Degree
Master of Science
Program
Physiology
Supervisor
Dr. Sean Cregan
Abstract
Stomatin-like Protein 2 (SLP-2) has been identified as a stress-inducible transcript and has been shown to interact with and stabilize mitochondrial proteins. Since mitochondria are critical for neuronal function, we hypothesized that SLP-2 regulates neuron survival in response to stressful stimuli. A conditional SLP-2 knockout mouse (deletion) and the SN56 cell line (upregulation) were employed to study the role of SLP-2 in mitochondrial dynamics and neuron survival. SLP-2 deficient primary cortical neurons displayed significantly decreased levels of various mitochondrial respiratory chain proteins, indicating SLP-2 contributes to maintenance of mitochondrial membrane integrity. SLP-2 was up-regulated in response to oxidative stress and DNA damage, but was not required for stress-induced mitochondrial biogenesis. The level of SLP-2 expression had a significantly different effect on neuron survival, depending on the target of the insult. The results of this study improve our understanding of the role of SLP-2 in mitochondrial stress responses, bioenergetics, and survival in neurons.
Recommended Citation
Foris, Lisa A., "Characterizing Stomatin-like Protein 2 and its Role in Neuron Survival" (2013). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1269.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1269
Included in
Circulatory and Respiratory Physiology Commons, Medical Cell Biology Commons, Medical Neurobiology Commons, Medical Pharmacology Commons, Medical Physiology Commons, Nervous System Diseases Commons