2022 Abstracts

Clawson, Jordan (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Ogden, Heath (Utah Valley University, Biology)

Consisting of more than 500 species, the Heptageniidae family of mayflies is primarily found throughout the Holoarctic, Oriental, and Afrotropical biogeographic realms with some presence in Central and South America. These flat-headed mayflies dwell in streams and rivers and are major consumers of fine detritus and diatoms. Three major subfamilies are recognized within the Heptageniidae family: Ecdyonurinae, Heptageniinae, and Rithrogeninae. Our lab has placed emphasis on the subfamily Ecdyonurinae, which can be further divided into four tribes: Ecdyonurini, Leucrocutini, Notacathurini, and Atopopini. The evolutionary relationships between these tribes and other associated genera has historically not been well understood; however, phylogenetic analysis may shed light to better understand these relationships. Genetic data was generated via Sanger sequencing for four genes (nuclear 18S and 28S rDNA; and mitochondrial 12S and 16S rDNA) and will be combined with data from targeted sequence capture from 448 protein coding loci. Data sets will be aligned in order to conduct phylogenetic analyses that will be used to test specific relationships between the subfamilies of Heptageniidae. Evaluation of nodal support will be done with Bootstrap, and FigTree will be used to produce quality visuals.

Friedel, Kelton; Whitmore, Kimberlee; Saavedra, Jesus; Stocks, Connor; Garrett, Patrick; Morales, Justin; Sandquist, Elizabeth (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Sandquist, Elizabeth (Science, Zoology)

Affecting over 30% of humans, retinal degeneration produced by conditions like age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and Leber congenital amaurosis is an incurable affliction primarily driven by the death of retinal photoreceptors. Though mammals are unable to combat such conditions through endogenous means, various treatments involving stem cell transplantation have begun to be developed for humans. However, these treatments face several obstacles, namely, low rates of functional stem cell integration in other mammals believed to be a product of inflammation and scarring caused during transplantation. In an effort to circumvent these issues, research in this field has begun examining the regenerative properties of zebrafish, a model organism able to regenerate a functional retina within 14 weeks post-injury. The exact mechanism for this regeneration is still unknown, but much research attributes the majority of the process to retinal Müller glia cells, multipotent stem cells that retain their multipotency in zebrafish but not mammals. The multipotency of these Müller glia allows them to continuously divide and replace all types of retinal neurons, including photoreceptors. Additionally, the integration of differentiated Müller glia into their appropriate retinal cell layer is believed to be mediated by various factors, including a series of extracellular enzymes known as matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). The present research attempts to levy the endogenous regenerative properties of the zebrafish model to understand the role of MMP2, an enzyme expressed within the Müller glia of developing zebrafish retina, in the functional regeneration and wiring of a damaged retina. Data collection is currently underway in the form of various quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays monitoring the expression of MMP2 in lesioned zebrafish retinas. Consistent with research examining the expression of other MMPs post-injury, MMP2 levels are expected to become overexpressed in lesioned zebrafish retina.

Presenter: Tyler Hill

Presenter: Alondra Miranda

Presenter: Alexandra Lyon

Presenter: Sabrina Bengtzen

Presenters: Darien Reed

Presenter: Jakob Pendleton

Presenter: Jonathan Spallino

Presenters: Ellie Pebbles

Presenters: Kourtney Kezos

Presenters: Bryson Edwards

Presenters: Whitney Sanders

Presenter: Nicole Asay

Presenter: Christian Riordan

Presenters: Lauren Parker

Presenter: Adriana Payan

Presenter: heba sultan

Presenters: Shaistah Din

Presenter: Rachel Compton

Presenters: Sydney Larsen

Presenter: Zachary Walton

Presenters: Brandon Thatcher ; Ann Peterson

Presenter: Tavie Parker