Diana Francis Rose Hills
Tracking the Expression of Sleep-related Genes in the Cassiopea Jellyfish
Sleep behavior in Cassiopea, the upside-down jellyfish, challenges the common association between sleep and brain function. In lieu of a brain and centralized nervous system (CNS), Cassiopea has a decentralized net of ganglia that initiate pulsing activity at a slower rate during the night. My project seeks to understand how an animal that lacks a CNS undergoes a whole-body behavioral state change. More specifically, I will examine how this behavior affects the expression of several genes connected to sleep and activity using in situ hybridization and quantitative PCR. These genes encode an acetylcholine receptor subunit, choline acetyltransferase, a GABAergic receptor, a sodium-calcium exchanger, and a glutathione S-transferase. Characterizing the expression of these genes will help illustrate the connection between ganglion usage and sleep behavior. I will silence one gene of interest, the acetylcholine receptor subunit, using RNA interference, and compare the gene expression of sleep-deprived jellyfish to those of jellyfish with undisturbed sleep. Through this process, I hope to gain a better understanding of this gene’s functional role in sleep.
Message To Sponsor
I am so grateful to the Rose Hills Foundation for supporting my research project. This summer, I gained confidence in my abilities as a researcher, and I also obtained some very exciting results that I will continue to explore this fall. Participating in SURF was a transformative experience for me; I was previously unsure of my future career plans, but after my time with SURF, I feel compelled to pursue a PhD after I graduate from Berkeley. Thank you again for this opportunity!