| Affiliations: | DeBakey Executive Research Leadership Program |
| Project Leader: | Samera Mulatu sameramulatu@tamu.edu Veterinary Integrative Biosciences |
| Faculty Mentor: | Candice Brinkmeyer-Langford, Ph.D. |
|
Meeting Times:
|
Thursday: 2:30pm- 4pm |
|
Team Size:
|
3
|
| Open Spots: | 0 |
|
Special Opportunities:
|
Full member of group, Co-authorship, etc…
|
|
Team Needs:
|
Mice handling experience, qPCR, techniques |
|
Description:
|
Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) induces neurological conditions in its host. TMEV is used as a mouse model for the human neurological disorders multiple sclerosis (MS) and epilepsy. When infected, mice of the SJL/J mouse strain show MS-like disease symptoms, while C57BL/6J mice have epilepsy-like disease. The difference between these two strains is due to C57BL/6J mice mounting a stronger innate immune response in comparison to the SJL/J mice. The impact of gene-environment interactions on the TMEV model has not been fully evaluated in relation to air pollution, a factor that humans are exposed to daily at high incidences. The brain is a major target of air pollution. Ultrafine- particulate matter, UFPM (< 100 nm diameter), is among the more toxic components of air pollution since it can bypass the blood brain barrier. UFPM exposure can induce oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, contributing to increased incidences of neurological diseases. This project is aimed at determining how neonatal exposure to UFPMs can affect outcomes of neurological viral infection (TMEV). We hypothesize that the effects of UFPM exposure on microglia during development will accelerate TMEV-induced neuropathologies |