Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

Development Of Mechanosensory Innervation In The Frog, Xenopus Laevis, Peter Andrew Feuk

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DEVELOPMENT OF MECHANOSENSORY INNERVATION IN THE FROG, XENOPUS LAEVIS

by

Peter Feuk

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017

Under the Supervision of Dr. R. David Heathcote

This study aims to investigate whether a specific target cell in the epidermis of the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, guides the initial outgrowth and pattern of Rohon-Beard (RB) cells and their survival. RB cells are primary mechanosensory neurons present during the early developmental stages of X. laevis. These neurons provide sensory input to the frog throughout embryonic and larval development before initiating apoptosis around the start of metamorphosis. The innervation of embryonic skin …

Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) As A Model For Orofacial Research, Kevin A. Ghaffari

Theses and Dissertations

Across species, the face and more specifically the mouth, serves as an essential facet of everyday life. Amongst humans the mouth serves as a tool for the ingestion of food, a marker for facial recognition and a medium for communication. In order for the mouth to properly form, a series of precise growth and fusion events are needed. In order to insure that these events are orchestrated properly is a wide array of signals, transcription factors and epigenetic regulators. Due to the needed precision of these events, congenital birth defects of the face such as cleft lip and cleft palate …