Presenter Information

Nicci SiffelFollow

Academic Level at Time of Presentation

Senior

Major

Biomedical Sciences

Minor

Chemistry

List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)

Dena R. Weinberger, PhD

Presentation Format

Poster Presentation

Abstract/Description

The Nature of Genes Expressed Differently after Environmental Drug Exposure

N. Siffel, S. Anderson, B. Subedi, D.R. Hammond-Weinberger

Drug use, of prescription or illicit varieties, alter bodily functions in different ways, especially in the nervous system. These drugs are found in sources of drinking water because they are not removed by wastewater treatment facilities. To investigate the effects of these drugs as they appear in mixtures, we exposed groups of zebrafish embryos to cocktails of drugs and screened for genes that were differentially expressed between the experimental and control groups and could thus give more insight into their biological functions. Using the ZFIN, GeneCards, and PubMed databases, I investigated the known nature of these differentially expressed genes to determine whether they played a role in the central nervous system (CNS). Of the genes researched so far, there were three categories: Those that showed connections to the CNS in previously published literature, those that had no literature connecting them to the CNS, and those that had no prior literature. Of those with functions connected to the CNS, many had an immune-based function, often connected with protection from neurodegeneration. The altered expression of these genes can also be associated with neuroinflammation, a risk factor for many diseases.

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The Nature of Genes Expressed Differently after Environmental Drug Exposure

The Nature of Genes Expressed Differently after Environmental Drug Exposure

N. Siffel, S. Anderson, B. Subedi, D.R. Hammond-Weinberger

Drug use, of prescription or illicit varieties, alter bodily functions in different ways, especially in the nervous system. These drugs are found in sources of drinking water because they are not removed by wastewater treatment facilities. To investigate the effects of these drugs as they appear in mixtures, we exposed groups of zebrafish embryos to cocktails of drugs and screened for genes that were differentially expressed between the experimental and control groups and could thus give more insight into their biological functions. Using the ZFIN, GeneCards, and PubMed databases, I investigated the known nature of these differentially expressed genes to determine whether they played a role in the central nervous system (CNS). Of the genes researched so far, there were three categories: Those that showed connections to the CNS in previously published literature, those that had no literature connecting them to the CNS, and those that had no prior literature. Of those with functions connected to the CNS, many had an immune-based function, often connected with protection from neurodegeneration. The altered expression of these genes can also be associated with neuroinflammation, a risk factor for many diseases.