dc.contributor.advisor | Langeland, James A., 1964- | |
dc.contributor.advisor | Raymond, Pamela | |
dc.contributor.author | McLean, Katherine Zanyk | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2013-07-08T17:42:48Z | |
dc.date.available | 2013-07-08T17:42:48Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2012 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10920/28892 | |
dc.description | v, 52 p. | en_US |
dc.description.abstract | Cone photoreceptors of the retina, which are arranged in a precise planar mosaic
array, initiate signals from specific wavelengths of light that travel to the brain and are
processed to produce vision. If the retina is damaged or the precise cone array is
destroyed, color vision can cease to function, as seen in a wide array of debilitating
human diseases such as glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa. The zebrafish retina was
chosen as an in vivo model to study photoreceptor patterning and also to explore the
abilities of the zebrafish retina to regenerate after injury. It is currently hypothesized that
cell-cell interactions, such as tight junctions between photoreceptors, drive the
development of the cone mosaic array. Studying such cell-cell interactions, particularly in
real-time, is often hindered by the presence of pigments cells. In this study, a zebrafish
lacking pigment in the body and eye was created with the intention of using it as an in
vivo retinal model. This zebrafish line, currently called the Triple Mutant line, will be
used to create a transgenic zebrafish line expressing a tight junction fusion protein known
as GFP-ZO-1, which labels cones with GFP. The cone-specific Rx 3000 UCE promoter
derived from Xenopus laevis was identified as the best candidate to drive the tight
junction protein in cone photoreceptors. Future work should seek to create the transgenic
line, which can then be used for in vivo studies of the role of tight junctions in the
patterning and regeneration of the retina. Additionally, widespread use of this Triple
Mutant could enable in vivo research on eye and general body systems of the zebrafish. | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | Molecular, Cellular, and Development Biology. University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, Michigan. | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
dc.publisher | Kalamazoo College | en_US |
dc.relation.ispartof | Kalamazoo College Biology Senior Individualized Projects Collection | |
dc.relation.ispartofseries | Senior Individualized Projects. Biology; | |
dc.rights | U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. | |
dc.title | Creation of a pigment-less zebrafish for in vivo analysis of the role of Zonula Occluden-1 in photoreceptor patterning of the retina | en_US |
dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
KCollege.Access.Contact | If you are not a current Kalamazoo College student, faculty, or staff member, email dspace@kzoo.edu to request access to this thesis. | |