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
Recommended Citation
Bacik, Francis G., "Investigating differing degrees of FoxO3a expression in adult neural stem cells between age groups in zebrafish" (2018). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 116.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/116