Complete Schedule
Presentation Type
Open Access Poster Presentation
Keywords
Bullfrog--Hibernation; Mitosis--Regulation;
Abstract
Hibernation is an incredible adaptation that allows an organism to go dormant during the winter, when food is scarce. Much is unknown physiologically about hibernation, and most current research comes from mammalian models. During hibernation, the cells of mammals are impeded from going through mitosis. 13-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) and woodchucks (Marmota monax) have a protein, alpha-2-macroglobulin, in their blood plasma, which has significant antiproliferative effects on spleen cells. The goal of my study was to determine if an exothermic organism, the American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), also actively suppresses mitosis while hibernating and if so, determine if it is caused by a component in their blood plasma. Cellular assays using Human THP-1 cells were conducted by incubating cells in different treatments of plasma collected from active and hibernating bullfrogs. After incubation, the cells were either counted to determine if the rate of cell growth had been inhibited or stained with a dye that attaches to DNA and run through a flow cytometer. Preliminary results of the cell counts were inconclusive regarding the rate of growth had been affected by hibernating plasma treatment. Flow cytometry found that the majority of cells in the hibernating plasma treatment were in the M phase of the cell cycle, instead of the G phase. This suggests that the majority of cells had replicated their DNA, but mitosis was halted just afterwards. One possible explanation for this is that the cells that die during hibernation need to be replaced quickly after the bullfrog exits hibernation.
Start Date
4-4-2017 11:00 AM
End Date
4-4-2017 1:30 PM
Faculty Advisor
David Saunders
Department
Department of Biology
Copyright
©2017 Sean Robbins
File Format
application/pdf
Embargo Date
4-4-2017
Antiproliferative Effects of Hibernating American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) Blood Plasma on THP-1 Cells
Hibernation is an incredible adaptation that allows an organism to go dormant during the winter, when food is scarce. Much is unknown physiologically about hibernation, and most current research comes from mammalian models. During hibernation, the cells of mammals are impeded from going through mitosis. 13-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) and woodchucks (Marmota monax) have a protein, alpha-2-macroglobulin, in their blood plasma, which has significant antiproliferative effects on spleen cells. The goal of my study was to determine if an exothermic organism, the American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), also actively suppresses mitosis while hibernating and if so, determine if it is caused by a component in their blood plasma. Cellular assays using Human THP-1 cells were conducted by incubating cells in different treatments of plasma collected from active and hibernating bullfrogs. After incubation, the cells were either counted to determine if the rate of cell growth had been inhibited or stained with a dye that attaches to DNA and run through a flow cytometer. Preliminary results of the cell counts were inconclusive regarding the rate of growth had been affected by hibernating plasma treatment. Flow cytometry found that the majority of cells in the hibernating plasma treatment were in the M phase of the cell cycle, instead of the G phase. This suggests that the majority of cells had replicated their DNA, but mitosis was halted just afterwards. One possible explanation for this is that the cells that die during hibernation need to be replaced quickly after the bullfrog exits hibernation.
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Location: Maucker Union Ballroom