Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Finding Dex-1 Phenotype Suppressing Components, Matthew Barnum, Kristen Flatt, Nathan E. Schroeder

PRECS 2018

Caenorhabditis elegans is a species of microscopic round worm that has been used as a genetic model for over forty years. When in an adverse environment, C. elegans larvae cease reproductive development and enter the stress-resistant dauer stage.

dex-1 mutants of C. elegans are deficient in this protein, resulting in shortened dendrites and a sensitivity to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). SDS will kill any non-dauer C. elegans, but wild type dauers will survive well past the standard concentration of 1% SDS. Thus, treatment with SDS is commonly how labs isolate dauers. By contrast, dex-1 dauers (Fig.3) will …

Identifying Kif Subtype That Mediates Axonal Targeting Of Kv7 Channels, Allison Houghton, Jennifer Walters, Mary Hong, Dhruv Joshi, Hee Jung Chung

PRECS 2018

Early-onset Benign Familial Neonatal Epilepsy (BFNE) and Epileptic Encephalopathy (EE), are associated with mutations in neuronal KCNQ/Kv7 channel subunits Kv7.2 and Kv7.3. Kv7 channels are voltage-dependent potassium channels. Enriched at the axonal plasma membrane, they pump potassium ions out of the neurons and inhibit repetitive or burst firing of action potentials. A single neuronal Kv7 channel is a heterotetramer composed of two Kv7.2 and two Kv7.3 subunits. BFNE and EE mutations in Kv7.2 and Kv7.3 lead to decreased surface expression along the axon, which means less potassium ions are moved across the axonal membrane where action potentials are generated and …

The Effect Of Imidacloprid On Honey Bee Queen Fecundity, Jamilyn Martin, Julia D. Fine, Amy Cash-Ahmed, Gene E. Robinson

PRECS 2018

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide commonly used in agricultural settings to control insect pests by acting as an agonist of acetylcholine receptors and inducing paralysis and mortality. In small doses, imidacloprid can cause loss of memory and foraging ability along with impaired learning and a lowered immune response in western honey bees (Apis mellifera). Effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on colony reproduction have been documented including decreased colony expansion, queen failure and replacement, and decreased queen egg laying.

For this study, we examined the effects of imidacloprid on the fecundity of queen bees when their worker attendants were exposed to low …

Methamphetamine Effects On Adolescent Brain Development In Both Sexes, Jessica Alvarez, Sarah Westbrook, Joshua Gulley

PRECS 2018

Vulnerability to drug addiction in adolescents (ADOLs) may lead to faster rates of addiction and higher rates of relapse. The brain is developing in adolescence, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which are regions involved in self-control and reward systems, respectively. Further, females, both human and rat models, often exhibit faster rates of addiction than males. Research from this lab has found previously that adult rats of both sexes exposed to amphetamine during ADOL had reduced expression of dopamine D₁ receptors (D₁R) in the medial PFC but no change in the NAc. The …

Phosphorus Vs. Mycorrhiza: Mitigation Of Lead Uptake In Tomatoes, Helen Senerchia, Liz Miernicki, Andrew Margenot

PRECS 2018

This study seeks to understand how the mutualist relationship between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) and Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) affects the uptake and distribution of iron (Pb) found in soil by tomatoes and how the effects of phosphorous (P) application may pose a trade-off between AM and P mitigation of bioavailability of Pb.