Document Type
Honors Project
Publication Date
6-2021
Abstract
The freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata is best known as the intermediate host to Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic worm that causes the neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis. Because of its role as a host to a parasite, the snail can be used as a model organism to study conserved, immune-related pathways and proteins that may be involved in defense of parasite infection. One complex of proteins under investigation isnuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer (NF-kB), an evolutionarily conserved family of transcription factors that are primarily known for their function in vertebrate immunity and, more recently, processes related to the nervous system. While NF-kBhas been identified in adult B. glabrata, there are no studies examining NF-kBlocalizationduring the snail’s embryonic development. In invertebrates, several studies suggest that NF-kBis a key component in developmental processes, making it plausible that B. glabrata utilizes the transcription factor early in its lifespan. The combinationof NF-kBcharacterization in adult B. glabrataand evidence of this transcription factor’s involvement in the developmental phases of several species of invertebrates ledme to hypothesize that NF-kBis present and playing an active role during the embryonic stages of B. glabrata. In confirmation of this hypothesis, this study presents novelevidenceofNF-kBlocalization during B. glabrataembryonic development using immunofluorescence and western blotting.
Level of Honors
magna cum laude
Department
Biology
Advisor
Judith Humphries
Recommended Citation
Marsh, Amanda Karin, "Identification and Localization of NF-κB During the Embryonic Development of the Schistosome-transmitting Snail Biomphalaria glabrata" (2021). Lawrence University Honors Projects. 156.
https://lux.lawrence.edu/luhp/156