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Full-Text Articles in Neuroscience and Neurobiology

Dnajc7, A Molecular Chaperone Protein That Modulates Protein Misfolding In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Als), Meaghan Kathleen Stoltz Sep 2020

Dnajc7, A Molecular Chaperone Protein That Modulates Protein Misfolding In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Als), Meaghan Kathleen Stoltz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with protein misfolding and dysregulated cellular protein quality control mechanisms. Molecular chaperones, and heat shock proteins (Hsp), are key players in maintaining cellular protein quality control. DNAJC7 is an understudied cytosolic Hsp40 that works together with Hsp70 and Hsp90 to regulate proper protein folding or degradation. Of note, mutations in the gene encoding DNAJC7 were discovered to cause familial ALS. We asked whether ALS-associated mutations in DNAJC7 compromise its function as a chaperone, which may cause the toxic accumulation of misfolded proteins. This study attempts to uncover the functions of DNAJC7 …


Thyroxine-Dependent And -Independent Effects On Premature Aging And Myelination In Atrx Mutant Mice, Megan E. Rowland Feb 2020

Thyroxine-Dependent And -Independent Effects On Premature Aging And Myelination In Atrx Mutant Mice, Megan E. Rowland

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

ATRX is an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler required to safeguard genomic integrity. Conditional deletion of Atrx in the mouse embryonic forebrain and anterior pituitary in AtrxFoxg1Cre mice phenocopies mouse models of progeria which display increased DNA damage, coupled with reduced lifespan, growth and subcutaneous fat. These mice also have severely low circulating levels of insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and (T4) which have been reported in models of premature aging. Based on evidence that Igf1 is activated by the ligand-bound thyroid hormone receptor, I tested whether T4 supplementation could restore IGF-1 levels and ameliorate premature aging phenotypes in Atrx …


Mushroom Body-Specific Gene Regulation By The Swi/Snf Chromatin Remodeling Complex, Kevin Cj Nixon Feb 2020

Mushroom Body-Specific Gene Regulation By The Swi/Snf Chromatin Remodeling Complex, Kevin Cj Nixon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Over the lifetime of an organism, neurons must establish, remodel, and maintain precise connections in order to form neural circuits that are required for proper nervous system functioning. Disruptions in these processes can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders such as intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder. Mutations in genes encoding subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex have been implicated in ID, yet the role of this complex in neurons is poorly understood. In this project, I established cell-type specific methods to examine the effect of SWI/SNF subunit knockdowns on gene transcription and chromatin structure in the memory-forming neurons of …