Inhibition of Runx by Ro5-3335 Affects Nematostella Regeneration
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Issue Date
2016-01-25Author
Tran, Christina
Publisher
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas
Type
Undergraduate research project
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Discipline
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, has the ability to fully regenerate amputated body parts. We hypothesize that Runx, a transcription factor, controls the cellular processes for regeneration, specifically the transition between cellular proliferation and cellular differentiation. A known inhibitor to the Runx pathway is Ro5-3335, a benzodiazepine. Inhibiting the Runx pathway by Ro5-3335 will help determine if Runx is necessary for proper regeneration in Nematostella. We introduced bisected Nematostella polyps to Ro5-3335 for a 24-48 period and observed regeneration of oral ends. Tentacle regeneration appeared delayed in treated polyps compared to the controls. It was not until three weeks post-treatment that the treated animals recovered normal regeneration. We conclude that Ro5-3335 appears to repress regeneration in the polyps which suggests that the Runx pathway is important for proper regeneration in Nematostella.
Description
This undergraduate research project is being made available in KU ScholarWorks with the permission of the author. The project was supervised by Dr. Paulyn Cartwright, associate professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas.
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