLEGE · 2021 · $456,268

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Epithelia are polarized layers of adherent cells and the first organized assemblies to emerge during animal
development. As they constitute the scaffolds of most organs, they undergo extensive remodeling and
proliferation throughout the life of the animal. A long-standing question is how proliferating cells maintain their
epithelial organization. Loss of both cell cycle control and epithelial organization result in tissue deformations
and epithelial cancers. Loss of cell polarity, in particular, is one of the most prevalent causes of epithelial
disorganization. Our central hypothesis is that epithelial polarity is under cell cycle control. Work on
proliferative epithelia of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis has shown that polarity proteins oscillate on
and off the apical domain in concert with the cell cycle. Discovery of similar polarity oscillations in various
epithelia suggest that cell cycle regulation of epithelial polarity is broadly conserved. However, very little is
known about the mechanisms that drive epithelial polarity oscillations and their role in tissue homeostasis. I
propose to use the early developing embryos of Nematostella to investigate how the cell cycle regulates
epithelial polarity. Nematostella embryos form polarized layers within the first few cleavages and maintain this
organization during subsequent synchronous cell divisions. Imaging and molecular biological approaches will
allow us to: [1] Dissect whether and how the cell cycle machinery directly modifies apical polarity proteins, and
[2] Determine how mitotic changes in cytoskeletal organization control apical protein oscillations. The
mechanisms we will uncover are likely to be broadly applicable in other animals and relevant for human
epithelia and their associated diseases.
.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10202913
- **Project number:** 1R15GM141979-01
- **Recipient organization:** AMHERST COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Katerina Ragkousi
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $456,268
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-03-03 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10202913

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10202913, Cell cycle regulation of polarity proteins in proliferating epithelia (1R15GM141979-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10202913. Licensed CC0.

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