18th Annual Student Research Conference
Science
Apoptosis...Controlling Nature's Destructive Process
Amber S. Byrd
Dr. Michael Seipel and Dr. Edmund B. Rucker (University of Missouri-Columbia), Faculty Mentors
Apoptosis, or cell death, is a necessary process that occurs within living organisms in response to developmental signs or environmental cues. Cell death can be triggered and transmitted by cell surface receptors (“initiators”) to impact the mitochondria, where the Bcl-2 family members of proteins (“mediators”) regulate cytochrome C release and activate caspases (“executioners”) to degrade components of the cell. An equilibrium is established within cells between excess proliferation and death and is regulated at one level by the mitochondrial-associating proteins Bax (promotes apoptosis) and Bcl-xL (inhibits apoptosis). Cancer arises when cells do not respond appropriately to normal external cues to undergo cell death; conversely, excess cell death can lead to pathologies such as loss of germ cells and infertility. The goal of this project is to determine whether Fas-mediated apoptosis occurs within the murine testis and other target organs.
Keywords: apoptosis, cell, death, infertility
Topic(s):Agricultural Science
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 29-54
Location: OP Lobby & Atrium
Time: 1:15