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Elucidating The Role Of Nidogen In The Fusion Of The Choroid Fissure, Nicholas W. Carrara
Elucidating The Role Of Nidogen In The Fusion Of The Choroid Fissure, Nicholas W. Carrara
Theses and Dissertations--Biology
In the developing embryo, the timely fusion of opposing epithelial sheets into one uniform layer denotes the completion of several developmental events. Failure of this epithelial sheet fusion event (ESF) within the choroid fissure (CF) is associated with the congenital disorder Ocular Coloboma, and is one of the leading causes of pediatric blindness. A requirement for a highly coordinated dismantling of the basement membrane (BM) to allow for fusion to occur is undoubted, however the underlying mechanisms of this process are poorly understood. Due to its BM crosslinking capabilities, I have hypothesized that the regulation of nidogen plays a crucial …