Graduation Date

Spring 2018

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Master of Arts degree with a major in Psychology, option Academic Research

Committee Chair Name

Dr. Ethan Gahtan

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Second Committee Member Name

Dr. Amanda Hahn

Second Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Third Committee Member Name

Dr. Andrew Kinziger

Third Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Zebrafish, FoxO3a, qPCR, Longevity, Age Group, Brain, Dissection, Telencephalon, Stem Cells, Neurons, Development, Neurodegenerative disease

Subject Categories

Biology

Abstract

One factor influencing organismal longevity is the activity of transcription factors of the “fork head domain” family, otherwise known as “Forkhead box” (Fox) proteins. Studies of the four isoforms of the “O” subclass of Fox proteins found in human genes have revealed a direct relationship between FoxO3a-dependent gene expression and the conservation of neural stem cell (NSC) in the adult brain, specifically in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus and the subventricular zone of the cortex. This transcription factor has also been shown to regulate apoptosis in nervous tissue during embryonic development in zebrafish. The current study aimed to investigate the differences in FoxO3a expression in adult zebrafish across two different age groups. The primary hypothesis of this study was that a significant positive correlation would be found between expression of FoxO3a in the medial pallium of the brain and progressive organismal aging. Tissue samples from the MP of one- and two-year-old zebrafish were dissected and cDNA was isolated for analyses via qPCR and Western Blot. The resulting data showed no significant difference in FoxO3a expression between younger and older fish.

Citation Style

APA

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