Authors:

Aislinn Davis

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About Paper:

Axons play a crucial role in the brain by transmitting information to other neurons, thereby creating neuronal connections. These neuronal connections are responsible for sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. When these connections become damaged, the brain's information processing is disrupted. This impairment can then lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Research shows that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a critical role in axonal growth, which is essential for development and regeneration of the central nervous system (CNS). Insufficient or uncontrolled levels of ROS may cause neuronal damage and contribute to neural decline. To delve into this phenomenon, our study focuses on NADPH oxidase (Nox), a key generator of ROS. Previous studies have explored a mutation causing a significant truncation of the zebrafish Nox2 protein, a member of the Nox family. The mutant phenotype includes altered retinotectal connections and could be caused by changes in the expression of other Nox genes to compensate for the loss of the mutant gene. However, this phenotype was lost after several generations, causing us to employ alternative strategies to investigate the role of Nox2 in neural development. This involves examining the phenotypic effects of reducing Nox2 gene expression using a Morpholino oligonucleotide (MO). Therefore, we inject zebrafish embryos at a one-cell stage with a splice-modifying MO, which induces a frameshift mutation in the mRNA, triggering a stop codon to halt translation. To ensure the specificity of the MO, we will also conduct a control experiment. By comparing the phenotypic outcomes of the knockout and knockdown approaches, we aim to gather more evidence regarding the role of Nox2 in regulating retinotectal development in zebrafish larvae. This research will provide new insights into the function of Nox2 in establishing neuronal connections.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Aislinn Davis