Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Qki-Mediated Cholesterol Biosynthesis In Eye Lens And Myelin Of The Central Nervous System, Seula Shin, Seula Shin

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Cells obtain cholesterol in two ways, de novo biosynthesis and uptake from circulation. While most tissues utilize both sources, eye lens and brain depend extensively on cholesterol biosynthesis due to the limited supply from circulation. Lens cell membrane consists of highest portion of cholesterol. Brain is the most cholesterol-rich organ, which accounts for 23% of total cholesterol. Genetic mutations of cholesterol biosynthesis enzymes in humans and animal models present cataracts and hypomyelinating disorders linked to neurological impairment. Yet, it remains unclear how gene expression of cholesterol biosynthesis is regulated in lens and brain. Therefore, studying cholesterol biosynthesis in both tissues …

Calcium Dyshomeostasis In Neurodegeneration, Nicholas Emanuel Karagas

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Neurodegenerative diseases, despite constituting a major and growing cause of mortality globally, have few effective treatments. In order to develop novel therapeutics to combat neurodegeneration, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases is needed. Neurons rely on Ca²⁺ to mediate many of their unique functions, and aberrant Ca²⁺ signaling has been broadly implicated in neurodegeneration. The goal of this dissertation is to delineate specific examples of Ca²⁺ dyshomeostasis that I have uncovered in Drosophila models of neurodegeneration.

I first define the role a neurodegeneration-associated mutation plays in perturbing presynaptic [Ca²⁺], which is …

Qki-Mediated Cholesterol Biosynthesis In Eye Lens And Myelin Of The Central Nervous System, Seula Shin, Seula Shin

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Cells obtain cholesterol in two ways, de novo biosynthesis and uptake from circulation. While most tissues utilize both sources, eye lens and brain depend extensively on cholesterol biosynthesis due to the limited supply from circulation. Lens cell membrane consists of highest portion of cholesterol. Brain is the most cholesterol-rich organ, which accounts for 23% of total cholesterol. Genetic mutations of cholesterol biosynthesis enzymes in humans and animal models present cataracts and hypomyelinating disorders linked to neurological impairment. Yet, it remains unclear how gene expression of cholesterol biosynthesis is regulated in lens and brain. Therefore, studying cholesterol biosynthesis in both tissues …