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Full-Text Articles in Genetics and Genomics

Identifying Genes Downstream Of Mef2 That Influence Ethanol Sedation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Ananya Talikoti Jan 2021

Identifying Genes Downstream Of Mef2 That Influence Ethanol Sedation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Ananya Talikoti

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder is a global public health issue that affects millions across the world. It can result in negative physical and mental health outcomes, and currently treatment options are limited and rates of relapse are high. Identifying genes that affect aspects of ethanol behaviors in model organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster, can serve to eventually develop more robust therapeutic interventions for those experiencing alcohol dependence. Previous studies have identified a relationship between a person's initial sensitivity to alcohol and their abuse potential for the drug in later life. Therefore, we can study sedation behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster to …


Validation Of Ninein As An Ethanol-Related Quantitative Trait Gene: Reassessment, Design, And Functional Validation Of Reference Genes For Qpcr Analysis Of Brain Tissue In Mice, Jessica L. Jurmain Jan 2020

Validation Of Ninein As An Ethanol-Related Quantitative Trait Gene: Reassessment, Design, And Functional Validation Of Reference Genes For Qpcr Analysis Of Brain Tissue In Mice, Jessica L. Jurmain

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing use of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a method for quantifying gene expression has led to an increased demand for standardization of data analysis methods to ensure accurate reporting and robust, reproducible results. The exponential nature of qPCR amplification results in the potential magnification of what are usually very small sources of error. Relative gene expression calculations circumvent this issue by normalizing target gene expression data to within-sample expression of a previously validated, stably expressed reference gene or genes. Multiple studies discussed herein have found that qPCR data are more reliable and reproducible when multiple reference …


Role Of Clic4 And The Synaptic Transcriptome In The Behavioral And Molecular Neurobiology Of Ethanol, Rory M. Weston Jan 2020

Role Of Clic4 And The Synaptic Transcriptome In The Behavioral And Molecular Neurobiology Of Ethanol, Rory M. Weston

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prevalent neuropsychiatric disease with profound health, social, and economic consequences. With an estimated 50% heritability, identifying genes that engender risk and contribute to the underlying neurobiological mechanisms represents an important first step in developing effective treatments. Gene expression studies are an important source of candidate genes for studying AUD, providing windows into the molecular machinery engaged by the brain in response to ethanol. Published studies have identified chloride intracellular channel 4 (Clic4) as an ethanol-regulated gene in brain capable of modulating sensitivity to sedation in multiple species. The functions of Clic4 are …


Multi-Species Gene Networks And Drosophila Ethanol Sedation, Arnavaz Kollah Jan 2014

Multi-Species Gene Networks And Drosophila Ethanol Sedation, Arnavaz Kollah

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are major health issues with few known genetic explanations. This project used the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) model to identify genes and gene networks that influence alcohol intoxication, a phenotype related to alcohol abuse in humans. We used bioinformatic tools to build gene networks based on 24 published Drosophila ethanol-responsive genes with human orthologs. We then assessed the role of these networks in ethanol sedation by testing two of the networks seeded on IP3K2, a gene that regulates calcium signaling, and CG14630, a gene involved in carnitine biosynthesis. We knocked down several genes in each of …