Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a genetic disorder involving mutation of the Fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene, accounts for up to 50% of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) cases. While many studies have examined cognitive deficits associated with FXS, effects on the immune system have not been well-researched. ASD patients are reported to have increased blood levels of the immune enzyme lysozyme. Similarly, we found that knockdown (KD) of the cricket fmr1 gene using RNA interference results in increased lysozyme expression in the insect brain fat body, an important immune organ. Our goal is to determine if this increase in lysozyme expression is observed in both the brain and thoracic fat bodies as well. We will investigate lysozyme expression and levels of blood lysozyme enzyme activity in 9-day-old KD crickets. We hypothesize that lysozyme expression will be increased in the thoracic fat body and there will be increased blood lysozyme activity in fmr1 KD crickets compared to controls. We previously found that lysozyme expression was significantly elevated in the brain fat body of 9-day-old male and female fmr1 KD crickets. We recently found that lysozyme expression is not different between 9-day-old control and KD males; however, we did observe a trend in 9-day-old female KD crickets where they had more lysozyme expression than controls. Next, we will measure blood lysozyme levels to determine if lysozyme expression in the fat body correlates with lysozyme activity in the blood. This project will help us better understand how fmr1 regulates lysozyme and will allow us to perform additional experiments to understand how fmr1 regulates lysozyme during an immune challenge.
Author(s): Alexander Szymczak, Biochemistry and Economics Major
Advisor(s): Kathleen Killian, Department of Biology
Mackenzie Farleigh, Department of Biology
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