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dc.contributor.authorFarrar, Nathan R.
dc.date.accessioned2010-10-25T19:30:47Z
dc.date.available2010-10-25T19:30:47Z
dc.date.issued2010-10-25
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10464/3032
dc.description.abstractRetinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, is known to play diverse roles in development and regeneration. Previous research in the mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis has shown that a gradient of all-trans retinoic acid attracts the growth cones of cultured neurons. The present study investigates the sub-cellular mechanisms within the growth cones of Lymnaea pedal A neurons which mediate the attractive response to a gradient of alltrans retinoic acid. In this study, the mechanism of growth cone turning is shown to be local, as neurites mechanically isolated from their cell body retain the capacity to turn towards an exogenous gradient of all-trans retinoic acid. The turning response is dependent on the initiation of protein synthesis and calcium influx, but does not appear to involve signaling through protein kinase C (PKC). The retinoid X receptor (RXR), which classically functions as a transcription factor, was also shown to be involved in the turning response, functioning locally through a non-genomic pathway. These data show, for the first time in any species, that all-trans retinoic acid's chemotropic action involves a local mechanism involving non-genomic signaling through the RXR. As retinoic acid is known to playa role in regeneration, understanding the mechanisms underlying retinoic acid signaling may lead to further advances in regenerative neuroscience.en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherBrock Universityen_US
dc.subjectRetinoidsen_US
dc.subjectVitamin Aen_US
dc.subjectMollusksen_US
dc.titleMechanisms underlying Retinoic acid-induced chemoattraction in molluscan neuronsen_US
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertationen
dc.degree.nameM.Sc. Biological Sciencesen_US
dc.degree.levelMastersen_US
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciencesen_US
dc.degree.disciplineFaculty of Mathematics and Scienceen_US
refterms.dateFOA2021-07-16T11:08:47Z


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