Date of Award
Summer 8-24-2024
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Degree Name
M.S. in Biological Sciences
Organizational Unit
College of Natural Science and Mathematics, Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Todd Blankenship
Second Advisor
Erich Kushner
Third Advisor
Schuyler Van Engelenburg
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
Akt/mTOR pathway, Nutrient sensing, Embryonic development, Drosophila embryo, Apical constriction
Abstract
The Akt/mTOR pathway (Akt pathway) has largely been examined in terms of its role as the primary nutrient sensing pathway due to its ability to recognize nutrient availability within a cell, particularly amino acids and glucose. Among its nutrient sensing characteristics, this pathway also contributes to a large variety of other cell functions such as cell growth, proliferation, protein synthesis, and cell survival via anti-apoptotic signaling. Although many aspects of this pathway have been carefully studied, the extent to which it regulates embryonic development remains unclear. Here, I examine Akt function in the early Drosophila embryo and demonstrate that Akt disruption via shRNA results in ectopic apical constrictions during tissue elongation in gastrulating Drosophila embryos. Interestingly, Akt KD embryos show a mislocalization of both cell adhesion (E-cadherin) and cytoskeletal proteins (Myosin II). Additionally, this disrupted phenotype exhibits abnormal oscillatory behavior that suggests a non-canonical mechanism of apical constriction.
Copyright Date
8-2024
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Vincent Brown
Provenance
Received from Author
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
51 pgs
File Size
1.0 MB
Recommended Citation
Brown, Vincent, "Akt Disruption Leads to Non-Canonical Apical Constriction in Drosophila Embryos" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2480.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2480
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