Date of Completion
2025
Document Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
Department of Biology
Thesis Type
Honors College
First Advisor
Alicia M. Ebert
Keywords
Zebrafish, DCBLD2, optokinetic response chamber, CRISPR cas-9, visual development, Crk/CrkL
Abstract
The discoidin, CUB, LLC domain-containing 2 (DCBLD2) receptor is expressed in a variety of cell types during development (Kobuke et al., 2001). DCBLD2 has been found to act as a co-receptor and influence cell signaling events yet, the specific tissue-level functions of the receptor have yet to be elucidated. Previous studies have demonstrated the DCBLD2 protein’s importance in the processes of vascular remodeling and angiogenesis (Schmoker et al., 2019) and potentially neuronal pathfinding and positioning (Aten et al., 2013). Preliminary data from the Ebert lab displays a novel retinal phenotype in a DCBLD2 mutant zebrafish characterized by the loss of retinal integrity and spillage of retinal neurons into the brain by 8 days post fertilization. The goal of this research was to find the exact timing of this phenotype and its impacts on visual acuity. It was found that the phenotype is more subtle than the preliminary data suggest. We found a significant difference in cell count between crispr-induced DCBLD2 mutants and un-injected controls. The DCBLD2 mutation had no significant impact on visual acuity within the parameters of our current criteria. Further investigation into the DCBLD2 phenotype should be conducted to understand its timing and potential impacts on the visual system.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Tomlinson, Lile Rose, "Investigating the Role of DCBLD2 in Visual Function and Eye Development" (2025). UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses. 760.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/760