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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Developing A Novel Place Preference Assay To Compare Drosophila Species Over Time, Martha M. Brinson May 2022

Developing A Novel Place Preference Assay To Compare Drosophila Species Over Time, Martha M. Brinson

Honors Theses

Across phylogeny, integration of external factors, memory, and internal states of the organism dictate organismal behavior and mechanisms. The underlying genetic components can affect these behaviors such as in genomic changes arising from speciation. In this thesis, a new place preference assay was evaluated in the analysis and investigation of two species of Drosophila flies (D. melanogaster and D. simulans) to measure similarities and differences and their attraction to two different food substrates. Sleep and circadian measurements were also recorded during experimentation. The Drosophila Activity Monitor 5M (DAM5M) System and Sleep Circadian Analysis MATLAB Program (SCAMP) analysis were …


The Role Of The Dal Neurons In Modulating Circadian Rhythms In Olfactory Short-Term Memory In Drosophila Melanogaster, Cooper Ruwe Apr 2021

The Role Of The Dal Neurons In Modulating Circadian Rhythms In Olfactory Short-Term Memory In Drosophila Melanogaster, Cooper Ruwe

Honors Theses

Depressed short-term memory (STM) abilities during non-adaptive times of the day can significantly impact those who work occupations that require peak levels of cognitive functioning around the clock. While much work has gone into understanding the endogenous clock and circadian rhythms, there is still much to learn about the neural circuity that underlies the daily rhythms that define these regular oscillations in STM performance. The DAL neurons in the Drosophila brain are part of the circadian network and innervate the mushroom bodies (MBs), the species’ olfactory learning center, making them compelling candidates to be involved in circadian circuitry for olfactory …


The Role Of Dunc13 In Ethanol Tolerance, Yusuke Wachi Jan 2019

The Role Of Dunc13 In Ethanol Tolerance, Yusuke Wachi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although the effects of ethanol on presynaptic activity have been studied, the molecular mechanisms and the changes in gene expression which are responsible for inducing ethanol tolerance are unclear. Munc13-1 is an active-zone protein that is essential for presynaptic vesicle fusion. This protein interacts with vesicle fusion machinery at presynaptic active zones in the mammalian brain. The C1 domain of Munc13-1 binds diacylglycerol (DAG), which helps membrane localization of this protein and promotes vesicle fusion, facilitating synaptic vesicle release. Previously, it was shown that ethanol binds to the C1 domain of Munc13-1 in vitro at concentrations below 100 mM (Das …


Autoregulation Of The Glial Gene Reversed Polarity In Drosophila Melanogaster, Jamie L. Wood Jan 2015

Autoregulation Of The Glial Gene Reversed Polarity In Drosophila Melanogaster, Jamie L. Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During development, cells of the nervous system begin as unspecified precursors and proceed along one of two developmental paths to become either neurons or glia. I seek to understand more about the genes that control this process, focusing on the lesser understood of the cell types, glial cells. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system, previous work from my lab and others has established the role of the master regulatory transcription factor Gcm in directing neuronal precursor cells to assume a lateral glial fate. Gcm acts on many target genes, one of which is reversed polarity (repo). repo is necessary …


Characterization Of Cis-Regulatory Elements Controlling Repo Transcription In Drosophila Melanogaster, Robert Johnson Jan 2011

Characterization Of Cis-Regulatory Elements Controlling Repo Transcription In Drosophila Melanogaster, Robert Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The glial cells missing (gcm) gene has been identified as a "master regulator" of glial cell fate in the fruit fly Drosophila . However, the gcm gene is also expressed in and required for the development of larval macrophages and tendon cells, and lamina neurons in the adult CNS. Thus, the Gcm protein activates the transcription of different sets of genes in different developmental contexts. How the Gcm protein regulates these different outcomes is not known. My long-term goal is to identify proteins that collaborate with Gcm to promote the transcriptional activation of Gcm target genes specifically in glial cells, …