Presenter(s)

    Ben Klocke

    Comments

    Presentation: 1:00-1:20 p.m., Science Center 146

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    Description

    Calcium (Ca2+) ions comprise a critical second messenger involved in a constellation of cellular processes, including cell proliferation and death, metabolism, and gene expression. Naturally, neuronal Ca2+ signaling is vital in processes such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and synaptic transmission, among others. A critical key component of the neuronal Ca2+ handling toolkit is the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase 2 (SERCA) pump. Further, dysfunction of SERCA2 has been implicated in many brain pathologies. Interestingly, our group has identified a regulator of SERCA2 being expressed in the mouse thalamus; global genetic ablation of this gene (GKO) in mice results in an ADHD-like behavioral phenotype. Our lab has recently developed a novel Cre-LoxP conditional knockout mouse model (cKO) to assess the effects of this Ca2+-handling player in the brain. Behavioral analysis of cKO mice showed that they exhibit locomotor hyperactivity and altered sleep architecture. Further, testing in the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), a behavioral paradigm used to assess attentional capacity and impulsivity, showed that cKO mice exhibit impulsivity. Altogether, these findings strongly support a novel role for this Ca2+-handling player in the regulation of brain function and behavioral processes.

    Publication Date

    4-19-2023

    Project Designation

    Graduate Research

    Primary Advisor

    Pothitos Pitychoutis

    Primary Advisor's Department

    Biology

    Keywords

    Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

    Institutional Learning Goals

    Scholarship; Practical Wisdom

    Using Transgenic Mouse Models to Dissect a Novel Calcium Signaling Pathway in the Mouse Brain

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