Times of Stress: The Circadian Regenerative Response
Type of Proposal
Oral presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Science
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Karpowicz
Proposal
The Earth’s rotation causes constant 24 hour changes in light and dark, known as the photoperiod. Animals coordinate their physiology with the photoperiod to conserve energy and optimize the efficiency of many biological processes. This 24 hour regulation is known as a circadian rhythm. A group of core genes and transcription factors called the circadian clock regulates these 24 hour rhythms, and affects the expression of over 40% of the genome. My project will examine how the circadian clock regulates healing in the intestinal epithelium. I hypothesize that healing stress responses exhibit circadian rhythms. Using biological samples that have been previously established in our lab, I will investigate the timing of stress response pathways that activate proliferation in the intestinal epithelium. Intestinal tissue from mice undergoing gastrointestinal syndrome will be sampled at 6 time points over a 24 hour period to determine if the JNK or NFkB pathways are rhythmic. The activity of these pathways will be assessed by antibody staining for the reporters c-JUN and p65, which are transcription factors that enter the nucleus when signaling occurs. I will compare BMAL1+/+ intestines, which have a normal circadian clock, to BMAL1-/- mutant intestines, where the clock is dysfunctional. This will test whether the circadian clock is involved in the healing response. These findings may allow for greater understanding in how to mitigate and treat chronic disease that are a result of photoperiod disruptions such as Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and intestinal related cancers.
Start Date
29-3-2016 2:30 PM
End Date
29-3-2016 3:50 PM
Times of Stress: The Circadian Regenerative Response
The Earth’s rotation causes constant 24 hour changes in light and dark, known as the photoperiod. Animals coordinate their physiology with the photoperiod to conserve energy and optimize the efficiency of many biological processes. This 24 hour regulation is known as a circadian rhythm. A group of core genes and transcription factors called the circadian clock regulates these 24 hour rhythms, and affects the expression of over 40% of the genome. My project will examine how the circadian clock regulates healing in the intestinal epithelium. I hypothesize that healing stress responses exhibit circadian rhythms. Using biological samples that have been previously established in our lab, I will investigate the timing of stress response pathways that activate proliferation in the intestinal epithelium. Intestinal tissue from mice undergoing gastrointestinal syndrome will be sampled at 6 time points over a 24 hour period to determine if the JNK or NFkB pathways are rhythmic. The activity of these pathways will be assessed by antibody staining for the reporters c-JUN and p65, which are transcription factors that enter the nucleus when signaling occurs. I will compare BMAL1+/+ intestines, which have a normal circadian clock, to BMAL1-/- mutant intestines, where the clock is dysfunctional. This will test whether the circadian clock is involved in the healing response. These findings may allow for greater understanding in how to mitigate and treat chronic disease that are a result of photoperiod disruptions such as Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and intestinal related cancers.