Epigenetic effects of in utero stress on spontaneous behavior and glutamate receptor expression in caenorhabditis elegans.
Research Mentor(s)
Rose, Jacqueline K.
Description
From previous research we know that in utero stress can be predictive of anxiety disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorder. This study examined differences in spontaneous movement and glutamatergic receptor density across three generations exposed to oxidative stress and oxidative and vibrational stress, either directly or in utero. To introduce these mild stressors common to Caenorhabditis elegans in lab conditions, worms were submerged in a buffer solution for 4 hours and placed on a shaker plate, this liquid medium prevents worms from performing locomotor behavior and induces oxidative stress(Possik and Pause, 2015). A period of 4 hours was chosen to ensure oocytes are sufficiently exposed to the stress during in utero development (Inoue et al. 2005). Another experimental group is only submerged in buffer for four hours with no shaking. After the four-hour stress period, worms from both groups as well as a naive control group are transferred back to agar-filled petri plates allowing for the return of locomotor behaviors. Worms from all three groups are then separately video recorded and scored for spontaneous movement (reversals, etc.). We hypothesized that in utero exposure to mild stress would result in behavioral differences across generations which would be indicative of an epigenetic phenomenon. To begin to parse the pathways involved, glutamate receptor subunits (GLR-1) fused to green fluorescent protein (GLR-1::GFP) and imaged using a confocal microscope and fluorescence intensity and density was measured for F0 - F2 generations for all stress conditions. It was expected that we would see an increase in glutamatergic receptors density within the ventral nerve cord of the worms.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
16-5-2018 9:00 AM
End Date
16-5-2018 12:00 PM
Department
Psychology
Genre/Form
student projects, posters
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Anxiety disorders; Psychology, Pathological; Psychology--Research
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Epigenetic effects of in utero stress on spontaneous behavior and glutamate receptor expression in caenorhabditis elegans.
From previous research we know that in utero stress can be predictive of anxiety disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorder. This study examined differences in spontaneous movement and glutamatergic receptor density across three generations exposed to oxidative stress and oxidative and vibrational stress, either directly or in utero. To introduce these mild stressors common to Caenorhabditis elegans in lab conditions, worms were submerged in a buffer solution for 4 hours and placed on a shaker plate, this liquid medium prevents worms from performing locomotor behavior and induces oxidative stress(Possik and Pause, 2015). A period of 4 hours was chosen to ensure oocytes are sufficiently exposed to the stress during in utero development (Inoue et al. 2005). Another experimental group is only submerged in buffer for four hours with no shaking. After the four-hour stress period, worms from both groups as well as a naive control group are transferred back to agar-filled petri plates allowing for the return of locomotor behaviors. Worms from all three groups are then separately video recorded and scored for spontaneous movement (reversals, etc.). We hypothesized that in utero exposure to mild stress would result in behavioral differences across generations which would be indicative of an epigenetic phenomenon. To begin to parse the pathways involved, glutamate receptor subunits (GLR-1) fused to green fluorescent protein (GLR-1::GFP) and imaged using a confocal microscope and fluorescence intensity and density was measured for F0 - F2 generations for all stress conditions. It was expected that we would see an increase in glutamatergic receptors density within the ventral nerve cord of the worms.
Comments
BRAIN, Behavioral Neuroscience