Ethereal Expression

James, Noelle

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/95926 Copy

Description

Title

Ethereal Expression

Author(s)

James, Noelle

Issue Date

2017

Keyword(s)

Neuroscience

Abstract

Two sibling fish eggs sit next to each other, preparing to hatch in the coming days. Immediately after fertilization, the left egg was genetically modified so its cells would fluoresce red when they use a particular gene. All of the cells in this embryo are using that gene, but once the fish matures, only a few select cells will. By using this technique, I can track when and where genes are active without harming the fish. Since I study behavior, social interaction, and aggression, this is especially valuable – I can examine whether a specific gene is active when the fish decides to do a behavior I'm interested in, and I get to measure that same individual repeatedly. Importantly, the fluorescence only happens when the fish are illuminated by a special lamp, so there's no concern that it's stressful, nor that it has any effect on their social interactions in a naturally-lit environment.

Type of Resource

• text
• image

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/95926

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2017 Noelle James

Owning Collections