How does the zebrafish eye develop the ability to manage pressure?
Ian Swinburne, Professor
Molecular and Cell Biology
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2025.
Day-to-day health of the eye relies on the accumulation of the eye’s internal fluid being balanced by release of excess fluid or pressure. The fluid’s flow and pressure help keep the eye’s tissues healthy and the correct size and shape. Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, is usually characterized by elevated fluid pressure within the eye. Elevated pressure within the eye’s chambers harms the optic nerve by transmitting excess force to its cells. The physical pinching of the optic nerve damages its cells thus deteriorating the transmission of signals from the eye to the brain. As the underlying mechanisms of disease progression are incompletely understood, there is an urgent need to determine how the relevant physiologies develop and function.
A goal of our group is to determine how genes associated with various forms of glaucoma alter the development or function of the cells and tissues that manage pressure within the eye. The work of many researchers indicates that tissues called Schlemm’s canal and the trabecular meshwork, located in the front of the eye, are the primary site of fluid release within the eye. We hypothesize that a subset of mutations that are associated with glaucoma in human patients alter the mechanism by which Schlemm’s canal and the trabecular meshwork promote release of excess fluid.
Role: We identified 110 zebrafish orthologs and paralogs of genes implicated or associated with glaucoma in humans. Together, we will harness the great power of Cas9 to knock-out these genes in zebrafish. We will apply embryology, live imaging, and molecular and cellular analyses to determine how loss of these genes might alter pressure management within the zebrafish eye. The apprentice will be trained in zebrafish developmental genetics, molecular biology, live imaging, and data analysis.
After the team’s initial screen, a more independent project may be developed to dissect the activities of proteins in the context of the eye’s development and homeostasis.
Qualifications: We are looking for a curious, organized, and self-motivated apprentice that has good communications skills and enjoys working with a team.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Samara Williams, Staff Researcher
Hours: 12 or more hours
Related website: http://www.swinburnelab.org
Biological & Health Sciences