Marshman, Evan; Peterson, Samara; Call, Gerald; Chaston, John (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Chaston, John (Life Science, Plant and Wildlife Science)
In recent years the association between the human gut microbiome and the brain has become a promising field of study. Often referred to as the "gut-brain axis", this connection has greatly enriched our scientific understanding of many disorders that affect the brain and nervous system. A recent study showed the differing richness of bacteria in the microbiota of Parkinson's patients and healthy control subjects. Because recent research shows this connection, we predicted that we would detect variation in the microbiota of D. melanogaster (fruit flies) models of Parkinson's disease, relative to wild type flies. To test this hypothesis, I analyzed 16s rRNA sequence data, reporting the microbiota composition in flies that are a model of Parkinson's Disease, as well as wild type flies. I found one strain of the genus Acetobacter that was differentially abundant between the two fly types. Therefore, for my CURA I will extend my analysis by performing similar analyses by taking a larger set of Parkinson's fly models. Once they are sequenced, I will use QIIME, the same software I used in my preliminary analyses to further our understanding of the taxonomic differences between the gut bacteria of Parkinson's models and wild type flies.