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MAPPING MITOCHONDRIAL NUMBER AND MORPHOLOGY IN THE BRAINS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER MODELS OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE

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Date Issued:
2018
Abstract/Description:
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people around the world, although it is more common in individuals aged 60 years or older. PD is associated with the degeneration of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra. While the underlying cause of neuronal degeneration is poorly understood, mitochondrial dysfunction is a common feature of the cell pathology. Geneticallyencoded fluorescent probes were used to label the mitochondria in wildtype Drosophila melanogaster and those genetically manipulated to model PD. Brains were dissected, immunolabeled, and their mitochondria were imaged using structured illumination microscopy (SIM). Mitochondrial number was determined, as well as the sphericity and surface area quantified. This characterization of mitochondrial number and morphology in wildtype Drosophila created a baseline for comparison to Drosophila that over-express the wildtype human α-synuclein protein which is associated with PD.
Title: MAPPING MITOCHONDRIAL NUMBER AND MORPHOLOGY IN THE BRAINS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER MODELS OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE.
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Name(s): Murphy, Regina, author
Macleod, Gregory, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree Grantor
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Thesis
Date Created: 2018
Date Issued: 2018
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Jupiter, Florida
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 51 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people around the world, although it is more common in individuals aged 60 years or older. PD is associated with the degeneration of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra. While the underlying cause of neuronal degeneration is poorly understood, mitochondrial dysfunction is a common feature of the cell pathology. Geneticallyencoded fluorescent probes were used to label the mitochondria in wildtype Drosophila melanogaster and those genetically manipulated to model PD. Brains were dissected, immunolabeled, and their mitochondria were imaged using structured illumination microscopy (SIM). Mitochondrial number was determined, as well as the sphericity and surface area quantified. This characterization of mitochondrial number and morphology in wildtype Drosophila created a baseline for comparison to Drosophila that over-express the wildtype human α-synuclein protein which is associated with PD.
Identifier: FAUHT00032 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, 2018.
Collection: FAU Honors Theses Digital Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FAUHT00032
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.

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