Date Thesis Awarded
5-2020
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Science (BS)
Department
Neuroscience
Advisor
Jennifer Bestman
Committee Members
Diane Shakes
Dana Willner
Robin Looft-Wilson
Abstract
Understanding the genes and mechanisms that regulate the highly important process of neurogenesis in the developing nervous system is crucial to uncovering why disease arises when this system is disrupted. Neural progenitor cells and their multipotent nature allow for the growth of a large pool of stem cells in the early stages of development, but the signal that leads these cells to the irreversible fate of becoming a neuron is unclear. The gene matr3 has been implicated in having a role in the maintenance of undifferentiated neural stem cells but its role needs further investigation to fully reveal how its nuclear protein matrin-3 may be affecting this process. Overexpression of this gene through the introduction of plasmid DNA in vivo is expected to maintain the pool of progenitor cells for an extended period of time in the brains of Xenopus laevis tadpoles. Whole brain electroporation and live imaging studies will hopefully reveal the effects of this gene’s overexpression on radial glial progenitor cells within the X. laevis optic tectum and would allow for an increase in the knowledge of how matr3 potentially plays a role in human brain development .
Recommended Citation
Branham, Kendall, "A study of matr3 and its effects on the neural progenitor cells of Xenopus laevis tadpoles" (2020). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1564.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1564
