Date of Completion
2024
Thesis Type
College of Arts and Science Honors
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Bryan Ballif
Second Advisor
Alicia Ebert
Keywords
Semaphorin, Plexin, Development, Signaling, Zebrafish, Retina
Abstract
Semaphorins (Semas) are a large family of transmembrane proteins that play important roles in development, including aspects of cell migration, adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation (Alto & Terman, 2017). Plexins (Plxn) are the main functional receptors of Semas. When Sema binds to Plxn, this initiates forward signaling through the intracellular domain of Plxn, leading to downstream signaling cascades. Our lab uncovered a novel role for Sema6A/PlxnA2 signaling in zebrafish eye development specifically to maintain eye cohesion, however it is unknown which downstream signaling pathway(s) are used in this process (Ebert et al., 2014, St. Clair et al., 2018 & 2019). Preliminary data has hinted that both PlxnA2 and insulin share an intracellular signaling mechanism necessary for driving early eye field cohesion, as treating early zebrafish eye field explants with Sema6A or insulin results in proper eye field cohesion. In this project, I confirmed that insulin signaling maintains eye field cohesion similarly to Sema6A- PlxnA2 signaling. Additionally, I identified PI3K as one downstream intracellular signaling mechanism of both insulin and PlxnA2 responsible for maintaining eye cohesion in early zebrafish embryos.
Recommended Citation
Bean, Taylor E., "Molecular Mechanisms of Early Eyefield Cohesion in the Developing Zebrafish" (2024). UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses. 128.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/castheses/128